It has been over 9 days since I requested help via email from USAA concerning my damaged debit and credit cards while on vacation in Dharamsala, India where I am attending teachings by the Dalai Lama, volunteering with the Tibetan refugees, and studying Budhist philosophy. My credit card does not work at all and my debit card is also damaged, but is currently functioning (although I do not know how long that will continue). I gave them my hotel's address HERE IN INDIA, but having not received them by the appointed date, I realized that THEY HAD BEEN SENT VIA FedEx TO KANSAS ... "Dharamsala, Kansas" and an Indian postal code.
It's no wonder I have not received my replacement debit/credit cards because if USAA employees had simply read my emails in their entirety, they would have realized that I AM IN INDIA AND THAT THERE IS NO DHARAMSALA IN KANSAS!!! Unbelievable! They also would have answered the questions I asked about MY DAMAGED CREDIT CARD and HOW AND WHEN TO CALL USAA AS INSTRUCTED in a previous email.
I find this all very concerning as I am half way around the world and potentially without a source of funds and USAA DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE ENOUGH TO READ MY EMAILS IN THEIR ENTIRETY, ANSWER MY QUESTIONS, AND GET ME THE CARDS I DESPERATELY NEED!
I am also EXTREMELY concerned because I specifically asked not to have my current (new) credit card replaced because I had to notify numerous auto-pay accounts of the change in cards WHEN FORCED TO REPLACE THE CARD AGAINST MY WISHES, THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS! USAA apparently does not understand the inconvenience caused by mandating card changes on customers THROUGH NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. Being in India, where internet connections are slow at best, it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to contact all of my account holders AGAIN to update payment (card) information, AVOIDING MISSED/LATE PAYMENTS AND POSSIBLE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON MY CREDIT RATING. If USAA cannot figure out that I am in India, how could I possibly count on them NOT TO CANCEL my current credit card and AVOID HAVING TO CONTACT MY CREDITORS FOR THE THIRD TIME IN TWO YEARS.
I ASKED THAT MY CASE BE ELEVATED TO A SUPERVISOR AT 9:45 AM ON 11/15/2014 (INDIA TIME - 10:15 PM ON 11/14/2014 CST), HAVING ALL OF MY EMAILS READ/REVIEWED AND ACTION TAKEN IMMEDIATELY TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION SO THAT I CAN RESUME MY VACATION WITH AS LITTLE ADDITIONAL STRESS AS POSSIBLE, ALLOWING ME TO ACCESS FUNDS IN ORDER TO EAT, TRAVEL, AND PAY MY HOTEL BILL.
We will see if and how my case is handled and I will update you here. USAA has gone downhill in recent years in terms of customer service and it seems as though they have gotten too big for their britches since rolling in non-officers. I think it's wonderful that all Veterans now have access to USAA's services, but before the change we (officers) received quality, personal customer service, a thing of the past based on my experiences with USAA in recent years.
UPDATE - January 26, 2015): Three months after first contacting USAA about my damaged cards, I still have not received my new credit card even after my case was elevated to the CEO-level. I was promised by the CEO's representative that my application would be processed "personally" and the card sent to my wife so she could bring it to me when she left to meet me in New Delhi on November 21, 2014, but when I checked the status on their website a few days before her departure I found that it had not been processed as promised.
Maybe USAA's CEO should try traveling abroad without a credit card the next time he goes on vacation to see how difficult it is and possibly empathise with customers (members) like me that are left stranded in a third-world country without the proper resources.
CombatCritic Gives USAA A Dismal 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!
USAA Has Been Added To CombatCritic's Wall of Shame
Key Words: USAA Federal Savings Bank, USAA, federal, savings, bank, banking, insurance, credit card, debit card, debit, credit, card, customer service, customer, service, travel, India, Kansas, Dharamsala
UPDATE - January 26, 2015): Three months after first contacting USAA about my damaged cards, I still have not received my new credit card even after my case was elevated to the CEO-level. I was promised by the CEO's representative that my application would be processed "personally" and the card sent to my wife so she could bring it to me when she left to meet me in New Delhi on November 21, 2014, but when I checked the status on their website a few days before her departure I found that it had not been processed as promised.
Maybe USAA's CEO should try traveling abroad without a credit card the next time he goes on vacation to see how difficult it is and possibly empathise with customers (members) like me that are left stranded in a third-world country without the proper resources.
CombatCritic Gives USAA A Dismal 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!
USAA Has Been Added To CombatCritic's Wall of Shame
Key Words: USAA Federal Savings Bank, USAA, federal, savings, bank, banking, insurance, credit card, debit card, debit, credit, card, customer service, customer, service, travel, India, Kansas, Dharamsala
