My customer information and privacy was breached by Frederick F. at 83 King Street W, Dundas (Ontario) after he opened up a new credit card application using my information without my full authorization. He had requested if he could cancel my existing application, which I wrote Yes but you can arrange the referral kick back to their existing customer. Instead of following the provided instruction, Frederick proceeded to cancel my existing application, open a new application (so to allow him to get the finder fee for new customer) then informed me he would not be providing a referral kick back to the existing customer.
On Dec 31, I started a credit card application for the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite. When I finished the credit card application, the application did not express an outcome if I was approved or not. My objective was to find out how to add a referral for new customers.
On Jan 3-2023 I called in to get a status update to supplement the application, if required. I was passed around to four people to eventually pushed on the queue for credit card application that had an additional 1hr wait. In my exchanges, one individual named Karen on the existing customer said she was aware banks received referral kick backs ($120) for finding new customers for their application but could not assist me with adding email addresses to applications. She also advised me the application was pushed to manual review, thus further information would be required. After spending well in excess of 1hr on the call, I arranged a phone meeting with the first branch that had someone available because the call queue was quite horrendous.
Jan 4-2022, I was connected with Fredrick F and the 83 King Street W, Dundas (Ontario) location, who provided me clarification that my IDs were missing on the application, he almost made hot air promises that he could give me two years of free annual fees without setting up a chequing account - even though I really never asked for two years of free annual fees. That feedback was odd because the application process did not have a secured upload options for IDs and nor did the application feedback requiring an in branch feedback. Irrespectively, I went in and promptly provided two IDs and called him back advising it was done. It was my understanding once that was done that the application process would be able to continue. The odd thing, Frederick started asking me my Employers name, date of birth and information as if he was starting an application - my take was that he was clarifying the content before pushing it back to the review process but during the call no indication was made that he was starting a new application even though the questions he was asking really sounded like he was.
Towards the end of the day, he had tried to call me and then emailed me asking if he could cancel my application and start a new one because it was easier. I specifically wrote "You can cancel and make a new one, but could you do one thing I couldn't do on the online application. I wasn't able to enter an email address for the customer that referred me so they could get a kick back for referring me as a customer- there was no option on the online portal."
The conditioned request was quite simple:
Step 1: Check if you can provide a referral back to existing customer
Step 1a: If yes - cancel existing application to start a new application
Step 1b: If no - feedback to customer you are not able to do so, and request further instruction.
On Jan 5-2022, I do receive an email from Fredrick as follows:
"I cant do [new customer referral from existing customer] that from the branch level, and I got you approved for $8500.00 Limit with 40000 welcome points and 1 year no annual fees.
And the rest of the things [from your original application] I kept the same what you had done through online banking. Let me know if this works and I can send you the paperwork to sign.
Thanks, Fredrick F."
When I told him over the phone to take accountability that you violated my privacy, he refused to do so. When I told you only wanted to cancel the application because you want to take the new customer finder fee, he defended that he was on salary and did not take a commission.
To my understanding, he knew he could not provide my request and did not follow up asking if I wanted to continue. Instead, without my clear authorization, he went ahead to complete a credit card application with the information he had phone screen on Jan 4-2023. That's why he was asking all the questions as if I was applying to a new credit - and positioning the questions as a verification of information. SNEAKY.
You have been warned, this Fredrick F. at this location violates customer privacy, taking new customer misfortune through backlogged call centers and taking an opportunity to get a new customer finder fee (per Karen's information Jan 3-2022). When Fredrick F. was asked to take accountability for privacy breach, he refused to. read more
