Billed as a "little Kiwi-owned bank taking on the Aussie
banks", Kiwibank is using an Australian-based call centre to
deal with its thousands of KiwiSaver members.
The New Zealand-owned bank opted to use Mercer, one of six
default scheme providers chosen by the Government, as it was
"not in a position" to offer its own scheme when KiwiSaver
was launched in 2007, spokesman Bruce Thompson said.
"Mercer is an international company that has operated in New
Zealand for more than 40 years," he said.
However, a call by the Otago Daily Times to Kiwibank's
toll-free Mercer KiwiSaver number was answered by a Mercer
customer services representative in Melbourne, who asked how
Dunedin was spelt so the requested investment statement could
be sent.
"Kiwibank works hard to provide better banking, delivered in
a straight-talking Kiwi way," the investment statement says.
Asked if having an Australian-based call centre was a good
look for its customers who were urged through the bank's
advertising campaign to "join the movement" away from
Australian-owned banks, Mr Thompson declined to comment.
He confirmed the call centre was based in Melbourne and would
"either provide answers to the customer's inquiries or
redirect the call to the Auckland or Wellington offices".
Consumer New Zealand chief executive Sue Chetwin said
Kiwibank might "want to have a little look" at its
advertising campaigns, which encourages New Zealanders to
"join the resistance" and join the bank.
"They are being hypocritical," she said.
A Mercer spokeswoman said almost 70,000 New Zealanders had
enrolled in its KiwiSaver schemes.
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