The Monzo of old is dead (?)

[mikez]

@ndrw

but then switching bribes happened

Likewise!

[simonb]

@Peter_G

On transparency and community. I don’t just mean this place. I mean more working in the open and more commitment to transparency. I think we’re seeing a lot more of that with things like app evolution. But more to go. Companies that close in on themselves and don’t open themselves to uncomfortable or constructive feedback tend to be the most fragile, I think. I don’t think we should go back to community polls over ATM charges, but I do think that things like a Community/Crowdfunder Non-Exec Director (I say this completely self-interestedly), an open roadmap (the US one has loads of global stuff and had gone down well), more events (online now maybe) would be excellent.

All of this!

[Khug2 (Kay Hughes)]

What have I taken from this…

I can see my Monzo user number in app.
Hello from Monzo user #524988 January 2018

For me, so long as they still use this forum & others to gain feedback/ideas for quality of life improvements to inform future developments, im happy.

While im here, please can we have the ability to pin our most frequently used/customer categories to the top & pot to pot transfers.

Thank you bye

[Dan5 (Dan)]

@Peter_G

This does sound frustrating. I didn’t go into the whole support thing in my post, but I do think that Monzo has further to go in sorting out their inconsistent support performance.

I actually had my first support experience in awhile this week and it was really disappointing.

For some things, usually app related, I escalate internally because it goes to the engineering side of Monzo much more quickly that way and we can raise and spot issues much easier, especially when we’re running internal builds.

For all things bank related I go through chat, both because it’s the route we’re supposed to use and because when it comes to banking I’m a customer just like everybody else on here. I don’t get special perks for working for Monzo, and I pay the £15 a month for premium the same any other premium subscriber does (I’m not saying this for any other reason than to make it clear that staff who are customers are, with exception of testing early releases and early features, just customers.

I experienced the same bouncing around between multiple people, having to repeat myself multiple times, going around in circles etc. the first reply I got just “Hi Dan, Nathan here”. I waited a few hours to see if anything else was forthcoming, but in the end I had to chase it up.

So I now completely empathise with this experience, previously I’ve had nothing but good things to say about chat, but this last experience has left me pretty frustrated.

[dannymidd]

or they flag your comment lol

[JIMMWX (Village Idiot)]

@Dan5

I experienced the same bouncing around between multiple people, having to repeat myself multiple times, going around in circles etc. the first reply I got just “Hi Dan, Nathan here”. I waited a few hours to see if anything else was forthcoming, but in the end I had to chase it up.

Honestly it’s one of the main reasons I don’t bank with Monzo. It has, for me at least, got progressively worse (cs support).

I hope over time they can adopt a more
Responsive chat where agent replies don’t just get passed around, are specific.

[dannymidd]

i must admit i have had nothing but good to say about the customer service team as all of my things have been sorted UNTILL this weekend when i asked to cancel a recurring card payment , funny thing was i said to my friend after i put the info onto chat that i would have to contact the supploer , even though monzo should have been able to stop the payment

3 customer service agents later who could not see the recuring card payment despite a payment having been taken from it , i got the ’ you will have to contact the company who take the payment as i cant see it ’ not the greatest of experiences

[JIMMWX (Village Idiot)]

Yup, that too! It really is the Achilles heel, I think the app is still one of the best out there in terms of detail and as an aggregator I’ve yet to find one quite as good for a bank app.

[Doug_hboy (Always be alert because the World always needs lerts.)]

Greetings from # licensed to post

[Carlo1460]

I messaged monzo on 1st Jan. Had a reply on 4th I think. Still no reply since.

Very poor CS, the first time though, likely due to new year and everyone spending up.

Planning should prevent this well enough

[jzw95]

@Sachaz

Can I just say on TS and the submarine stuff, he doesn’t have to be out and public as Tom

He definitely doesn’t need to be as engaged as Tom was (especially at the beginning), but it’s disappointing that he’s never posted here. An initial “hello, welcome” post would have been good and just a recognition that the community is here and has some degree of purpose.

[JIMMWX (Village Idiot)]

@jzw95

he’s never posted here. An initial “hello, welcome” post would have been good and just a recognition that the community is here and has some degree of purpose.

I’m actually glad he hasn’t. A CEO of a large scale organisation should be delegating responsibility of that to others and focusing their time on allowing them to be a conduit between members and the wider purpose.

I appreciate Tom at one point may have done, but there’s a huge difference between a ambitious startup and a large commercial organisation, which Monzo now is.

[Ordog]

@JIMMWX

I’m actually glad he hasn’t.

Me too.

I still remember the days people used to randomly tag Tom in all sorts of bizarre comments as if it was some sort of personal direct line to getting what they wanted. Some people still do it with staff these days.

As you mentioned, there’s a hierarchy for a reason. Let the guy focus on the big picture stuff

[j06 (Jamie)]

@JIMMWX

A CEO of a large scale organisation should be delegating responsibility of that to others

Yeah. Steve Jobs had absolutely the wrong idea, doing all those corporate presentations himself.

Lots of modern companies see the value in a direct line from CEO to customer; take Anne’s updates at key times at Starling, Greg at Octopus blogging through the energy crisis and Branson has been doing it for years.

[Revels]

@j06

Yeah. Steve Jobs had absolutely the wrong idea, doing all those corporate presentations himself.

Did Steve Jobs reply on the Apple help forums?

[AlanDoe (Alan)]

Hey everyone

Just jumping in on this one.

@Ordog and a few others have made a valid point that this discussion does come up from time to time and the discussion can get quite heated so I’m going to merge it with one of the pre-existing discussions.

This isn’t to kill the convo, just to keep it all in one place.

@Peter_G

Thanks for starting the topic. It’s a useful conversation to have from time to time, I think.

I agree with @Peter_G here too - it’s good to discuss certain topics from time to time.

I’ve appreciated the points getting raised in here and I’ve highlighted internally and will continue to discuss these if/when they pop up on the Community.

[jzw95]

There’s a difference between being active and available on the forum and not communicating with customers at all. Agreed it’s not a requirement, but still disappointing. Part of the Monzo ethos is (was?) to be more open. Occasional communication from the CEO – even if it’s drafted by someone else – can be useful and valuable to customers.

[JIMMWX (Village Idiot)]

I think that’s my point, though.

When you are a startup then it totally makes sense for someone like Tom or TS to come on here, drop an update on the general picture, and then either open the floor for questions with delegated answers or choose to answer them yourself.

In the same way I wouldn’t expect Tim Cook to post a company update on the Apple Forum’s (because he will have a marketing and comm’s team who’s job is just that) I wouldn’t expect TS to come on here since I’m really not sure, personally, what benefit that would be.

We have great engagement from a number of Monzonaughts here (and long may that continue!) so I doubt we’re missing anything relevant to us/the wider public which wouldn’t also inadvertently show monzo’s hand to a competitor and the subsequent potential loss of position…

Also, sorry to spoil anyone’s tea but do you really think that any other CEO really writes what is attributed to them? Its almost certainly a marketing team either doing it for them//telling them what to say next

[simonb]

@JIMMWX

Also, sorry to spoil anyone’s tea but do you really think that any other CEO really writes what is attributed to them? Its almost certainly a marketing team either doing it for them//telling them what to say next

You just reminded me of something that I’d long forgotten about. Although every time Tom posted on here, it was actually him (at least as far as I’m aware!) there was one time in the super early days where I needed a quote from him for something. It might have been a newsletter update or an early social post, or something. I forget exactly what it was, but not anything particularly important.

Anyway, after badgering him a couple of times, he eventually said “Can you just write it? You know what I’d say.”

[robulation (Rob Laird)]

I’d generally disagree… things like this open forum and the way they introduce new ideas definitely feels like they’re still listening to their customers. Their focus has to be on profitability, and Tom, whilst he was clearly great at starting an idea, wasn’t cut out to make it a profitable business long term. I don’t see it as an ordinary neo bank, I see it as so much more.

They have given the corporate banking and finance world a rare and very much-needed kick up the arse with personality and youthfulness that the industry was crying out for.