Unionbank EON Card Replacement

As a freelancer you will most likely have a PayPal card and if you're like me who doesn't own a credit card (which is required for verifying your PayPal account) you will have likely gotten a Unionbank EON account and card.

I had gotten my EON card 3 years ago and found out that my card was expiring through PayPal this month. I didn't wait until the last minute because I couldn't afford a period where I had to wait to withdraw money. I went to the nearest Unionbank (Novaliches) for my card replacement. I was confident I would get it in one week because when I had first gotten my card I received it within the promised time.

I go back after a week expecting to get my card and it turns out it hadn't been delivered. Now my patience has lengthened tremendously over time so I didn't get angry instead I listened to the reasoning behind the delay.

I was told that from March 14 onwards all card replacements would be experiencing a delay because of a system upgrade. Well, obviously that was out of their hands. As I needed the money in my account I opted to withdraw over the counter (with a withdrawal fee of Php100.00).

I was told to try again in 2 days. Seeing as I had withdrawn the money I needed and wouldn't need to get the card yet I waited 5 days. This time I made a call before going there and to my dismay my card still hadn't arrived. I still proceeded to the bank to withdraw over the counter and for an update on the delivery of my card.

Upon arriving at the bank I inquired as to how long the delay was to be expected. I was told that it would be indefinite! I was caught off guard because this is NOT an answer you give to a customer. Was I expected to just wait forever, what about my PayPal verification, the withdrawal fees and the trip I have to make each time? I was truly frustrated and people who know me well, they know I won't take that sitting down. I demanded for a resolution and action to be taken.

It was totally unacceptable that they could not provide a proper timeline. If they were not able to provide me with my card they needed to find a way to resolve my problem which mainly was a card that I could use to verify my PayPal account.

In respect to the manager of the Unionbank Novaliches branch, she was very accommodating and did not give me any attitude. Instead she and one of the bank officers tried to find a solution to my problem. I applaud their efforts and their effectiveness in handling customers and getting me what I needed.

In the end, they offered to set up a new account for me and provide me with my EON card right there and then. They also waived the new account fee of Php350.00 and the withdrawal fee of Php100.00 (I had to return later that day to withdraw over the counter as the system was down when I was there!). After signing up online on their computer, filling out some forms and paying the deposit fee of Php200.00 (this is required by PayPal but is also returned to you) I got my EON card. I have to wait 3 days for the account and card to link to my details and then I'll be able to verify my PayPal account.

If you are experiencing a similar difficulty this is probably the best way to go rather than waiting indefinitely for a replacement card that may never come.

It's easy to get angry at the staff and manager when things go wrong but who is really wrong here? Unionbank is a credible banking institution and you would think that they could provide a better answer than "We're not sure". They should be able to provide a timeline to customers and not leave them hanging. It seems their is a required bank system upgrade made by Bankgko Sentral so maybe even Unionbank isn't at fault. No matter who the perpetrator, it's hard working citizens like us that get stuck with the problem.

5 comments:

Mommy Bloggers Philippines said...

Thanks for this, my card is expiring too so I need to get to the bank asap!

Jhanis said...

Oh no. This reminds me I need to check my PayPal details and see if my card is not yet expiring. Thanks for the heads up!

jocris said...

Oh no!! well, I still have two years to renew mine, and I hope I wouldn't experience the same way.. That's really sucks, mostly if you really needed..

http://jocrisworld.blogspot.com/

Nathalie said...

Another alternative for verifying your PayPal account is BPI's my ePrepaid MasterCard, which I have. But I think it's more limited than EON since you cannot use it on an ATM so you can't withdraw money through it per se. You can only use it as a debit card and make purchases online and through EPS (swiping like a credit card).

Debarpan Mukherjee said...

I am using paypal for long time thanks for sharing this useful information.

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