U.S. Bank Employing Creepy Sales Tactic

U.S. Bank is currently employing some creepy sales tactics for existing customers. If you search for products on the U.S. Bank website you’ll often get a call from a U.S. Bank banker calling to follow up on your search. The creepy part is at no stage are people signing up for this follow up and it’s happening to people even when they are on the U.S. Bank website but not logged in.

U.S. Bank does this by linking your IP address to previous account sign ins. Bankers will get an alert within a few minutes – the next day. The alert shows what product you were searching for (e.g checking/savings etc). Given recent privacy concerns due to Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, I don’t think this is a winning marketing strategy.

I first heard of this here, and have confirmed with a U.S. Bank insider that this is how the program works. It’s apparently being going on for at least a year. If you received a call like this, how would you react?

 

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Hmmm
Hmmm (@guest_601366)
June 1, 2018 13:20

Interesting that this “Insider” only has about 1 year of experience with this. That narrows it down, doesn’t it?

Do you have any reward card? Have you given your information to buy a car? Have you given your information to open ANY account? Have you browsed any website, ever? Have you, have you, have you… Then you are being targeted. Get over yourself.

Just because you make an alarmist statement does not mean it is alarming. The sky is not falling, TP.

Search up the ethical status US Bank has in the industry and the world.

Fred
Fred (@guest_601438)
June 1, 2018 14:55

It’d be one thing if they had good customer service, but they started doing one thing I didn’t like. In a way it was good, like calling me and reminding me that I wanted to close my account.

Hmmm
Hmmm (@guest_601669)
June 2, 2018 06:07

If you think the grass is greener on the other side…
US Bank will still be there with open arms when you realize it isn’t.

HaHa
HaHa (@guest_601670)
June 2, 2018 06:11

So you are going to move your acct from US Bank but keep your job at US Bank?!? Funny TP.

Charles Mann
Charles Mann (@guest_584310)
April 20, 2018 01:17

I just opened 2 CC accts and a checking account with them and they seemed OK to me. I do remember dealing with them in the past and being disappointed with their cust serv, but this time around they seemed to have improved, YMMV. I personally don’t think that it’s creepy if a bank you have a relationship with calls you. On the contrary, banks like AMEX provide terrible cust serv and usually ignore you no matter how many futile complaints you make.

Ann
Ann (@guest_584323)
April 20, 2018 04:11

“I personally don’t think that it’s creepy if a bank you have a relationship with calls you.”

Calling you because it was your number’s turn in their reps’ call list rotation is one thing, but calling you because they tracked your visits to their website and tied them back to your account is a very different thing to most people.

Hmmm
Hmmm (@guest_601372)
June 1, 2018 13:28

“Ann”, is it possible that people actually want to get a call? Need the products? A service is being provided? If you dont like it, it is easy to ask to be removed.

Fred
Fred (@guest_584064)
April 19, 2018 17:21

I received this call, and it was the only telemarketing call I’ve received at my office phone. It would not have been that suspicious or annoying to me if it was from a properly-trained US Bank employee, but I had to ask the person where they were calling from, and that person paused as they apparently unprepared for the question. Also, they stated I had received a mailer, which I had not (I later recalled that I had checked for pre-approved offers on their website). I told them I was busy, and when they called back a few days later I told them to remove me from their list (I believe at that point I asked the name of the company who employed them, which they told me but I don’t remember).

Austin
Austin (@guest_584040)
April 19, 2018 15:59

This has happened to me before with HSBC. I was logged into my online banking and happened to click on the mortgage link accidentally and I received a call the next day form a mortgage loan officer asking about my interest in receiving a mortgage. I think this is mainly due to the fact that I was already logged into my online banking and with HSBC you stay logged in no matter what part of the website you go to.

pete
pete (@guest_584039)
April 19, 2018 15:59

happened to me about a month ago. Called me at 9 pm at night my time on the east. Was wondering how they did it. Very annoying

kk
kk (@guest_584026)
April 19, 2018 15:32

Totally creepy.

Econ 201 Pro
Econ 201 Pro (@guest_584010)
April 19, 2018 14:59

The real question is why do people answer random phone calls?

Randy
Randy (@guest_583980)
April 19, 2018 14:17

I would say “If your RAT team goes easy on me, I would apply for AR” :).

Redrotors
Redrotors (@guest_583971)
April 19, 2018 14:05

Fresh incognito, Puffin, no script, unblock origin, duckduckgo for search, VPN.
Call me paranoid………..

Adam
Adam (@guest_583955)
April 19, 2018 13:45

Not the only bank who does it. Had a recent experience like so with Regions. Cept in their case they’re a lot more incompetent. And the banker who called me was clueless & rather lost.