Yes, I had the misfortune to speak to three different CS reps at IB. Twice to Joe and once each to the others. Two of the three fellows were rude and all were unresponsive to the issue and one refused to allow me to talk to a supv or mgr, when I four times requested it in a phone call. I decided that one should avoid CS phone calls at all costs, and this was during the time I was first funding my account, even before I started, when there seemed to be a problem with getting the account open!
I later met DEF on these boards, after I posted a complaint about IB's service on these boards. I see that complaint is no longer available for view, by the way! He assured me that he would intervene and help if there was another problem. Of course, there was another problem.
A limit order was filled at a price lower than the limit and it being 5AM, I emailed the status request. It took them four days to get back to me with the fact that their software had a problem, changed orders weren't going through to the exchange even though they showed as live orders in our accounts. They didn't offer to refund the four points after all that, so I asked for them and got no answer. That's when I asked def to look into it. He did.
He got back to me with an outrageous lie, claiming that even though they had all the changes I sent through on that order, that they couldn't tell which would have executed. Amazing. You can't change a FILLED order, so even if they didn't have the time stamps for the order changes, they can tell which would have been live at the time the order was filled -- without any question the last change is the "live" order! So they lied. It was such a small amount of money, I'd never have left over that. I did feel I had to leave because of the lie, however.
These guys took four days to status an order so it no longer could viably have been busted. They had a list of all my changes to the order, admitted that their software had a bug in it prevented changes in orders from going through, and they didn't deny that the order appeared on MY screen to have gone through. All that, and then they lied to keep a trivial sum of money. They could have even said, "We never make good, even on our own compounded mistakes, and we never give a credit, even as a one time courtesy." They could have said all that, even though it's bad practice, and I'd have stayed. But because they didn't say the truth, because they told me a blatant lie, I had to close my account.
IB is increasingly popular but my personal prediction is that they will be gone in five years, because I had the impression yesterday that there was some sleaze under that veneer. I just don't want them to be gone taking my money with them.
But, you'd think that would be the end of it? Because I wired money into my account in parts, they are enforcing a rule that even cash deposits, which wires are, have to be held at IB and not restored to the customer, for ten biz days. Gotta tell you, I have three other active brokerage accounts and not one of them does that, even though IB says they're enforcing the new law related to laundering money. Well, the other brokers I use just don't do that, and in view of IB lying to me about that trade, I think they're probably lying about how long they have to hold cash deposits. I won't rest easy till I have all my money out of there!
Quote from facultus:
I've talked with "Joe" each time I've contacted IB, both on the phone and on the interactive chat.
Hmmm....Has anyone ever talked with anyone else which isn't named Joe?
