It's Not Just The New OTP Logo That Sucks

Some people may not approve of the overuse on the words "suck," "sucky" and, in particular, "suckiness," on these pages, but sometimes there are none better, especially when it comes to the Hungarian banking sector. And, in our experience, OTP Bank sucks more than any other. Hungary's largest and most profitable bank also makes its customers suck on it's shitty customer service and poor-value products longer and deeper than any other bank, a practice referred to by Hungarians as szopatás (literally, "making somebody suck"). Which, funnily enough, is exactly the message the new logo unveiled last week communicates to us. Clue: Mexican on a bicycle.

And no, this is not just a great opportunity to take a cheap shot at one of Hungary's most bloated, bureaucratic and inefficient companies. OTP really does treat its loyal customers - average Hungarians, many of whom have been with the bank for longer than they can remember - like roadside whores. This is the story of R.R., a former hapless ex-OTP customer:

I took my monthly pay - a large sum as you can imagine and deposited it via the machine at Rózsadomb Center where I worked at the time. Being familiar with the horrors of Hungarian bureaucracy, I gave it a couple days to be credited as I wasn't strapped for cash. Three days later, the money still hadn't appeared in my account. More than two weeks on, still no money. By this stage, I needed it badly to travel and was getting very angry. Despite my bubbling rage, I patiently explained to the bank teller that my money had gone missing for three weeks and that I had a receipt from the bank deposit machine to prove it. I called the Rózsadomb branch and they said it was normal for money to be delayed, and when they forget to make pick ups from the machine it can take weeks. I smile... and then start screaming. "THIS IS A FUCKING BANK! Not only do you charge ridiculous and unnecessary monthly and withdrawal fees but you are useless and LOSE MY MONEY!" The crowded bank went silent, like in a movie stick-up. I told them to call the fucking president of OTP, I wasn't leaving without my money. Eventually, after two hours of hectic phone calls and faxes and ridiculous amounts of paperwork, I got my money, cash in hand, and closed my account...

Suck, sucky and suckiness all rolled into one.

pestiside.hu