I would just love to complain about my bank...
By Woodpigeon
@Woodpigeon (3710)
Ireland
June 6, 2007 12:47pm CST
but I can't. I used to go to Bank of XXXXXXX and would dread dealing with them. The lines were excruciatingly long. The people were needlessly difficult and often downright surly. I did business in there every single month, yet they would still ask if I had an account at the bank, never mind the branch. The surcharges were ridiculous, and it never seemed to matter whether I cued up for the regular desk or the customer service desk, after a prolonged wait, I would be told to get back in line, at the opposite place! You couldn't get them on the phone. The final straw was when they had to track down a cashed check for 700 euro and five months later, they are still unable to produce the copy so I can get an expensive matter resolved.
Even though I switched banks months ago, I am still getting over the dread and I think I can finally let it go. My new bank rocks! First of all, they have two automatic glass doors which are quite like airlocks, so for a sci-fi junky like myself, it's probably the closest I'll ever get to visiting a space station. There is only one line I can use, period, and they never screw with the system. Last month when I was waiting in the (very short) line, one of the bank workers brought out half a dozen little packages for my son, and it may as well have been Christmas: he got highlighters, note pads, a piggy bank, a little desk top clock, practically everything but a free toaster! Today, even after a three day weekend, there were only 2 people in line ahead of me and I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. And they are nice! Sweet! Helpful! Polite! Wow, I don't know myself. I walked out of the bank/space station smiling. I certainly felt like I was on another planet when comparing their service to my old bank.
What about you? Is there somewhere you get really great customer service? Is it surprising because at the last place you tried the service was much worse?
9 people like this
18 responses
@AmbiePam (85701)
• United States
6 Jun 07
I have to say my bank goes out of their way to be helpful. It is the only bank I've ever used. I opened up an account there after my first job and have kept them. They still do ask me if I have an account there, but overall, I'm happy with them. But I feel sorry for you! Your bank sounds like the stuff of nightmares!
@abroji (3247)
• India
7 Jun 07
Woodpigeon, this discussion is interesting. Understanding the lifestyle of people around the world is dear to me. Experience with banks is a very good topic.
I thought only the bank employees in India were unfriendly, egoistic and intollerent towards their customers. But from your experience and of those responded to this discussion, the banks anywhere are rather the same.
In India also bank dealings are usually not so friendly. It is not so easy to develop a raport with the employees. They are very much reserved people. There are exeptions, but this is the overall situation.
Thank you woodpigeon for this excellent topic.
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
Why you are very welcome and I am glad you are enjoying it. I think it is also so much more pleasant to know they people. It seems like there is a lot of turnover at the old bank.
2 people like this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
7 Jun 07
i don't really have any bad experience with my bank because i hardly interact with them... if i need money, i just go to ATM or use internet banking to pay my bill or check my balances... the only time i need to go to the bank is if i want to deposit my money or coins... and that is very seldom... and the bank service here is not too bad... they are quite fast and friendly... so i don't really have any complain about them... i usually don't spend more than 5 minutes in a bank or maximum 10 minutes...
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
I would love to never have to deal with them and only use an ATM. It must be bliss!
@friend2friends (1636)
• United States
7 Jun 07
I've heard to many war stories about Bank of America.
Clark Howard is telling everyone to close there account.
Did you hear where Bank of America actually had a customer put in jail because he received a check and he went to the back to see if this check was really real.
Visit http://www.clarkhoward.com
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
I don't know that tv show but I am not surprised. I think they get a bit too big for their boots!
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
7 Jun 07
Actually, the best service I've ever had was probably at the bank too. When I moved to where I live now, I opened up an account at the same bank where my (now) husband banked, without even really shopping around. The bank I had before hadn't been much to be excited about, so I was shocked that every time we walked in the door people were so nice to us! They knew our names, asked us about our lives, and seemed geniunely interested in our well-being. They gave me all kinds of neat little freebies too!
After I had been banking with them for a few years, I happened to mention to one of the tellers that I was job-hunting, and before I knew it she had hooked me up with the manager there to talk about their job opening! Which is how I came to be a bank teller myself. =P
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
Talk about customer service! Except for the job, it sounds like my new bank!
1 person likes this
@charms88 (7538)
• Philippines
7 Jun 07
Hi pigeon (grin). We have a local bank that has the highest number of depositors among the banks here. I used to have an account there. Like what you mentioned above, I needed to wait for an hour just to make a simple transaction. They also lacked manpower like there will be 2 tellers available instead of 5. I was so fed up with it and had no desire to waste too much of my time.
I switched to another bank and had never regretted my decision. The services are awesome. The customer service is available 24 hours and real friendly. All the settings of their bank branches are built with steel and cool blue tiles. Its like stepping on a hotel where the staff will even offer you some refreshment.
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
Oh, that sounds nice, too. My only regret about switching is that I waited so long to do it!
@Signal20 (2281)
• United States
6 Jun 07
I can't think of anything off hand that has great customer service lol....I don't blame you though for switching banks though, that's awful! Our current bank, it's a rural/country area, so they're never busy. In fact, they're closed on Wednesdays lol. But, because it's a small town, and the bank and everywhere else, everyone knows everyone. So, they stand there talking with Billy Bob or whoever, and just ignore you, then help you when they're done talking....really pisses me off lol. But after having rotten experiences with banks before, I do the same thing I did back then-if I need cash, I use the ATM(unless it's more then 300. then I use the drive up window), and any deposits I make I use the night drop box and they mail me the deposit receipt. That way I avoid as much human interaction as possible :)
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
6 Jun 07
Oh, that is what it was like at the post office before it came under new management. You would be cueing up and could end up outside while you were waiting it could get so bad! I would love to avoid the human interaction in these instances, too, because I'm always afraid I am going to leave sometihng behind or drop something so I want as few distractions as possible!
1 person likes this
@SpitFire179 (2536)
• Canada
6 Jun 07
Hey...
I wish i could say that my bank is great, i used to like it, that is until they decided to start charging 40 bucks a month just to have the darned thing, every time i go in, i never get my matter resolved...
it started when i went to change my account from a savings to a checking account because i had to pay bills and it was costing me a ridiculous rate to pay them.
i went in, produced ALL of the information they needed, and more, signed the papers and yada yada, first month it was great.
second month, someone had changed my name to my middle name, so all my doccuments are coming in that name, i tried to change it through the tele prompt and a rep said i couldn't do it without proper identification which i FAILED to show at the bank in changing the account - umm whatt????
then they decided to send me a letter saying that my account was still a savings account and it would be changed to a checking account in a couple of months, my card would be canceled so I'm due to go in and fix things, again.
I'm so frustrated with them right now, i could scream, i mean, i had this worked out months ago, almost a year actually, and i get this letter about a month ago.
so what I'm going to do is close my account the day my card gets deactivated.
and then I'm going to switch banks.
there's one here that i hear so much good about it's crazy, so i think I'll go through them.
I can't say anything really terrible about my banks customer service, they are all really nice, their just all air heads haha.
2 people like this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
6 Jun 07
I would get the heck out of there, too. That would made me scream, too. I've always thought that was the real reaon they are behind glass and high counters, not to protect them from robbers, but cutomers that have had enough! It sounds like my husband's bank which is the bank I am having the altercation with over the cashed check. That is a thread for another day!
1 person likes this
@maribea (2366)
• Italy
6 Jun 07
oh which is the name of the bank and where is it??? I am thinking about moving there!!!! oh I have only found unpolite, stupid, unkind people in all the banks I have changed..they don't care about you...they don't remember your name or your face no matter how many times you come there and how few or many customers they have...the queues can be either short or long but when it is your turn, they are always in a hurry and have no idea of explaining something to you...so I think I should move to Ireland if such a nice bank exists!!! just a bit difficult dealing with the everyday matters!! he he
2 people like this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
7 Jun 07
that second bank is a godsend! how wonderful. Our bank in town is really great with attitudes and customer relations. maybe too great as they never ask for proof of identification. It sometimes creeps me out that all these people think they know who I am. lol.
Our credit union, is so unlike credit unions I have belonged to in any other state...and today I am going to withdraw my money. This is on a military installation... it is very impersonal, you have to keep a certain balance at all times or they will charge you, and they have fees for everything imagineable. I do not use the c.u. often because it is not local to us but I like to have it for when I am at the base and need access to cash or services. I got a notice that they have been withdrawing $2.50 a month for inactivity.
WHAT!!!??? they do not give any interest on MY money that THEY are using at their credit union (using charging other people high interest I might add) and they have the audacity to charge me for inactivity?
No thank you!
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
They charge you for not making them do account maintenance? That is really something! Get out of there!
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
10 Jun 07
Oh I hate banks too. So much so that I have posted an article on banks. You can take a look if you are interested - http://lordwarwizard.blogspot.com/2007/04/is-your-bank-robbing-you.html .
I don't normally visit my bank branches. I almost never in fact. But I do feel their customer service can be better when I communicate with them via phone or emails. It may not necessarily be that they shout at me or anything, but the speed and how far they go to accommodate me are what rank high on my list too.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
11 Jun 07
I think my bank was robbing me, too. They are just such money grubbers. I guess that is how they decided to work at the bank!
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
9 Jun 07
that old bank sounds like my mom's bank.all the tellers have tudes,they act like you inconvenience them so greatly by asking them to do something.
fee happy too.
i wish i could get her to switch-but she likes it.
rrr..of course she does,i have to make the deposits for her!;)
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
9 Jun 07
yup.
they do have the airlock doors though.
probably the only thing neat about the bank.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
9 Jun 07
It's funny how you get in a rut even when the service is bad.Since you are the one who has to deal with them that doubly sucks!
1 person likes this
@KarenO52 (2950)
• United States
8 Jun 07
My husband and I have been going to the same bank for years. It's the one where we had the mortgage on our house. Everyone there is helpful, and every so often, we'll check to see what's new there. A few months ago, we opened an equity line of credit to use for improvements around the house. When we sent the application in, the bank ran a routine credit check, and they found a lien on our house by the IRS. The lien was due to a supposed debt by me. One of the loan managers at the bank called me up, and asked me to come down to the bank. I guess what happened was that someone with the same name as me owed money on a student loan. The birth dates didn't match, and there was a middle initial. I don't have a middle initial. The loan manager made a copy of my driver's licence and birth certificate, and I had to sign a statement stating that I was not the person to whom the lien was on. He got everything fixed for me so the loan could go through. I thought that was pretty nice. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have known that there was even a lien on my property. Just before that happened, we had our credit checked, and we had a very high score. I was kind of shocked that something like that could happen, but the loan manager said he had seen another example of something like that with a person who had a very common name who had no middle initial. The IRS will just try to find a close match to a person who owes the money, and then put a lien on their property.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
8 Jun 07
Now that is customer service! What would have happened if the bank hadn't discovered this? I have heard horror stories abut the IRS. Did then not notify you they were putting out the lien? Glad the bank got it straightened out for you!
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
8 Jun 07
That really is horrible. It's nice to see a bank actually making your life easier.
But the most important thing, should I ever need to switch: do theyhave space ship style air locks? That is pretty much my main priority now that I am so spoiled.
1 person likes this
@dragonokiefly (862)
• United States
6 Jun 07
Sounds like a very good bank that truly cares about its customers. Those type of businesses seem to be getting more and more the minority. Besides, who wouldn't want to experience the space station feeling, I'm jealous lol.
The bank I use has great customer service... well at least the branch I use. They have branches all over the state but the 2 I have actually used differ like night and day. I actually go out of my way now to use only one. The one branch that is in our Wal-mart really sucks. They have rude people that don't know exactly what they are suppose to be doing. I have 3 accounts with them, 1 for me and 2 for 2 of my daughters that are on social security. When we were getting a paper check in the mail for them, the one written for my youngest daughter was made out wrong. Instead of having both mine and her name on it, it only had her name. I went to deposit it into her account and they wouldn't do it. They said it had to be signed by the person the check was made out to. I tried to explain to them but they just wouldn't listen. So I went home and got my daughter who was 10 months old at the time and brought her back to the branch with me. I said ok here she is where should she sign? They told me they still wouldn't deposit it because I had no proof that she was the person the check was written out to. All they had to do is pull up the account on their computer and see the birthdate for her. I was so upset! SO I went to the other branch a few miles down the road and didn't have a single problem. That was 2 years ago. Now when I walk in they call me by name and say hi. How these people remember my name is beyond me since I only go in there maybe twice a month at most but it sure is nice.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
I had that same problem with christmas cheques form my kids at the old bank, but strangely enough, not with the new bank. Go figure!
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
7 Jun 07
I guess I am very lucky as I have a lovely local branch of my bank. They are always friendly and helpful in there, and the queues are never so long that people get cross waiting in line. They have cash machines inside as well as outside, and a fast pay system that lets me pay cheques in very quickly.
When I had to see the personal bankers after losing my job they were fantastic, made arrangements for a bank loan I could afford to pay back, sorted out a cheaper rate on the loan too.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
7 Jun 07
Sounds like you are getting very good service, too. It is nioce to hear that not all banks are ogre like.
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
10 Jun 07
I am indeed surprised at the queues in both banks. I wonder if the second bank is more efficient or that it has less customers? Here in Singapore, I do see such discrepancy in service levels, depending on the banks. Local banks tend to be more crowded. However, most banks are encouraging internet banking and so the queues existing only at certain peak periods.
1 person likes this
@windhair (498)
• Germany
10 Jun 07
I have an account in a bank with very good clerks, them help me a lot. So I will stay on this bank for ever if I can. My German is not so good when I came Germany, and their clerk spent a lot of time to help me understand everything about my account. This not happened only when I started the account, but afterwards, Whenever I have a question or problem with my account, they will try their best to help me, and find the most suitable way to help me. I would say, it is the best I have met.
1 person likes this
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
10 Jun 07
I have stopped going to the bank for some time now. I used to queue in line for the bank teller. The service is reasonable, but the queues are not. They are usually long. What I do nowadays is to use the ATMs to update my passbooks or withdraw cash, and internet banking to do funds transfer, check balances and pay bills. Only if I need to change my passbook do I show up at the bank.
If I need to feed back or complain about the service, I will go into the bank's website and log an entry there in the 'Contact Us' page. Once I had two of my cashcards swallowed by a bank's ATM in succession. That got me made because I needed the cashcards for some transactions that day. I lodged a nasty complaint through the bank's website, and that afternoon, one of the bank managers actually called me back and apologised for the convenience caused to me. I thought it was a good thing the bank responded to my complaint quite expeditiously.
1 person likes this
