Come critique my bitch to the bank...

The BBQ Pit
21

Hand deliver the letter to the Bank Manager tomorrow, and say you want to discuss it’s contents.

Make sure to cc. it to the VP customer service and the President’s Office. (President of the bank, that is), and INDICATE ON THE LETTER that you are doing that. (after your signature you put cc. Joe Bogs, VP Customer Support, Sue Smith, President, US Bank)

Have copies on hand.

Be polite but firm. I do feel you should give the manager the opportunity to make this up to you, and keep your business.

Al.

22

Sorry guys, I wasn’t expecting this kind of response… seriously.

I thought someone or two people would say, ‘Clean it up here or there and go for it’, or something along those lines.

I never expected this kind of advice… not that I mind it a bit. I like it!

But, to me, the bringing in the letter part is a bit too much for me. I don’t know why, but it seems like I’m handing in a resignation or something to them.

What I’m thinking of doing, and more resolute in doing it now after reading all this, is memorizing the letter and going in with it in mind and doing what some of the people here have been saying.

That is, I’ll go in to the bank tomorrow, ask for the branch manager or whoever in the politest way possible, relay essentially the same thing that’s in the last re-write above, and see what happens.

If nothing much comes of it, I’ll close out the account on the spot and leave. Later in the day I’ll mail off the above letter -with only minimal changes-.

If something comes of that, well then, cool.

If it doesn’t, then I’ll have some satisfaction in knowing I at least made myself clear in what stopped me from banking there. Will anything come of it, long after I’m gone? Beats me. But if anything happens there because of it, then even cooler still.

Sound good?

And obviously, thanks to all that have redirected my anger or frustration into a better direction. I never realized some of you were so good at it!

23

I think you should bring the letter, and here’s why:

You go into the manager. You say “Here is the letter I have written, which I am going to forward to Joe Boggs and Sue Smith.”

If you have the letter, right there in your hot little hand, the manager will know you’re serious. It’s very easy to threaten to write a letter, but very few people actually do it. You need to make it clear that you are not going to let this matter drop.

If you try to memorize it, you will have trouble. Why? Because you are going to be nervous, and possibly angry. If you have a copy of the letter in front of you, you will have something to refer to - to jog your memory about details, and you will have something to do with your hands - ie. hold the letter. Then you won’t fidgit, or twidle your hair, or whatever - the more calm you look, the more serious the bank manager is going to take you.

Finally, it’s just good business protocol. Give the manager something to actually LOOK at - words, in writing. If they can see the infractions right there in black and white, they will appriciate the seriousness of the situation more.

Thats my 2 cents.

Al.

24

Well, it’s a good two cents Alice, mind if I deposit it? I need all the help I can get with these bastards.

But you do have a good point. It just seems so… so… drastic. I don’t know, I’m not good at drastic. I’m a calm kind of guy (Ninety-five percent of the time. The other times, I can be an ass and not even think twice about it).

I can’t argue with your reasoning, so, what the hell, I have nothing to lose. All right, I print it out and bring it with me too.

Another point I should make, for obvious reasons, I’ll post what happens tomorrow night.

Again, I appreciate the strategy suggestions and clearing up of the letter- all good advice.

25

Good luck!!

And now - just to perk your spirits, I present Alice’s Bank Bashing Cheer.

:: Dons impossibly small cheer leading outfit. ::

"The Bank - they’re bastards!
Don’t I know it.
Now’s the time to really show it.

Rip their lips off!
Stomp thier toes!
Don’t ignore your banking woes!

Demand respect man! You can do it!
I know how you feel 'cus I’ve been through it!

And if you feel the meeting tank,
Just remember, they’re not the only bank!"

YEAH!!!

:: Bounces around perkily ::

Al.

[sub]What? Banking is SERIOUS? I shouln’t be cheering in this little spandex suit? Puushaw![/sub]

26

I may be sounding like a broken record about this, but I really don’t get that. If someone hits your car, don’t throw a brick through his window; tell him you want money to cover the damages. A letter of apology is valueless. As I say, if collecting apologies floats your boat, go for it. But I think you should think bigger.

Also, bear in mind that it was one (or maybe two) individuals that pissed you off. The bank is comprised of many folks, most of whom really do want your business. At least give them a chance to make it up to you.

I say that last paragraph assuming this insult was a onetime event. If this is a regular thing, then by all means switch.

27

Your cheerleading isn’t bothering me Alice. Got any more?

Spandex goooooood.

Bill-

I am thinking bigger. That’s why I wanted to see the manager today. Truth be told, I want some of those penalties erased… I want my cash back.

Ideally, I want to be fine with the bank and want nothing but us to just get along.

But I have to be serious here. The bank has a policy I’m none too wild about to begin with. I go in to discuss it, and to discuss what it will take to get out of it, and I get slammed harder than what was already happening to me.

Instead of bitching like a wild man, or quietly walking away and taking my business elsewhere, I’d rather discuss it with them but have in my mind and intent the notion that I’m fed up with this crap and I’m willing to move on.

Now, if they come to me and say, 'Hey, sorry about that. How ‘bout we forget about these three charges here. Will that keep your business?’. I’d accept and keep my account open- hell, it’s no skin off my back, besides, it doesn’t cost a thing to keep it open.

I’d keep it open for a bit, but I wouldn’t use it anymore- the damage is done.

But even you admit above that my business means nothing to them. And given that, I’m not expecting much to happen.

But on top of that, personally, I don’t think a business should be run like that. If it is, I don’t want to be a part of it. And in a way, it really doesn’t matter if they’ve specifically done it to me for me to question my business there.

If someone tells me they had a bad situation take place at a place I do business with, I’d seriously weigh my options on staying there. I don’t want to be apart of something that others are having legitimate problems with. Call it odd, call it what you will, but I would think about it. If more than a couple people told me of bad stuff happening at the same place, I’d more than likely pick up and move on- regardless.

And when it happens to me personally? I’m outta there that second, no second chances.

I’ll give people themselves more than one chance. But when it comes to a business, they get one… and that’s it.

Hell, there’s other business out there that I can go to. Look at what happened to me this afternoon. I went down the street and within fifteen minutes I was up and running at a new bank. So far, they’ve treated me great.

Now, if they don’t tomorrow, or in the future, or my friends start bitching about where their headed, then I’ll reconsider it.

If they pull what happened to me today tomorrow, given the same situation, then I’m gone as fast as I’m gone with US BANK.

It’s black and white with me in that sense.

For instance-

I once had Sprint as my cellular carrier. After two fucked up bills and some seriously crappy customer service, I left. I haven’t been back since and I won’t use them in the future. On top of that, I tell everyone I know to avoid them like the plague. Some have listened, some haven’t- it doesn’t matter to me. If I got one to not go with Sprint, then it’s a success to me.

I switched over to Nextel after the Sprint crappola and have been happy ever since. In a way, I think I’ve rewarded Nextel by spreading the word about my experiences with them (All positive. To this day, it’s been three or so years with nary a problem and fantastic customer service). To me, they deserve all the best, and in terms of business, the best usually means more people using your services or products. I’ll reward 'em with everything I have… until they start fucking me, my friends, or my family over… then I’ll switch as fast as I switched out of Sprint.

I find it interesting that Sprint is in a bit of trouble cellular wise these days, and I know I had nothing to do with it. But take my attitude and spread it around to a few more people out there, and a company as crappy as Sprint, or whoever it is you have a problem with, just might not be around for long. Or, it might not be as big as it could be.

In this case of the bank? I’m gone. I’m already out the door. If I can get something on my way out, then great, I’ll bite. But it won’t change my opinion of them- they stink. They lost the idea that they were for me. As far as I’m concerned, it’ll never be back, regardless of what they do now.

Besides, there’s a better business down the road… at least for now.

And as far as I’m concerned, I’ll let my wallet do the talking for me.

Mine is a fine line, I know, but it’s a line that keeps me happy and keeps me content. So long as there’s other places out there that can do essentially the same thing as the place I have a problem with, then why not switch?

In terms of the letter?

The letter is essentially a notice to those in charge that something went wrong with a customer.

In my days before customer service, or more precisely, the customer service industry, I didn’t think a thing like that did jack.

Today, and after some things I’ve seen, I don’t know that that’s really the case- the people in charge want to know about it.

The only problem with them trying to fix it with me is that I hold a grudge, and the trouble involved in moving isn’t that big of a deal with me as it might be with others.

To me- it’s simple.

28

Sorry about some of this… I’m a little off tonight.

Usually my posts are exercises in patience, but not this bad.

I’m flustered right now.

29

It wasn’t my pom-pom’s flapping in your face, I hope.

30

I guess all gets down to what you mean by ‘pom-poms’, doesn’t it?

To be serious, I don’t know why this flusters me, but it does. I don’t actively seek conflict in everyday life… I’m happy with things the way they are.

But when things like this happen, I want to react. And I want to react in a way I’m happy with.

Obviously some think my actions with the bank are wrong and heavy-handed. Others may think I’m taking a wimpy way out.

Whatever it is they think, let them think it. I’m not saying I don’t want to hear opinions on it, only that I may not agree with them.

But the problem is I’m so not used to dealing with stuff like this that certain things sound right to me that I’ve never really tried or done before, that I’d like to do, that I know tomorrow will be a test in a way.

It’ll basically be a test of me saying, ‘this is what I’m doing and why’.

Up until this thread, I didn’t think it was necessary. But, but, people, and even myself at this point, have pointed out that it makes sense to go about it a certain way.

In that sense, I agree. I mean, if I’m going to do it, I might as well do it right, right?

I think I’m starting to ramble now, so I better wrap up.

The bottom line is an event or situation like this really creates a conflict with me. A while back I would have bitched about it and regardless of the actions that came out of it, been happy with it. Now, I’m not so happy with just taking it… or even moving on with it, for that matter.

And since I want to complain, I want to do it right, or at least do it in a manner that makes me feel best (Not that it’s right or wrong with anyone but myself).

Sheesh. I’m questioning why I ever put this in the pit right now. Some threads… I tell ya, they surprise me.

31

I believe you have gotten good advice here.

A colleague once told me she was assessed returned check fees based on the fact that on the date appearing on the check itself, she had a negative balance. It made no difference that by the time the checks arrived at the bank for payment that the money was in the account. It cost her in the neighborhood of 3oo dollars to settle all the fees associated with this.

Quasi

32

So guy - what happened?!?!?

33

Interesting thread. Btw, USBank is one weird bank. When I lived in Minneapolis I tried to open an account there and they told me they didn’t want my business!! Isn’t this the bank that wanted to charge a fee everytime you used a teller? I just went to Twin Cities Federal (TCF) since they are everywhere. I’ve heard some negative things about Wells Fargo but not nearly as much as USBank.
It’s too bad really since I like to support businesses that have corporate headquarters/offices in MSP area rather than ones that don’t, home town and all. I’m having the same problem with Best Buy and Target.
Also, How did it go???

Clarissa

34

Being as the issue of the letter has been covered more than adequately, I’ve nothing to add in that respect. I think your goals and the tips being provided are admirable and proper.

All I have to add is, your choice in new banks being Wells Fargo as it is, expect much of the same. Perhaps regionalism makes all the difference, but in my experiences with them I’ve suffered through situations uncannily similar to yours.

The only reason I haven’t changed banks is that every one seems to have the same problems. A bank being a bank, and all banks being the same, in essence, you’d think that something like customer service would be an issue they would attept to surpass one another at as word of mouth about positive and helpful staff members could gain them more customers than any amount of inane television commercials featuring overly happy people and stagecoaches.

The letter is never an avenue I’ve gone down, I generally resort to telephone conversations with C/S, but many of the tips being offered here I’ve found success with that way. Kill them with kindness, and if that doesn’t work, don’t be above lying and making yourself seem much more important and influential.

Generally, persistence is the key. In most things, if you do not push for what you should deservingly receive, you won’t get it. But if you apply the pressure, they will grudgingly give in.

It’s a sad statement on the level of service in this country really, but it’s all too real.

Hope everything works out for you :slight_smile:

Give 'em a kick in the groin for me while you’re there…

35

Sorry to come back to this so late, but there wasn’t anything to report yesterday - I never made it in to the bank to talk about it.

It was partly because I was busy, and partly because Friday’s are the banks busiest day. If they were able to dismiss me so easy on a slower day, they sure as hell would dismiss me on their busiest day.

So, I went in today to make final deposit (As best as I can tell) and hopefully talk to someone higher up who could help me out. How’d it turn out? No luck, the representatives where nowwhere to be seen. I’ll wait 'til Monday.

As far as I’m concerned- all the better. I’ll be even more calm and have given the account a chance to settle down.

Shutting it down or discussing it during a time of chaos probably isn’t the best time to have at it, as it were.

The break has also given me a chance to settle down and think things through more clearly (Looking back, about all I can say when looking at my first post here is, 'Boy were you tired Chris… tired and cranky).

But now I feel better. And because of that, I realize I went into essentially a speech on economics in Chris’ eye’s. That’s not what I intended on doing, and it certainly wasn’t meant to shut down others ideas or opinions. It basically was a series of posts made by a guy getting tired and frustrated- let’s just say it rambled on a bit more than I would have liked.

So, Monday morning I’ll go in and relay what happened -I’m still reluctant to have a written out letter and whatnot already on hand with me. Don’t ask me why, but somehow that seems a bit much to me and how I am.

If it doesn’t go as planned, I’ll shoot off essentially the letter above and see what happens. If nothing comes of all that? Then I’ll close 'er up.

It’s basically an acknowledgement of what Bill said earlier- stay calm, see what happens, and see what they have to offer.

All sound advice all the way around. And again, thanks.

** I thought I should mention that while I was in line for the teller today I was idly looking around and seeing who was around and noticed a large banner type thing plastered on the wall of the waiting room. I actually remember seeing it before, but at that time I didn’t pay much attention to what it said. Today, however, I checked it out (The thing is huge and almost impossible to miss). As God is my witness, in huge letters and in bold print, it says- "US Banks. Dedicated to excellence in customer service!” In an amongst the other proclamations are the signatures of the employees of this branch… right where the woman talked to me about the details of my account in front of the minions, and the same place where she told me she wasn’t interested in looking up my account.

That gave me the smile I needed to launch the day!

36

Alice_in…

:smiley: I love that!

Chris…

If you can sign up with a credit union you’ll be far better off. CU’s in your area are listed at http://www.ncua.gov/data/cudataexpanded.html

Note to Alice: I’ll remember this, seems I’m always writing letters of complaint and they’re always too long. Next time I’ll run it by this board.

37

Sorry to resurrect this thing, but people were nice enough to give me advice and even a game plan no less, so I think I should fill you in on what’s happened.

At this point?

Not much. I cut and pasted the letter from Alice, added and changed a few minor things within it, and mailed it off to the branch manager of my bank, and a three higher-ups in the US Bank corporate building here in Minneapolis.

Part of me thinks nothing will come of it. But the best part of this has been the time it’s given me to both calm the account down- nothing has been happening with it except that it’s at a hundred and some dollars balance and staying there- and it’s given me time to settle down and think more rationally.

And in that sense, I’m not sure what I want to do.

My current thought has been to wait a week or two and see what happens with the letters, and then make my move.

If they offer me something for my trouble, then great. If they don’t, I go from there.

But since I doubt much will happen, my next step (I think) will be to take my issue personally with the branch manager.

That’s where she stands now. I wish there was more to report, but there isn’t. When there is, I add a blurb on to this explaining what’s happened.

Thanks again, all. I think it did help in my handling of this situation, minor as it is.

38

This certainly is a very interesting thread.
CNote, you’ve very obviously got some Irish in you somewhere.

I was so pleased with Alice’s rewrite and Bill’s comment about the length of the letter. I just wanted to restate a couple of the points made.

When something is pissing you off you lose some of your objectivity and fail to see the effects and consequences of your actions and how they will be percieved, interpreted and ultimatly acted upon.

The main problem I had with the raw version of the letter was the apologetic tone it had. You made yourself out to be tantamount to a criminal with the over explanation. You weren’t complaining about the banks policy on applying charges so there was no need for an in depth and frankly confusing discussion on the topic.

Alice picked that up and slimmed it down to a more profesional sounding affair with no real emotion.Which is percisely what was required. I wanted to point out 2 of the other reasons why it was so good.

  1. No vindictive mention of revenge tactics
    “ohhhh ! I’ll badmouth you on the web! Neener neener”

Instead the veiled threat implicit in the mention of unnamed “others” awaiting the outcome was more than enough. It wasnt a threat but would certainly focus the mind of the reader on the fact that this situation might be important.
2. Opportunity and invitation for redress was made.
This is vital. You can fire off a 15 page esprix style rant which will cause anyone who reads it to suddenly spontaneously copmbust and melt the skin of anyone in the nearby vicinty ,[sub](we loose more dopers that way…damn and blast that THEGAYGUY[sup]TM[/sup])[/sub] but if there is no opportunity for redress all you will have done is maybe annoyed someone slightly (if that) and ensured that your work of art will be filed away never to be seen again.
A clear course of action was left open to the manager ,
“apologise (minimum) and do whatever you
determine is required to change my attitude about your bank, this branch and ultimatly about you”

The letter was perfectly toned and were I the recipient I can easily following this train of thought:

“Okay lets look up the account and see what else we have on this guy.”

“Okay I see a boderline account with not a lot of traffic , no term loans ,
no outstanding debts , been with us 2 years , gainfully and regularly employed,
rent payments every month , phone and CC bills paid on time etc. etc.”

“do we really need this guy’s custom ?”

“Well he’s renting now but maybe soon he’ll be looking to buy and for that he’ll need a
mortgage and we know he pays his debts on time”

“he doesnt make a fortune but he seems to be working for the same tech company for a number
of years , maybe one day hell be thinking of doing something himself and for that he’ll
need a busness development loan”

“Hmmm! no other complaints on file … so he’s not a crank”

“Let me see if Wendy is on , Ill see if she remembers him coming in”

“So he wasnt smelly , uncouth , drunk , didn’t make a pass at anyone and only urinated on himself after he was outside ?”

“okay , where’s that standard apology letter , i’ll throw in a couple of branch felt-tip pens to cheer him up too , that should do the trick”
If I had recieved your whole “only 5 dollars letter!” I cant help but see my train of thought going more along the lines of.

“whinging loser nerd”

“ill follow procedure and enter this on file”

“wonder whats for lunch?”
I’ve had to paraphrase most of that ,bank managers are indeed true evil so please insert your own cackling noises and paint in your imagination the best image you can of all of this occuring in a dark cabalstic setting with me hunched over a desk with my quill while naked ,painted ,nubile virgins dance , holding hands, in a circle around me and then I open my robe and…wait wrong image…get yer own damn fantasy pervs you know what I mean.
What I’m trying to point out to you is that you could potentially be importnat to the bank.
At the moment you seem to think that you are the “blip on the radar” that Ender suggests and you are virtually apologidsing in the first draft of the letter for that.

Okay damn straight the bank manager isnt going to be fired if he loses you account
“what do you mean you lost the CNOTE account !!! YOU MORON !!! Aieee!! We’re all Doomed!!”

You’re not a whale account but if the bank really does value its customers you can at least expect a certain level of service and to be treated properly. If there attitude is “fuck the small timer we dont need him” then you should be greatful you found out what to expect from them in time and so it wont be a huge surprise when they send balliffs to your house to secure your wife and dog becasue a standing order pushed you into the red by $0.04.

In short you are an upstanding citizen and a gainfully empoyed member of the public and
dammit you are a customer of this branch. You deserve better treatment and they need to do something about this. It’s not like you were panhandling in the lobby.

emmm…You werent panhandling in the lobby were you Chris?

You never did say where you got the funds to cover the debt. :wink:
It would be really usefull if we we could get a bank staff member in here to tell us what proper escalation procedures are generally followed so as to devise some sort of plan if you do not get a satisfactory response.
Oh and for what its worth , had I been in that situation Im not sure I would have been as polite as you were to the secutiry guard.With an attitude like his I would have had no problem pulling out the look, you know the
lookingyouruniformupanddowncheckingyournametagandwonderingifyourdiseasesarecontagiousandhowyoucangetalongonasalrylikethatandgenerallyfeelinguncomfortablethatimustsharethesamespaceasoneofyourstanding look?

He would have deserved it.

Hope you getthe resolution you deserve.

39

That probably explains my red hair then.

I tend to apologize when I get so worked up I stop listening to those around me. Even if I think the idea is wrong, I think it’s important to always keep your ears open.

In this case, in the beginning, that’s exactly what I didn’t do- listen. Now, after some thought and some consideration, the ideas others, and you, have proposed, make sense.

Hell, I’m ready to go up there right now after your little pep talk.

Let me at ‘em!!

I promise to not be apologetic when I talk to them and go in with the game plan outlined above. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

40

We Irish tend to be rather apologetic and overly polite and generally deferential to those in undeserved authority, to a fault.

However when you talk to them next you might consider displaying the other famous Irish attribute that gave the Notre Dame team their nickname :slight_smile: