I promised my bank I’d tell this little story every time I had a chance, so what better place to start than here.
I’m going to preface this with the fact that I know that banking is a business, they still need to make money (now more than ever), and I shouldn’t expect special treatment because of the stupid crap I’ve been known to do.
Although I shouldn’t expect special treatment, I still do.
I screwed up. One of my paychecks was late, and an automatic payment of mine went through, throwing my account in to the red. This alone sucks yak testicles, but it happens to the best of us.
So what does my loving bank with the blue logo do? Post the big steaming payment first, so the other smaller things I bought long before that posted later, thus tacking on fee after exorbitant fee. My 5 shot latte cost me $47 or so. The grand total? $175 in fees.
$175! Do you have any idea how much worthless crap I can buy with $175?!
I did what any person would do. I called the bank, with the idea that they might just take pity on me (and the fact that they took the better part of what was left in my account) and reverse some of the fees. That’s how low I set the bar: Some of the fees. I didn’t even ask that they reverse them all, because I’m not an idiot and I know when I’m not going to win (not that it’s ever stopped me from trying).
It took me a half an hour of flirting with someone, and even then they only reversed $70. I’m not real fond of being bent over and screwed by a major bank, and according to my research, people who get paid for that sort of thing make significantly more than $70 for a half an hour.
I even tried asking if they could just take the fees out of the bailout money I gave them. That ought to cover it.
Which, write it down, is the only time in the history of the world a customer service person has ever told me to *explicative deleted* myself. When I told him I’d *explicative deleted* him for $175, he got all huffy.
Some people have no sense of humor.
And customer service guy, if you’re reading this? Call me, I really think it can work between us.
Tags: banks, stimulus plan, watch out
Comments (10)
I love this story. LOVE IT.
that’s all i have to say.
Did you ask him if he was using the whole fist?
We should start a betting pool about whether or not he’ll call me.
I find it funny that Chase (among others) is so strict & jugemental about the tiniest lapse in repayment scheduling or accounting errors while simultaneously holding its hand out to the Federal Govt. for assistance in paying off multi-billion dollar losses.
One would think they might have a new sense of perspective. Or not.
Oh, and “service guy”, if you are dumb enough to actually call her, I would recommend spending the better portion of that $105.00 on a kevlar codpiece…
2 words: CREDIT UNION!
Srsly, why does anyone give their money to banks anyway? When bigbluebank was the only game in town for on-line banking, what, 10 years ago, I loved them for it. Now even my little Wisconkskin CU has it, and they’re not involved in world domination schemes, either. Go local! They give a shit!
So apparently working for a bank as a telemarketer ALSO allows you to deal with screwing people and a few hundred bucks at a time… Do I see a connection here?
I have the occasional moment of total badass bitchery if people mess with my money or caffeine.
“I even tried asking if they could just take the fees out of the bailout money I gave them.”
You are a badass. Well done.