By Jim Schneegold
Buffalo, NY – I received three letters the other day from a local bank I discontinued doing business with over ten years ago. However, they still found it in their divine wisdom to call me a "valued customer." And for that "assumed" loyalty, which has long been broken, I started to laugh.
I've always chosen banks that were convenient to me. For instance, I work downtown and to simply walk down the street, make a deposit or ask a question, convenience far outweighed the small interest rate differences banks use to entice me.
So you can imagine back in 1992 when I invested my entire lunch hour at the branch questioning a $14.00 service fee error, it was comforting to hear the customer service representative assure me a correction would be taken care of in next month's statement.
Well, next month's statement arrived and not only was the $14.00 service fee still there but another fee was added. I strolled into the bank and made sure I spoke with the same woman. We went over our "d j vu" moment, she seemed perplexed and said she'd personally look into this. This drew the same perplexed look to my face when I wondered who was "personally" looking into this on my last visit.
So what happened in month three, class?
You got it. While waiting for my turn with this representative, I was glad I had fifteen minutes to calm down in my chair because by the time I spoke with her I felt composed, articulate and very much to the point.
"Guess why I'm here?" I smiled reluctantly.
"You were charged that bank fee again?" she said giving me the "You look familiar" stare.
"That' right!" I replied.
"Look! I don't have the time to address this problem anymore. So let me say this once. If my next month's statement has the same error I will take my checking, savings and CD accounts to another bank."
She nodded as if to understand and we parted ways.
Next month I opened my statement with one eye open and looked in horror. The following day I took my statement, walked to the representative and asked her to close all my accounts immediately. She seemed a little surprised. "If you can hold on a minute I'll ask my manager what the problem could be."
"That won't be necessary, I replied. That discussion should have occurred two months ago." I frankly wasn't in the mood to compromise. I wasn't nasty or rude, I just was through with the excuses.
As the indifferent branch manager handed me two fairly large checks, (as far as I'm concerned), I went across the street and put all my money in their competitors bank and have been happy ever since.
I don't spend a lot of time dwelling on the past and things like this. But for the last ten years I do enjoy getting my monthly statements from this bank telling me I have $0.00 in all three accounts. I chuckle at the insanity. I figure twelve statements a year, times three accounts, times ten years, equals 360 letters they have to put postage on.
I hear the representative is personally looking into the oversight.
Listener-Commentator Jim Schneegold is a local writer whose was published in "A Sixth Bowl of Chicken Soup for the Soul."