Thursday, April 06, 2006

People Just Go Out of Their Way to Make You Feel Good.

I'm a pretty laid back person. I try to get along with everyone, I try to be patient and slow to anger. But sometimes...sometimes, I just want to slap the smug smile right off a haughty face, especially when I feel as though I'm being ignored. It grates on my last nerve when I get lousy customer service or the lack thereof.

I am in the process of changing banks so I went to a couple of banks in town to compare. Actually, I should say financial institutions since two of them were credit unions. At the credit unions I stood there for about 10 minutes before anyone even acknowledged me, and when they did, they acted like they didn't want to help me. They must have had enough business, because they didn't seem to need mine. I don't have a million dollars...suprise, but boy if I did I would certainly show them. I was dressed nicely, but that doesn't matter, everyone should be treated the same.


Two true stories that prove you shouldn't judge a financial statement by its cover.

When I was a Customer Service Rep for a bank, I worked what they called the platform. The platform was a place to open accounts, cd's, IRA's check book reconciliation; you get the picture. One day as we were getting ready to close, in fact the gate was closing, a woman appeared at the gate looking confused. I could see that she hated the fact that she had just missed getting to the bank. One of the CSR's told her curtly that we were closed. I asked what she needed, she said she wanted to start a savings account. So I opened the gate and she came in. She sat down at the desk and she told me that she had a check to deposit into a savings account. I started the paper work and took the check. I had to pick my chin up off the floor when I looked at the check...$250,000.00! A quarter of a mil!! It was legitimate, a deceased uncle made her beneficiary on his life insurance policy.

Yeah...


My grandparents were both hardworking, blue collar, down to earth people. My grandmother worked in a knitting mill from the age of fifteen until the day she died and my grandfather after retiring from the Navy, worked in a furniture factory until the day he died. So you can imagine them driving into a car dealership, his cologne being furniture varnish and hands stained the color of cherry wood and she riddled with tiny fuzz balls. Not the kind of people to buy a new car, especially not a brand new sports car. The salesman took one look at them and quickly ushered them to the used car lot. My grandfather tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen. Fed up, my grandparents left. They left, went to another car dealership, bought a 1968 Chevy Camaro and paid cash for it. And yes, my grandfather did drive by the first car dealership and let the salesman see the commission he lost.

Yeah...

Have a great weekend my lovelies. :)

4 comments:

Scott said...

When I sold my house in California, I made a substantial amount, and opened an account at a bank. Same reaction. The lady looked from the check to me, to the check and back again--and I was certain that she wanted to sleep with me.

I did a brief stint as a car salesman, and I eventually was let go for helping people who obviously weren't financially well-off to buy the cars we sold. Mainly poor blacks to be honest. I couldn't just ignore them like everyone else did. I could see the hurt in their eyes, and hear the indignity in their words when I stepped up to help.

Moni said...

Are you sure she wanted to sleep with you because she saw the check, or maybe it was your rugged good looks and magnetic personality...I'm guessing. ;)

You were let go from a car dealership because you helped people get a car? It seems like if you could get financing for them, you could get financing...from then on it was the bank's problem. Simply as that, maybe I'm just looking at it the wrong way. You did the right thing, and you did get a better job. You're a good man Charlie Brown. ;)

Moni said...

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Man! I think I've outdone myself on the number of grammatical errors for one comment. Look over them, I'm too lazy to trash it and then comment again. I should think before I post. ;D

Scott said...

The truth is that the people really weren't viable customers, and in most cases you can tell. Management doesn't want salespeople wasting their time on window shoppers. I understand, but I was just a kid trying on a new pair of shoes--the sales gig was a hobby, the flavor of the month. I was let go because some of the sales people were trying to make a living.