Tangled Thoughts

Or alternatively titled: My angry rant on customer service, part two!

Im all for womens/mens rights.  My stance on it is this: If you can do it, then do it.  If not, then step down and let someone else who can do it, do it.  No need to stand there making a bigger fool of yourself while you prove to the world what they already know – that you cant do it.  No need to take advantage of the position.  Its simple.  If you cant do it, then don’t!

One thing that I have found over my years of making deposits/payments/solving issues at banks is this, guys should NOT work in banks.  Im sorry, if you happen to be a man, filling the position at the bank, my intent is not to offend, but rather offer some advice – step down.  And nobody gets hurt.  In all my years of “Banking” I have never had good luck with guy bank tellers.  Sorry, but I havent.

The first bad experience came when I was just a wee thing.  Probably 12 years old.  Standing in line to make a deposit.  While standing there, the next available teller came available.  Standing beside me was another man waiting to make a deposit, not sure if he had been there first I offered him the chance, he declined and I stepped forward.  Only to be told that I needed to be more “Assertive!” the bank teller went on to tell me how next time I should just boldly step up.  When really, all I wanted to do was make a deposit.  It was the first time I got a bad taste in my mouth for male bank tellers.

A second incident occurred a short while later while making another deposit.  The man commented on my shirt.  Which happened to be a disney land shirt.  He told me he liked it.  That he had been there before too.  That it was indeed the happiest place on earth!  All the while I stood there in that awkward silence wishing he would simply take my deposit and let me go on my way.

The next incident occurred earlier this year.  While at the same bank, I stood in a rather long line waiting my turn to make a deposit.  When a man, dressed in a suit and tie stepped out of nowhere.  Standing right beside me, his tall figure shadowed over me.  He smiled.  “Here to make a deposit?” He asked, rather too cheerfully.  I raised an eyebrow and confessed that, yes I was.  Not sure if I should be apologizing or what.  “Right this way.”  He ushered me towards a room.  Once inside, he pulled the chair out and offered me a seat.  Awkwardly, I accepted, and him, his suit and plaid tie went around to the other side.  Pressing his tie firmly into place.  He folded his hands and smiled.  “What can I do for you today?” He smiled again.  “Just…a deposit” I said.  Looking around I wasn’t sure what to expect next.  Clowns?  A parade?  Confetti falling from the sky?  He did my deposit with some more small talk before standing up and ushering me out the door.

Finally, today.

I went to the bank.  To make a routine deposit.  Because of the church deposit, I normally have a little bit more coin than on average.  Today was no exception.  There were not enough coins to make a roll, and so there I dumped my coins on the counter.  There was maybe $5 in assorted coins.  Instead of sorting the coin and counting, the man behind the counter pulled out a tray and spent the next five minutes sorting coins into different slots.  About ½ way into this adventure he stopped sorting and looked me in the eye.  “After this, we are no longer accepting unrolled coins.”  He said.  “Um.  Ok?”  “Yea, after this, if you have more than a handful of coin, that isn’t rolled, you will have to put it in the coin sorter.”  He paused.  “And there IS a charge for that.”  Seriously?  So now if I have extra coins – the bank is no longer accepting this.  And if there isn’t enough to roll I have to PAY to have it counted?  Im a little confused – is this not what we pay the bank teller for?

This is why, when I go to a bank, I survey the tellers.  And if at all possible, I avoid them.  Step down, people.  If you cant count coin.  If you cant count, period, then why.  WHY.  Are you working in a bank?  Counting, sorting, money.