posted @ 23:41...

Alright, I'm over my whining about being unprepared, especially now that I'm secure in my preparedness. I just itch a lot now that the sunburn is healing. An annoyance and a relief all in one.

I've been reading up a bit on customer habits - specifically in the service industries. There are a ton of pages devoted to complaining about fast food customers. Specifically, how they're lazy, greedy, whiny, never satisfied, etc. Some of these rants could very well fit the banking industry. But on the other hand, I have some very cool customers. In fact, the more regular the customer, the more of a relationship we build, and the more understanding the customer becomes to just how crappy my job is sometimes. And then there are the customers who make it crappy...

Did you know that it's personally my fault that our branch has run out of travelers' checks? Did you also know that it's my fault the our corporate behemoth of a bank charges non account holders $10 for a cashier's check. Gruff & tough 40-year-old men, in an attempt to be intimidating, stare me in the eye and say, "That's outrageous!" My response: "You're certainly welcome to purchase a cashier's check at your own bank." I also get non account holders that can't cash their paychecks because they don't have a second form of I.D. [as is the requirement at our bank]. Again, "You're certainly welcome to deposit the check into your account at your own bank." The problem is, many of these fools are on the ChexSystems database, [a network that keeps irresponsible check writers from getting bank accounts at other banks]. "I don't have a bank account," they say. Many things come to mind about what to say to these people next. "Well, it looks like you're screwed then!" ...or, "Try that Vcom machine over at 7-11" ...or maybe, with regard to fees, "You think we're all standing on this side of the counter for the sheer enjoyment of seeing you? No, we do this for money...!"

Tempting, indeed.

But I was surprised at just how many people don't have even a simple FREE checking account. And I'm not even necessarily advocating getting one at my bank [besides, I'm not saying which one I work for anyway]. There are many banks that offer free checking. There is even a list somewhere of banks that don't use ChexSystems!

Alright, I feel better.