An Alerting Lack Of Travel Alerts
(I’m the customer in this one. I’m going to be traveling out of state, so I call my bank’s general info line to put a travel notice on my debit and credit cards.)
Me: “Hi, my name is [My Name] and I’d like to put a travel alert on my cards. I’ll be traveling to [State] next week. Can I do that with you, or do I need to call the credit card department?”
Representative: “You… You want to put a travel notice on your cards?”
Me: “Yes?”
Representative: “Oh, my God. You are my favorite customer today! Yes, I would be more than happy to do that for you! I just need to confirm some information.”
(I confirm my personal info, the state I’m going to, and the dates I’ll be out of town.)
Representative: “All right, [My Name]! You are all set for next week! I do have to ask you one additional question. Did you ever work for a bank?”
Me: “Yes, I worked at [Competitor] for four years. Why do you ask?”
Representative: “Nobody puts alerts on their card unless they’ve worked for a bank. Nobody. Thank you so much for letting us know you’re going out of town! Seriously. We appreciate it!”
Me: “Bad morning, huh?”
Representative: “I had to call five people this morning due to purchases from out of state being flagged on their account. They all yelled at me for bothering them on vacation. I need my own vacation.”
(Wherever you are, anonymous representative, I hope your day got better!)