(My friend is 16, with a specific bank account which does not allow card transactions or payments over £250. She rarely uses the account, and has about £100 sitting in there. She gets a rather nasty letter from the bank one day, stating she’s £900 overdrawn and will incur high fees with it potentially going to court. She’s extremely upset. I go with to the bank to try to get it sorted; I’m only a little bit older, but I look like I’m in my early 20s and people genuinely listen to me more because of it.)

Friend: *to the bank teller* “I want to know how I’m £900 overdrawn.”

Bank Teller: *condescendingly* “When you buy something, it uses money from your account. You have to make sure you have enough in there, or you owe us money.”

Friend: “But I didn’t buy anything.”

Bank Teller: “Well, you obviously did.”

Friend: “But I didn’t! I had £100 in it a couple of days ago.”

Bank Teller: “Which you obviously spent, and then some; otherwise, you wouldn’t be overdrawn. Get lost so I can do my job.”

(I step in.)

Me: “This is your job. Your client has stated that there is an unknown transaction, which means there’s possibly fraud involved. You have to look into it.”

(My mum works in banking, so I know that if I mention fraud, the teller has to look into the account. The teller scowls at me, but brings up the account.)

Bank Teller: “On [date a couple of days ago], there was a transaction of £1,000. Is this transaction familiar?”

Friend: “No!”

Bank Teller: “You’re a liar.”

Friend: “I’m not; my bank account doesn’t allow transactions over £250.”

Bank Teller: “Well, obviously it does, as you did.”

Me: “She has your student account, meaning it’s a cash-only card. Cash-only cards can only be used for taking money out, and you can only take out £250 a day. It has also been set up so you can only do payments of £250 via bank transfer. Who’s the money to?”

Bank Teller: “Erm… [Real Estate Company].”

Me: “It’s a deposit for a house?”

Bank Teller: *now looking sheepish* “Yes?”

Me: “Do you really think a 16-year-old is putting a deposit on a house?”

Bank Teller: “Well… She could.”

Me: “Not with a student account that has only had a £100 in it from when it was first opened, they don’t. How would she pass the credit checks, firstly?” *to my friend* “[Friend], we probably should also contact [Real Estate Company], as I reckon it’s their error, or a digit in the wrong place.” *to the teller* “You need to get the £1,000 refunded and make sure the overdraft fees are taken off, and you also need to issue some kind of statement of apology explaining how you could let a thousand-pound transaction go through on an account without £1,000 in it, and why my friend shouldn’t just cancel her account with you, period. You also need to apologise to her personally for being so bloody rude.”

Bank Teller: *meekly* “I’m very sorry. I’ll get this refunded and make sure any fees are removed. I’ll talk to my manager, too.”

(We did also contact the real estate company, who were extremely apologetic for the account error. They gave my friend £500 for the inconvenience! The bank also contacted her, putting £100 in her account as an apology for letting the transaction go through and for the nasty letter.)

This story is part of our Bad Bankers roundup!

Read the next Bad Bankers roundup story!

Read the Bad Bankers roundup!

My grandmother just turned 82 and had a check lost in the mail. This started a chain-reaction of fraud. First was an attempt to charge on a card, which the bank stopped. Then, there was an attempted wire transfer which was also stopped by the bank. You’d think this is where we were most vulnerable, but no.

My grandmother lives in California. The thief went into a bank, in person, in New York, and managed to open the ATM account. Mind you, this account was on stop due to the fraud. Whoever they were, they must have had acting skills, because without any ID, the banker in New York and the banker’s manager reopened the account and rushed a new ATM card to the thief. In one weekend, the thief stole over $10,000 — basically all the money my grandmother had — all because two fools in New York believed some crap sob story and didn’t enforce the ID rule!

On the plus side, the bank is getting all the money back to my grandmother. Also on the plus side, she was advised that while the thief will likely get away with it, the New York banker and bank manager will likely lose their jobs.

This story is part of our Bad Bankers roundup!

Read the next Bad Bankers roundup story!

Read the Bad Bankers roundup!

(For some reason I can’t access my voicemail. It rarely tells me I have any, and there are plenty of messaging options, which is pretty much always the first alternative if I don’t answer, so I never bother to get it fixed. The past few days, I’ve had at least two voicemails a day, which is extremely unusual. I go to my provider and ask about it. They don’t have an immediate solution. The next day, I answer my phone at my office, with my boss’s permission.)

Bank: “We’ve been trying to reach you, but you never answered and never called back. We left voicemails.”

Me: “Sorry, I can’t access my voicemail.”

Bank: “That’s not an excuse.”

Me: “I’m sorry? It is a technical issue.”

Bank: “Fix your voicemail, so you can get your messages properly.”

Me: “Sorry, but I never needed it before. People rarely attempt to use it, as there are other options. The number of voicemails you left the past few days is more than I’ve gotten in the past two years.”

Bank: “Not my problem. Maybe you need to give us another method of contact.”

Me: “I have my email listed. Use that if I don’t answer.”

Bank: “What about phone?”

Me: “This one.”

Bank: “But it doesn’t work.”

Me: “No, only the voicemail doesn’t work. I will answer if you call and I am available, but you have been calling while I’m at work.”

Bank: “Not my problem. Do you want to remove the mobile number or change it?”

Me: “No. It is my mobile.”

Bank: “But it’s not functional.”

Me: “Yes, it is. Only the voicemail doesn’t work, as I’ve said.”

Bank: “That’s not functional, then. We wouldn’t know that.”

(This bank has sent me emails before when I didn’t answer. I had to ask another bank representative who understood.)

This story is part of our Bad Bankers roundup!

Read the next Bad Bankers roundup story!

Read the Bad Bankers roundup!

(I live in the US and need to transfer money to my Danish bank account. I decide to bring a paper check with me on a vacation trip back to Denmark, because the exchange rate will be slightly better and the fees less. My Danish bank, where I have been a customer for 42 years, and where my dad has worked since I was born, has lately decided to charge fees for just about everything. Also, while I have lived in the US, I have been shuttled around between at least six different “advisors,” none of whom have I met. This incident starts as I try to deposit the check for a value of $5,500 into my Danish account.)

Me: “I’d like to deposit this check into my account with the number [account number].”

Teller: “Okay, but this is a lot of money. I need contact your advisor, and since he’s in a different branch that could take some time.”

Me: “Sure, okay, but I have never met him, so I don’t know what he can tell you about my account that you cannot see for yourself.”

Teller: *looking at me suspiciously* “I still have to do it. We cannot just accept such a large deposit. Can you wait while we call him?”

Me: “Sure.”

(Thirty minutes later, the teller comes over to the waiting area to get my wife and me.)

Teller: “Well, we got it sorted out, but really, in the future you should just make an electronic wire transfer.”

Me: “I prefer to use a check.”

Teller: “Well, you really should use a wire transfer. It is the easiest way.”

Me: “Yes, and I also know the fees are really high, not just from your side, but also from the American bank that sends it, plus the exchange rate is not very good. I prefer to avoid the fees.”

Teller: *waving the check at me* “Oh, that’s nothing compared to what I’ll be charging you in fees to deposit this!”

(I happen to know the check deposit fees are lower than the wire transfer fees, the exchange rate is the same, and there’s no fee to the American bank for issuing the check. Also, my dad has offered to cash it for me for free and get me the employee exchange rate. I just figured I’d try and take care of it myself. However, the teller’s attitude really annoys me.)

Me: *reaching for the check* “Can I have that, please?” *teller hands me the check, looking confused* “Thank you, but you know what? I’ll just ask my dad to do it for me. He works in the [City] branch of this bank, and can do it for no fees and at a better exchange rate.”

Teller: *looking surprised* “Eh, okay. So, you don’t want me to do it?”

Me: “No. Not only can I save money, but I’ll also get vastly better service! God knows you charge outrageous fees now, but you almost seem to take pride in rubbing the customers’ noses in it. Goodbye!”

(Later, when I told my dad about the teller’s attitude, he encouraged me to report it to her branch manager, but also warned me that nothing would likely come of it, as recent personnel cuts had mostly left those behind who didn’t care much to provide good customer service. As soon as my student loans are paid off, I’ll be closing that bank account.)

(I am new to a department that assists local banks with repossessions. It is my first day on the job and I’ve been told only to file paperwork, and that my training will begin tomorrow. I have been bombarded all day with people calling my new office extension asking to speak to the manager. I’ve been simply transferring them to her office. I get a call from a young lady who is hysterical, having just had her car repossessed.)

Caller: “[Manager] told me to talk to you. What do I do?!”

Me: “Um… Hold, please.”

(I call the manager.)

Manager: “Yeah, I didn’t feel like talking to her. Just tell her what her rights are.”

Me: “But I don’t know what they are.”

Manager: “Figure it out!”

(I ended up Googling consumer rights in my state for people who have had their vehicle repossessed and reading it off to the girl. My second day went about the same, and I ended up quitting.)