Taxing Taxing, Part 13

I work for a major tax company. We offer a sort of pre-paid card that your taxes can arrive on. Your taxes are not preloaded to the card. They get there when they get there.

We actually have very little to do with the cards other than passing them out. The bank is supposed to handle the customer service for the card. Honestly, we don’t have any tools to check your balance, to check up on the card, to see if a new one is coming to you, or to tell if your money is already there.

And yet, bank people send folks to us to ask questions like this when the bank’s helpline is called. We just call the helpline right back and explain to the bank helpers that, no, it’s their job, not ours. But this story isn’t about that, though that does set a background for why I get so reflexively upset when people start asking questions about the card.

Right now, we’re suffering a shortage of cards. Whenever the government drops more money — another stimulus or the advance payments of the child tax credit — most of our clients need new cards because they already threw the old ones away. The offices were supplied without projecting this kind of usage. Some of my more frequent fliers have gotten more than ten cards this year.

We’ve run out. We’re running reduced summer hours. The only office nearby that still has cards and is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is in a mall to the north. All of their offices have cards.

Me: “Hello, this is [Company] at [Location]. How can I help you today?”

Customer: “Yeah, I’m coming in to get a [Card].”

Me: “I’m afraid we’re out of [Card] right now, but the [Mall to the north] office is open today and has them.”

Customer: “I’m tired of you guys playing around. The people in [Franchise location] said you have cards.”

Me: “That’s a franchise office. They have no way of knowing which offices have cards and which do not. I have no cards. Please go to the [Mall to the north] office.”

Customer: “Listen. You guys have my money. I’ve been to every office from West Saint Paul to here. I was told you have cards.”

Me: “I do not. Please go to [Mall to the north].”

Customer: “Your company is shady as s***, man. You took my money. I’m coming over there and I’m gonna f—”

Me: *Interrupting* “Sir. [Mall to the north]. [Mall to the north]. [Mall to the north]. If you want a card today, that is your only choice. Remember, [Mall to the north]. Thank you, goodbye.”

And I hung up.

Related:
Taxing Taxing, Part 12
Taxing Taxing, Part 11
Taxing Taxing, Part 10
Taxing Taxing, Part 9
Taxing Taxing, Part 8