This Is Why We’re In A Recession, Part 91
(When I first begin my career, I am a bank teller, also known as “the trenches” and the “first line of defense.” We handle all of the customer calls and face-to-face inquiries, schedule meetings, and make sales. This means I deal with people from all walks of life and all manners of intelligence!
One afternoon, I am on the front line and a twenty-something man comes up to my wicket, lazily chewing away on a half-eaten slice of pizza, smacking his jaws loudly.
We review his account, and he was charged $42.50 for having “Not Sufficient Funds” in his account for a regular payment that goes out every month. He takes a bite of pizza as he speaks.)
Customer: “I shouldn’t have been charged that.”
(I always take exception to this and never give an inch. I keep to our policies strictly, and even the times I got NSF fees, I gladly paid the “idiot tax.”)
Me: “I’m sorry, but it is laid out in the documentation you were given when you opened your account. If a payment bounces, you will be charged an NSF fee.”
Customer: *with his mouth full* “But I don’t understand why I got charged.”
Me: “Okay, I’ll help you understand. Let me know you’re with me as I go through this. You had a payment for $150, for your insurance, go out on the 15th…”
Customer: “Yeah.”
Me: “…just like it goes out on the 15th every month for $150.”
Customer: “Yeah.”
Me: “So, we’ve established that you’re aware you need to have $150 in your account every month on the 15th.”
(The customer bites his pizza and just nods.)
Me: “Your payment went out. For $150. On the 15th.”
Customer: “Yeah.”
Me: “You didn’t have $150 in your account. There was not enough money in your account. We couldn’t pay the insurance company.”
Customer: “Yeah.”
Me: “You did not have sufficient funds. Your payment bounced. You were charged a fee.”
Customer: *practically spitting pizza* “I don’t understand why I got charged!”
Me: “Okay, let’s start again.”
Related:
This Is Why We’re In A Recession, Part 90
This Is Why We’re In A Recession, Part 89
This Is Why We’re In A Recession, Part 88
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
