I happened to have dealt with five banks. To approximate, our relations usually last 2 years. However, a recent experience smashed the established pattern. It took me 2 weeks and 4 visits to a branch to sever cooperation with the bank in question. Being a major international titan of finance, it had a reputation for, among other things, customer service. Too bad a teller in a central outlet demonstrated anything but that.
For one thing, she didn’t smile. She was never first to say hello. She would stare blankly at me, supposedly believing it was on my hands to elucidate the reason of my coming. Well, her knack for eradicating all ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ formalities was breathtaking. Not even one in those 4 encounters! “Sum?” “Passport.” “Sign here.” The longest phrase she delivered was her response to the question I asked about how the interest rates had changed: “Well, they have decreased, but I don’t remember how.” On top of that, she didn’t seem to consider saying goodbye necessary. I experimented. She didn’t mutter farewell words until and unless I articulated mine…
If you think I should have talked to some senior staff, I actually have. In brief, the explanation was: “A lot of our tellers have been made redundant recently. The remaining personnel are simply overworked.” But, in truth, are there any valid excuses to justify poor customer service?
