I Can Tell, You're Going to Win Some HR Rewards

A little over two weeks ago we transferred a C.D. from one bank to Wachovia. I know they are struggling but they're FDIC insured and had better rates than their competitors. I didn't have an account of any kind there but in a very short time span a very kind young man (yes, younger than me even) opened the C.D., a checking account (free) and a savings account (5% interest). I was very pleased with the encounter. The man who opened the account also gave me information to set up online banking. The next day I tried to set up the account only to get an error message. I meant to call, but I am pretty busy and I don't plan on using that account for very much and I don't really care if I ever set up the online banking to be perfectly honest with you.

This morning I was on the phone with a girlfriend of mine when my cell rang. I was on the home phone and it wasn't a number I recognized so I let the voicemail take care of it, after I got off the phone with my friend I saw I had a message, it was from the nice man at Wachovia. I called back even though it was approaching nap time here in our home but I thought he may want to know why I hadn't activated my check card (I don't get out a lot, there is no money in that account, I was prepared for the why's). But he was calling because he saw that I hadn't set up my online account and he wanted to know if I needed help. He asked if I could get online and he would walk me through the process. He did, except I got the same error message. He told me he would call the helpline and get back with me.

When the phone rang again it was even closer to nap time. Instead of the nice gentleman from Wachovia it was an online account assitance lady. After she verified who I was she brought the nice man from Wachovia back on the line. She then proceeded to tell him that when new account members set up their online accounts they will always get that error message in a very patronizing way. I felt bad for him because she was very nasty about it and it seemed unneccessary to tell him that with me on the line, it seems that she could have told them that before our three-way conversation began. It also seems silly that new account members would always get an error message. Maybe I am lazy but so are they, maybe they should invest some time into a registration process free of instant error messages.

She begins to walk me through the registration for what seems like the umpteenth time. By this point my children are at my feet crying and pulling up and falling and crying some more. I get to the point where I have successfully (or so I assumed) entered in all of the new passwords and codes when I get yet another error message. She tells me that I have done something wrong and I need to start over. I tell her that we will need to do this later, I have to go take care of my kids when she tells me that "no, it is fine they deal with this sort of thing (you mean crying?) all the time, if it is bothering me I should deal with it". I wish I could record my phone calls for training purposes sometimes, her rudeness had me so shocked and taken aback that I didn't know what to do at first. I then told her "no, it's my children's nap time, I am getting off of the phone". She then proceeded to tell me what I needed to do next, I replied, cutting her off, "Thank you" and hung up.

I am still flabbergasted. I wasn't getting off the phone for her benefit or mine, I was getting off the phone for Bailey and Cooper's benefit. Because it was nap time and we try to adhere to a schedule around here. The children are now napping (they fell asleep very quickly I might add) and I think I will call the nicest employee at Wachovia back and apologize for her rudeness and my subsequent rudeness because I did appreciate his call and his attempt to help me set up my online account. Companies, especially those struggling, should take a look inwards perhaps. I know Wachovia isn't struggling bacause of their impolite employees but it can't be helping them.

-june