Voracious Banking and bungling through bureaucracy

I am, generally speaking, an easy going individual.  I'm not the best at managing money, and much less at keeping it safe from my own hands.  What can I say, I like being able to spend money I've earned.

I mean I DID earn it right?

So, knowing that, I try to keep my pay-check, in as much as possible within a banking institution for safe keeping and ease of access.

Color me surprised when the safe keeping gets So good that it is ultimately kept from me in it's entirety.

This post has been in the works for a few days now, I've actually held back from posting until the bank fixed my issue, you know how they can be devious and make things harder when you start questioning them.

So, here's the story about how standard processes mean many things, how procedures that ensure your safety and security can be ignored irrationally and how, after many years banks can suddenly forget the actual formula that brought you their way to start with.

I had the washing machine fixed last month, it was actually close to the 28th of September (24th) and being a company I've worked with in the past, I paid with my debit card; I trust them and I was able to see how the process was made, the technician even did the "approval" process with me next to him, to ensure I felt safe about the transaction.  I saw him get the approval and an approval ID.

On the 29th though, I get a call from the company, apparently my card had been flagged as "stolen" and they could not get payment from an already approved transaction; I got a bit concerned as, my card was not stolen, it was actually sitting right in my wallet being warm and cozy, so I said it probably was a bank issue and transferred the money.

Not one to just let a matter like this slide, I called the bank.

The person on the phone, courteous as they tend to be, informed me that Yes, I had declared my card stolen, then proceeded to backtrack immediately and say that no, it was not marked as stolen and that of course it couldn't be as I had not called before; that it was merely de-activated.

I thanked him for being so efficient and asked WHY it had been de activated, as I understood there should be no reason for it.  He said Your card is going to be void on October 31st, so it was deactivated.

I looked at my calendar and checked it twice, you know things happen, time goes by quite fast and all the things Ferris Bueller mentioned DO happen, but I was quite positive, that September 29th, was at least a month away from October 31st.

Indeed I seemed to be right so I mentioned this, and he said "well yes, but we already issued the replacement so yours is currently void as per process."

I have worked with this bank for the better part of 20 years, my first real savings account was opened there so, you know I thought I had honest knowledge about how this should have worked, and I mentioned it.

"Aren't you supposed to call me and tell me that my card WILL expire and tell me where to pick up a replacement before you void my card?"

He said a resounding "yes"

"That didn't happen"

"No it seems it didn't so, let me know where you can pick up your card, it will be there in about 5 days".

That was a bit shocking of course, I mean, I was essentially locked out of my money because they decided to be proactive about the only part of the business that would cause ME issues.

So, I stated where I needed the card and asked if there was ANY way it could be expedited, he didn't laugh, not out loud, but I could tell they were having a blast at the other end with my outlandish request.

So, I dropped it, and decided to head to the bank.

At the bank I noticed a pattern, you may have seen it if you have worked with BAC here in Costa Rica.

Beautiful people man the Customer Service Desk.  Not just pretty ladies, but men as well, totally groomed, made up and essentially the kind of person that you will undoubtedly date if given a chance.

Clearly not like this

You'll never get a chance though, but it's there in the back of your mind.

I get to this Woman, let's be nice and keep her name out of it.  I decide to figure out what happened but not by telling her.

I pull out my card out of the wallet and say simply "Hi, listen I am aware this card will expire, but when is it it will stop working?"

She looked at the card, and stated resoundingly "End of October."
So, naturally I felt I had the upper hand, and I said "so, I should be able to continue using it until then?"

She looked at me like I had mental issues, and said that yes, that's why the date said 10/14.

Except the next window was in hell, or I was, or both.

I then asked her, why if that was the case, the bank had decided to nullify my card before that date.

Here's where I lost it, she said "that's the process".

So, I was a bit confused, she had just stated my card was good for a WHOLE month, but apparently the process is to lock it a month before that happens.

I honestly failed to see the logic and still can't fathom that part, so if you have some special mathematics on Venn Diagrams which would help me see how a month away, and right now overlap, I'll kindly sit down and listen.

She stated that because I had asked for a replacement, it was void.  I asked her WHEN I had requested such a thing. "No you haven't".

She said that's the normal process, I said "I just asked you about the process and you said something entirely different"

"No I Didn't"

>>Stare<<

I repeated her words, and she said, yes that's the process and this is also the process.

So I asked if they had no standard processes for this.

She said, yes we do, we always do this.

(George Orwell would've been proud of her doublespeak).

I told her, that as a matter of fact they didn't as I knew people who's cards were due to be void by September 30th, who were still using them right that minute.  She said "that happens..." >>stare some more<< "see? sometimes you get the card issued by the end of the month, sometimes it happens a month before, sometimes both work for a while and sometimes we lock the old one".

At this point I asked her if she actually knew what a standard process was.

She did not really think I was being serious, and I said "it's usually a process that is followed every time, the same way for every instance, if it is not repeatable the same way every time, then it's not standard but a guideline.  Should I not trust the bank to follow the same process every time?"

She said I should "trust them to do the same thing every time, they do it this way all the time

Except when they don't."

Process.  Standard.  Procedure.  ISO.

I was getting a headache at this point, and decided to let it go, and she asked me then, where I wanted my card to be delivered, as there was NO REQUEST of it going anywhere but the main office.

I said I wanted to speak to someone that knew what they were doing, and she said she did, so I asked her to check again...

3 calls later and one extra review at my history, showed her that I had indeed requested it to be delivered at THAT same place about 3 hours before that.

She said though, that they would let me know when the card came in, as it was a standard 5 days for delivery, unless it happened to be more.

5 Days later, I call the bank again "Your card Was delivered on October 1st".

"Why was I not called or informed?"

"you Should've been"

And these are the people we trust to keep our money and valuables safe, the same people that can't for the life of them follow simple instructions SET BY THEMSELVES.

I have my card today though, it's currently working and I hope I don't have to deal with their personnel for a while, I honestly don't have the Stomach to do so, I'm pretty sure I lost a few years of my life expectancy getting my vitality sucked by them.

I do know though, that if the company I work for offered to pay me in salt or ounces land value, I'd take that rather than deal with this bank anymore.

Even Arcade tokens.