How to P*ss off your Banker
photo credit: TheTruthAbout…
Have you ever been waited on by a teller and you can tell that they’re annoyed, either with you, or something else? Have you wondered what happened to make them so mad? Here are some some things that bankers find annoying.
1. Standing in line (or in the drive thru), loudly yakking away on the phone. At my bank, we’re required to make small talk with customers. I’ve seen tellers not call customers up to their windows until they are finished with their conversation. I think it’s rude to interrupt the customer just as much as it is to stand in line talking on the phone.
2. Not having deposit slips filled out. Deposit slips really should be in the customer’s handwriting. Not only does this help the teller assist you quickly, but it also reduces the risk for error. If you don’t know your account number, that’s one thing, but if you expect the teller to fill out that you want to deposit $20 and get $50 back, please do that yourself. Trust me, the teller will appreciate it.
3. Not endorsing checks. There are some checks like insurance drafts that must be endorsed by the recipient. If they aren’t, chances are that they will be returned by the paying bank and the money will be taken out of the account.
4. Yelling about overdrafts/account balance differences/the weather. It’s not the teller’s fault, so please don’t take it out on them. They are only there to help you. No one likes yelling!
5. Complaining. Whether it’s about how the posting process works, the color of the debit card, or the fact that you don’t have enough money, chances are all they can do is sympathize with you. If you have a problem, ask for the customer service number. They can normally route your problem to the correct area.
6. Bringing in $1000 in loose or wrapped coin. We don’t take loose coin (because we don’t have a coin counter), but if it’s not a huge bucket, normally I’ll help the client wrap it, or just take it in my drawer. A few rolls of coin are fine to bring in, but when you bring in $100 in pennies, that’s annoying.
If you don’t do the things listed above, you’ll be a great banking customer. The tellers will love you and may even give you a sucker.
Are you a good bank client? Do you do something else not listed here that annoys bank employees?
Hah! One of DH’s cousins is a banker and she was recently telling us she’s sick of people yelling at her. Apparently yelling/abuse is a behavior that is on the rise for bankers and other professions at once. Weird, huh? I used to be a teacher and we teachers just thought ranting and yelling was something that was part of the territory for us personally. . .but it looks like a generalized (and sad) habit these days.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Simple in France- I guess they think yelling at random people is fun? I don’t know why but it seems like there IS a rise in it. I just try to be patient and help them as much as I can.
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You said we shouldn’t bring in large amounts of wrapped coin. Where should we bring them? I refuse to pay ~10% to use a CoinStar machine.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Nicole- Sorry- I should have specified. Our bank doesn’t have a machine to count the coin. We only take small amounts.
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6. Bringing in $1000 in loose or wrapped coin.
Don’t most banks have coin counting machines for that purpose? At most I’ve brought in maybe $75 in change but I didn’t think that it was rude because they have a machine to handle it and they are a bank…it’s their job to take my money and hold it. Yes bulk coins are annoying but they have the same value as a check or paper cash.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Anikka- Our bank doesn’t
They won’t let us take coin unless it is wrapped, and only in small amounts. I would looove to have a coin counter! That would be fabulous! I offer to help the customer roll it if I have time. I actually enjoy rolling coin. 
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That’s annoying Nicole that you have to pay to use the CoinStar machine. There are several places in my town (including in my bank) where I can use the CoinStar machine for free. In my bank for example it gives me a receipt I can then take to the teller and they credit my account by the amount on the receipt. It’s a very nice option I think all banks should have. It would save you money and make the tellers happy!
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Cynthia- I agree! I think all banks should have the coin counters. We don’t
I help customers roll their change if they want. 
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I literally NEVER fill out the deposit/withdrawal slip. I have no idea what my account number is and I KNOW it pops up on their screen when I slide my card (Chase customer).
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Evan- LOL! You can slide your card so they can get your account number?! That is awesome. It seems like my bank is behind on things. I have heard great things about Chase and was actually thinking about opening an account with them! Have you been happy with their service?
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Evan Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Was with Wamu until they were bought with Chase. I really like them. Miserable savings rates but thats what ING is for
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Some people just don’t realize they are behaving inappropriately or obnoxiously. I used to work part-time in retail and I’ve got my share of nightmare customers too.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Saving Money Today- I know! I think you just have to let certain things roll off your back.
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It’s so funny that you mentioned the debit card color! That is my boyfriend’s biggest issue with our bank. They changed the cards from a lovely blue to a hideous orange almost 2 years ago and every time we get new cards he gets upset that they are still so hideous! I don’t really care, but he gets rather upset over the whole thing.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Catherine- LOL! I actually hate our debit card colors too. They are bright orange! I used to have a cute one with pink dots and loved it. I opened an account with my bank 5 years ago just because they had cool debit cards.
Tell your boyfriend I agree. 
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My husband’s bank (credit union) actually charges a small fee if he deposits cash *even bills*. Weird.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Mrs. Accountability- That IS weird! I wonder why they do that. I’ve never heard of that.
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My husband and I tend to collect change throughout the year and then roll it ourselves to deposit. Am I the only oddball that actually enjoys rolling coins? lol. At our bank we have to write our account number on every roll, so if there’s a shortage or overage, it’s corrected on our account.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
AJ- I Love rolling coins too! I’m always all over tellers’ coin trays asking if I can help roll coin.
It’s funny- we don’t verify the coin after we take it in. We just make sure it looks close to what it should!
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Is it not true that a bank is obligated to take any legal tender regardless of denomination?
Never mind, I looked it up and the answer is banks have a right to refuse any deposit or accounts. Go figure?
However if you are paying a debt it appears your creditor has a legal obligation to accept any form of legal tender.
Answer to the challenge… pay your mortgage in pennies!
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
LeanLifeCoach- That is nuts. Banks kinda suck.
That made me laugh! Pay the mortgage in pennies. I should totally do that.
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haha. Great list. And the only thing I haven’t done is #6. I’ll make sure to put that one on my to do list.
(Actually, my CU has a coin counter. That’s no fun I can’t annoy them. J/K)
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Money Funk- I am jealous of the coin counter. I worked at a branch one time that had one and they had to pull me away from it. I was throwing coin in it all the time! A penny here, a few dimes there…
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Interesting list, indeed. Here’s hoping that you reminded everyone that bankers are people, too, and driving them nuts won’t make your banking process any easier or quicker. (While we’re hoping, here’s hoping your bank gets a coin roller machine soon, as it sounds like you’re suffering some serious coin roller envy.)
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 18th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Roger- Thanks! LOL we do need a coin counter badly. I won’t keep my fingers crossed yet though!
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Haha….this stuff annoys ME and I’m not even a banker
But I go to the bank every other day for work and I see all this crap. People are just crazy sometimes.
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The treatment I used to receive by the snotty b**ches at wells Fargo was enough to make me want to take my long term account and shove it where the sun don’t shine. I usually don’t argue with people I don’t know (I don’t argue with people I DO know for that matter) and I certainly am not low rent enough to ‘get into it’ in public. However, the way I was regularly treated by the fools behind the glass who, by the way, are NOT ‘bankers’ in the true sense of the word, made me sick of the rudeness and condescension. Seems to me they should’ve been happy to actually have a JOB. Well, I wasn’t the only one to feel that way. Every single one of ‘em was fired and replaced with congenial individuals whose job it was to serve me with respect bearing in mind they were customer service reps drawing a paycheck for the privilege. If you are a touchy, condescending, entitled, snotty type, DON’T get into customer service otherwise you might find that the outfit you work for is going down because people like you did them under.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Henry- That is horrible
You should have complained to the managers and then even maybe above them. I agree- I think if people aren’t good with customer service, they shouldn’t be bankers! My hubby was not big on Wells Fargo either. I hope that you keep receiving good service now! 
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OMG! I could have written this article! So so so true. I work at a bank as well and all of those things happen every day. My least favorite is when people are talking on the phone, hand you a blank depsoit slip and a check and then get annoyed that you didn’t cash their check for them. My mind reading skills apparently are not up to snuff. =)
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Lindsey- LOL I know- we say that all the time about being mind readers. I would help ANYONE that needs help, but I need to know what they need help with.
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I’m a Personal Banker (sit at a desk, open new accounts, reverse OD fees, the usual) and I’ve been a teller in the past and one of my biggest pet peeves are CELL PHONES. GET THE F OFF THE CELL PHONE PEOPLE! I don’t use my phone in public. And when I am on public, I turn my ringer on vibrate. Nobody wants to hear my ringtone. And let me put it this way, EVERYONE has an annoying ring tone. Put the phone on vibrate, people. I hate listening to someone’s Akon ringtone go off a million times.
And the deposit slip thing is a security risk. We aren’t allowed to fill out the slips. It must be in the customer’s handwriting to prevent bank error.
We don’t have a coin counter either. All coin must be wrapped. I don’t see the big deal in wrapping coin. I do it while I’m at home watching a movie. Why can’t people do it at home?
I hate when people complain about their overdrafts (unless of course it’s bank error and then we fix it
). But people need to learn to take some responsbility for their actions. If I’m stupid enough to go overdrawn, then I’m stupid enough to deserve the $34 overdraft fee. There are SO many ways to avoid fees.
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Heather- I agree about the cell phones! I hate using mine at all.
I am really bad about the deposit slips- I try to help customers fill them out. They really should fill them out in their handwriting. The thing is, our customers get called for customer service surveys so I’m worried that I’ll get a bad score if I ask them to fill it out.
I actually like rolling coin too!
I love refunding overdrafts when it is a bank error because it makes me feel good! But when it’s not and someone blatantly went overdrawn, I normally deny. Our bank offers a lot of venues to avoid overdrafts.
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I don’t understand why so many go to the bank. Most transactions can be handled at an ATM. I make it a point to stay out of the bank lobby and the drive through as much as possible.
With direct deposit and Check/Debit Visa card I can transact the overwhelming majority of my business without ever going to the bank. I opened my account online and have only visited the bank lobby one time, and that was to drop off my signature card.
Oh yeah, I spent several years in the banking business, several of them in the branches. Teller, supervisor, personal banker, etc… I feel your pain. LOL
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Mrs Money Reply:
March 31st, 2010 at 7:34 pm
dale- I have a feeling that tellers will be greatly downsized in the future. I agree- I think that if I didn’t work in a bank, I’d probably never go in.
What do you do for a living now? Do you like it better than banking?
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I moved out of the branch side of banking into indirect lending several years ago. I enjoyed that quite a bit, but in 2008 my company closed our department and I had to find something else. I’m now working in the finance department for a small defense contracting company. I like it a lot, but it’s completely different than my lending positions. Very little customer contact, all of my customers are internal. I also work as a seasonal tax professional for H&R Block, something I’ve done for the past 13 years.
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