Jim over at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity closed his Bank of America account after a teller forced him to fill out a deposit slip. Jim doesn’t care for deposit slips, calling them “a wasted branch on a tree we’d otherwise like to keep around,” and likes tellers to double-check his math. Even though Jim yielded and started to fill out a slip, the teller tapped a reserve of rudeness that inspired him to close his account.
So she pulled out a deposit slip and told me to fill out my name and address on the slip (useless!). Then she put a calculator in my face and told me to add up the checks. All of this was pretty terse and borderline rude but I was content to let it go. As I added up the checks and showed her the calculator, she proceeds to read out the numbers really loudly over and over again. Is there no sense of privacy? I can understand her reading them back softly, but she was speaking more than normal indoor voice.
Okay fine, whatever, at this point the interaction hadn’t gone great but it was hardly worth closing an account over. Then she looks at my balance and tried to sell me on a certificate of deposit. I politely declined. She persisted by saying I was losing money by putting my money in a regular checking account. She’s right, but I still politely declined. Then she proceeded to start talking to the customer waiting behind me! No good bye, no thank you have a nice day, nothing.
That, Bank of America, was the proverbial straw. Keep that lousy $6 you got for giving me an interest rate of 1.0%, which is essentially paying an annual fee anyway, and keep your other worthless products. We’re outta here.
Bank of America is like goatse. You hear the stories, but don’t really believe it will be that bad. How could anything be so repulsive?
And then you open an account and discover that it’s even worse than you thought. Sorry you had to learn the hard way.
Bank of America Is The Suck [Blueprint For Financial Prosperity]
RELATED: Round 25: Bank Of America vs Toys R’ Us
(Photo: meghannmarco)
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@spinachdip: I think some of this sort of problem is caused by the fact that a lot of the big banks have grown by acquiring many regional banks. Thus, they may have many different semi-incompatible computer systems. For the record, I’ve never had this problem with BoA. The routing number tells them which state your account was opened in (they publish the list of different routing numbers on their website). But how well that works may depend on which particular states you’re dealing with. It SHOULDN’T be an issue, but sometimes it is.
@johnva: To be fair, the confusion over the California account rarely happens, not enough to make me switch banks or anything. But for whatever reason, it’s happened with large deposits so I just try to be safe.
i had a similar issue with bank of america. i know you have to fill out deposit slips, so for a long time i did. then, one day i went in & as i approached the “slip counter”, the teller waved me over & said i didn’t need one. this happened a few separate times before i just started bypassing the slip counter.
about a week ago, i walked in, waited my turn in line & approached the teller window. i asked if i could deposit my cash – “do you have a deposit slip?” i didn’t need one when i came in yesterday, so no, i don’t have one. “please fill out a slip – you’ll find them on the counter behind you.”
fill out the slip, get back in the queue (wait another 5 minutes for service) & make my deposit.
friday i stopped in, proceeded to the slip counter & a teller asked if she could help me. i told her i needed to fill out a deposit slip. “don’t worry about that, i can help you.”
COULD WE HAVE A LITTLE F%$&ING CONSISTENCY PLEASE!!
i don’t mind filling out a slip – i know it is for my benefit, but either require it or don’t require it. don’t pull this crap of selective slippage – if i want to deal with that, i’ll find a reason to go to the dmv.
When I fill out a deposit slip at my local Wells Fargo, I never put my address on it. Just my account number. Somehow, my deposits still manage to post within a day or two. I guess the behind-the-scenes people at WF have better systems than the BOA people.
@mac-phisto: Personally, I would think it’s more important to fill out a deposit slip with a cash deposit (since there isn’t the built-in paper trail provided by the canceled check). So maybe that’s part of the inconsistency, though not all.
Sorry, guys. I side with the teller on this one.
This asshat rushes into the bank (probably crowded and busy), unprepared, expects a busy teller to waste her and other customer’s time doing his legwork,and then gets all huffy because she tells him to do it himself?
That’s why they have that little counter on the other side of the bank with deposit slips and calculators and pens so if you happen to have left your checkbook at home or didn’t get a chance at work to fill out a deposit slip you can still conduct business.
He probably cut in line too……..
5 minutes before closing…..on a Friday……
Maybe I am missing something here major, but every bank requires customers to complete a deposit slip to deposit cash or checks into their accounts. Without it, your checks will get lost in processing. As for the rudeness and lack of privacy, there is no excuse. The bank I am a manager for also does not require the tellers to add your checks. We take whatever total the customer writes, and put it through. The processing center verifies everything, and adjusts customer accounts as needed the next business day.
It is the upselling that would make me cancel the account. If I was aggressively upsold like that every time I went into my bank it wouldn’t be my bank anymore. First Union/Wachovia has never even mentioned to me that they do anything more than checking accounts. That is the way it should be. If I were interested in a CD or a savings account or whatever I would ask.
The whole “California Account” thing reminded me of when I was in college in CT and there was one person at the local First Union branch that could deposit checks I got from my campus job into my NJ-based checking account. Before I learned of the magic that is direct deposit I would have to call ahead to make sure she was there before I went to the bank.
Heh both sides amuse me. The customer is touchy about not filling in his deposit slip, something that could be done in mere minutes, and the clerk is just being an ass.
Are you kidding me? What planet has Jim come from? Does he think that bank work gets processed by magic, and bank people print and provide deposit slips to customers for their health and they don’t actually need them to get their work done? And how did he come up with this idea that he can save the planet by not using deposit slips? What Jim doesn’t realize is that HE might not be wasting paper by using deposit slips himself, but the bank will have to waste paper on HIM by filling out their own “credit memo” or “missing deposit” slips. So that’s my first problem with all this–Jim himself thinks he isn’t getting his pretty little hands dirty in the name of saving the planet. But someone else will waste their paper on him anyway, on his behalf, so what he’s doing (or not doing) is useless. Secondly, it’s downright rude to show up at a teller window with a bunch of checks and say “Deposit this into my account!” and have no deposit slip to go along with it. If you don’t have a deposit slip, a teller’s going to assume that you’re not prepared at all and you have no idea of how much you’re actually depositing into your account, and that means you’re not even ready to go up to the teller to make your deposit to begin with. Depending on how many customers are waiting in line behind you and how many other tellers are available to help them, you end up making them wait longer in line, and for what? So one person can save the planet? Please…. *rolls eyes*
If you want good service from a teller, then you have to be a good customer. Aside from being pleasant and polite, a good customer also has to be prepared. Be sure to endorse all your checks PROPERLY (signature, account number, and “for deposit only” in the space provided on the other side of the check) and fill out a deposit slip completely, so that all the teller has to do is process the transaction, no questions asked, and keep the line of customers moving. That’s all there is to it. Jim didn’t do that, and he hassled the teller by not having his deposit fully prepared beforehand, so he got EXACTLY what he deserved. I’m usually not so fond of BoA myself, but in this case, I’m totally siding with the teller and the bank, and it’s his own fault that he got treated badly. Good riddance to him, though I’d feel bad for the next bank he’d want to do business with in the future if he pulls this same BS on the tellers there.
I enjoy reading how people are reading into my psyche but aren’t reading the words I put down on the screen. I never meant to insult anyone by not filling out a deposit slip and I don’t feel any sense of entitlement.
One thing I am surprised by is how significant the deposit slip is. I submit, had I known it was an insult to not do it, I would’ve certainly done it. I fully admit that not filling out a deposit slip was my error but I didn’t know that it was crucial in the banking process because I had not filled it out in the past and it wasn’t a problem.
@Angryrider: I wasn’t touchy about the slip, it was the reading of my deposit amount and the dismissal that bothered me.
I am with Pfblueprint on this one.
First, off I hate filling out deposit slips. In my view, they are asking customers to take some of the work that should rightfully be done by tellers. Paperwork should be the banks job.
Second, its very rude to read the customer’s account amounts out loud. Its a de facto violation of privacy. For that matter, what if the person behind you in line is a thief? Then they will know how much money they can steal from you.
Third, trying to sell a CD after being rude to a customer adds insult to injury. Its crass and suggests the teller is not very sensitive to the needs of customers.
Best,
James
@pfblueprint: Jim, if the customer service was subpar or you disagree with the bank’s practices or policies, then it is certainly your prerogative to cease doing business with BofA.
I have no doubt the teller was rude, but I also seems the teller felt you were being difficult (because truthfully, I have never HEARD of someone make deposit without a slip being filled out by me or the teller –and the latter I know is a courtesy) and thus, gave you an attitude. And that was wrong. Perhaps in the future it might serve you better to take up such issues with the branch manager, rather than boycott the entire bank?
And as for the CD Offer, you must know the tellers are commanded to spout verbiage about the bank’s weekly promotion, right? Think of it as similar to McDonald’s ‘Would you like to SuperSize that?’ script.
I’ve never had trouble with BoA….
When BofA starting going after the business if illegal immigrants by not requiring SSNs to open an account (only for the illegals, not me those who actually have SSNs) I pulled all my accounts, closed all credit cards associated with them and called it a day. As far as I am concerned, they are now the Bank of Mexico.
I used to be a bank teller as well as a proof operator, and I can tell you that deposit slips are there for a reason. At the very least, proof operators need them there to check your math in the system. That simple. And no, it’s not her job to fill out a deposit slip for you. It’s her job to double check, but not to just do all of your work for you in your account.
first post here on consumerist. i signed up just to comment on this forum.
i am a teller. we are liable for mistakes with our work and our cash drawer. it is not the most challenging job in the world. if it is busy, filling out your ticket work is not only courteous to everyone in line behind you, but it also reduces the risk of error.
i personally do not want to lose my job because you think you are above basic accounting practices. it is not only advisable, but intelligent to take a personal role in your finances. i can barely comprehend the number of young people that are incapable of filling out a deposit slip. if you don’t want to fill one out, use the atm. i am a person not a machine.
if thirty seconds to a minute is too much time for you to spend making sure the money goes into your account, then i propose you piss off.
i bet the author of this here letter also talks on his cellphone when in line at starbucks/the bank/etc.
i don’t understand why people think they deserve the privilege of going through life without having to perform the same basic routines as everyone else.
i can barely collect my thoughts this makes me so angry.
@GearheadGeek: BofA does have scanning ATMs. My now-ex boyfriend has them in his area (33073) but I do not know of any here (63144). He told me in the past that so far he has not personally had any problem with them.
They also spit out a scanned image of the check(s) deposited on the receipt you are given.
I bet Jim’s going to be filling out his deposit slips from now on.
I deposit all the time at my credit union without a deposit slip. I just endorse the check and put the account number on the back “for deposit only”. The teller gives me a receipt for the deposit amount. The slip is a waste of time for face to face deposits, unless you also want to take some cash out of the deposit that you’re making.
@sean98125: Every bank has different policies. My credit union or ING accounts don’t require slips, my BofA and WaMu accounts do. I fill out slips all the time because people are human and make mistakes and I want to have as much evidence of my deposits as possible. I’ve had to fight banks about credits a few times and trust, a deposit slip helps reduce the hassle greatly.
@BugMeNot2: Ahhh excellent point, I didn’t notice that.
For the record, I have no problem filling out deposit slips!
@Buran: Oh… I LOVE those. The check clears almost immediately and they accept cash bill by bill.
@DwightIsMyCopilot: Great point. I think few people realize that the deposits are validated by a third invisible party, not just the teller.
Huh… all this talk of “deposit slips” is pretty out there.
I was with Canada Trust (now TD Canada Trust), and never in my life have I filled out a deposit slip. I (with my parents) opened up an account when I was 8 years old, and even way back then a deposit slip was NEVER required.
You hand them your money, they enter it into the computer, a slip is printed out so you can verify all the amounts, you sign it and hand it back to them. No fuss, no muss.
The result? A paper backup copy, with a real signature, and the opportunity for you to catch any errors on the teller’s part.
Sounds like a great system to me. I donno what’s up with American banking…
For the Philly people!A house on Girard ave directly across from a bank of america branch has a banner that states: “I HATE BANK OF AMERICA!”, in bright yellow. This would be in Fishtown. It’s nucking futs!
@pfblueprint: Listen. It’s very simple… if you don’t want people reading into your psyche (whether sarcasm was intended or not) and focusing more on the article itself, don’t make posts that expose yourself as a jerk along with the bank as well or at least can be construed in that manner. Some people will never read the article in its entirety, if not read at all, but the bandwagon effect remains
You got your excuse to leave BoA and you got your 15 minutes of fame.
@Binks: Now that’s not a bad idea at all!
Do they also hand you a receipt or another copy of the slip for you to keep for your own records?
@teahead215: Sweet! Pictures say more than words though…
Must be as funny as that cardboard poster over a veranda that says in large font: “Hello Verizon. We’re definitely at home. It’s the doorbell on the left” (and a red arrow pointing to the doorbell)
I have been a BoA customer for over four years and I have to say I am very pleased. Very rarely do I have to go inside. Just recently someone used my debit card number fraudulently. I made a call and within 30 minutes my card was reported stolen, all the money was put back in my account and my new card was on its way. When I went in the next day to withdraw some cash everyone was very polite and friendly. I agree that no company is perfect and I’m sure that the teller could have filled the slip out for you. I just don’t see it as a reason for me to hate on BoA. Especially since they have always done right by me.
I hate all banks. May they go down with the mortgage mess.
Since such a big deal was made about the deposit slip (and the idea that they waste trees), let me point one thing out: If he’s so concerned about trees, he should use the deposit slips from the back of his check book. Those trees have already been killed.
Also, if she handed him a deposit slip, I think it’s safe to say that she expected him to step aside until he finished completing the slip, allowing her to help other customers in the meantime. The fact that he didn’t probably helped escalate the situation and explains (though doesn’t necessarily excuse) some of her behavior.
@pfblueprint: You keep saying you didn’t have a problem filling out a deposit slip, but on your blog you write: When I walked up to the counter with my checks, the first thing the teller asks me is if I had counted the amount. I responded “No” because I wanted them to double check my math, as they always do. The responded with a bit of a roll of her eye and then asked me if I filled out a deposit slip. Again I said no, deposit slips are useless anyway. When she counts them up, she’ll print out a slip that goes with the checks and the deposit slip is just a wasted branch on a tree we’d otherwise like to keep around. This is what has happened the other half dozen times I’ve gone in to deposit a bunch of checks (and didn’t want to you the mechanized paper-cut maker of an ATM they have), the teller simply adds them up for you and you’re on your way.
How is this NOT a refusal?
I hate BofA now. Was a customer for 23 years, opened my very first bank account with Crocker Bank, which later became BofA. They treated me like a second class customer, dinged me for fees up the wazoo, and when I tried to resolve the issue I noticed in the branch they treated non-english speaking customers with more respect than me. Who knows if those customers were legal, but they should be treating all customers that way. Especially those that have been with them that long.
My BOA works great. As a matter of fact, they have the new machine where you can just deposit your checks and cash outside and it automatically counts it for you. No need for customer service interations.
@jodles: amen!
I STILL haven’t figure out why ANYONE has an account with these scumbags. They offer the WORST customer service, they regularly lay off employees, and the HIGHEST fees. They are ALWAYS first to the fray to come up with a new fee to bilk customers. They are the PIG of the banking industry. Their slogan: Bank of America, Higher Fees.
WHY DO IDIOTS BANK WITH THEM???
I have yet to figure out why ANYONE banks with these scumbags. They are the WORST of the industry. Highest Fees, WORST customer service, most employee layoffs. Their slogan: Bank of America, Higher Fees. WHY does anyone use them???
Somebody please photoshop some golden arches on that BofA sign. They’re the biggest McBank out there. My wife and I were the experimental group/control group with them for awhile. She switched because we had tenants in a house we owned out of state who needed to go electronic transfers and they swore it was easier with McBofA, and our credit union didn’t reach out that far. So she opened an account with McBofA, which had nationwide reach. I stuck with my trusty credit union.
Well, over the next year or so, I was enjoying really good customer service. She was cussing and fuming over McBofA on a regular basis. Occasionally, I had to do a deposit over at McBofA, and it was uniformly a royal pain in the ass, pretty much like the original article. The tenants moved out, we turned the property over to a manager (money well spent, IMO), and she couldn’t wait to fire McBofA – and never looked back.
Moral – if you have access to a credit union, don’t even think of McBanking. It’s really like going to Emeril’s vs. grabbing a bag of cheeseburgers at the Mickey D’s drive-thru. Bigger doesn’t mean better. Ask your neighbor the Time/Warner Cable customer.
@ceejeemcbeegee: That brings me to another point. If Jim says that he didn’t count the amount, how can the teller “double-check” his math?
I hate when I go to BoA to make a deposit i will have to actually fight with tellers about refusing to put my address. that is solely reason I stay from them ohh the fact they force me to have direct deposit
I’d like to point out that the employees aren’t just TOLD to push accounts (such as CDs)… they get reamed out if they don’t get enough referrals. Yes, this woman was rude and probably shouldn’t have been, but the mention of the CD offer is gratuitous.
@freejazz38: Because they don’t charge ME any of those fees people are talking about constantly? And all my interactions with them have been good customer services?
@Roxie: woah! right on.
@SeaKaySea: That’s funny. That’s what made me WANT to bank with them. And I am American.
The reason I stay with BofA is their online account management site has a great application which lets you track all your accounts, credit cards, loans, etc. and run reports/create budgets. etc.
It’s like Mint but from BofA and 100% free…also feel safer going with a big bank than a startup
It seems that many people do not like filling out deposit slips. They are a good way our us, the customer, to verify what funds we are depositing, plus it gives the bank a hard copy of the deposit.
The thing that bothers the hell out of me, are the people who run to the line, wait in it, then when they get to the teller, begin to fill out the deposit/withdraw slip. Or there are the ones that jump into line, and once they get close to the front, they ask someone to hold their place in line and go retrieve a slip.
Banks supply those little counter tops for a reason. So next time, fill out you damn slip, THEN get in line like the rest of us. (It’s like the people who get in the express lane at the supermarket, set their items down, then run off to pick something else up).
How is this NOT a refusal?
@ceejeemcbeegee:
From the way he has written this it’s hard to tell how much of what you’ve bolded was said out loud and how much of it is just what he was thinking. The way I read it he only said “No” and the rest of that was just his explanation to us as to why he hadn’t done it.
I don’t see how anything the customer did could have justified the teller informing the entire bank about his deposits.
@arkitect75:
I know bank deposit slips are sometimes a good thing to have but banks should have a processes in place where you can simply give them funds and they deposit the full amount straight to your account without the need for paperwork.
You should know how much you’re putting in and every bank I’ve ever had hands you a printout of how much that was just deposited. So, you know how much just went in. If you didn’t know how much was SUPPOSED to go in then you are a moron.
The only thing deposit slips have ever done for me is allow the teller to punch in what I wrote on the slip in without checking the actual amount on the check. This just allows mistakes into the system, screws up your account, and creates more work for the bank since they have to correct it. We are all human it is easy to make a mistake once a year.
I went to BOA to set up a direct deposit for my rent. None of the people including the manager at the bank knew how to do it. When I got back to work I called BOA’s 800 number and the guy on the phone set it up in 5 minutes. You would think it would be the opposite (the guy on the phone should have been the moron and the people at the bank should have been the smart ones).