All Kristen wanted to do was make a deposit into her checking account at a Chase bank in Washington State, but she says a pushy concierge pulled her out of line and gave her the third degree about why she used ING rather than Chase as her primary bank.
She writes:
I was taking to the employees desk, where the transaction began. After having the check deposited, I was then asked if I would like a receipt. I said no, since I didn’t need the paper and thought I would be able to leave. Unfortunately for me I was then asked a series of questions about my account activity, how often do I use my accounts at Chase (not that often), what my typical balance was there etc.After it being made clear that they were not my primary bank, they then asked me about my bank (ING). Questions ranged from the normal, “Why do you use ING over us?” to the more personal, “How much do you have in that bank and what does a typical statement look like.” Getting annoyed now that I am being forced to answer all of these questions when all I did was put money into the bank, I become rather curt with my answers (never rude). Finally the employee pulls out a list of Chase account options which she deems better for me, with me opting out. Now the big guns come out, regarding the hotly debated overdraft protection. I decline. Apparently to fully decline I need to wait for a form to print, initial and then sign. After all of that, I was then allowed to leave.
How annoying. I suppose I write this as a cautionary tale to those, on our lunch breaks, who want to simply make a deposit, to not get side swiped by another attendant. The only real reason I bank with Chase is so I can make deposits that fall outside of my direct deposits to ING, since mailing in my check doesn’t seem like the safest option (and there isn’t a brick and mortar branch in Washington State).
The ordeal sounds like an excellent advertisement for banking online exclusively. Has anything like this happened to you?
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I’ve been waiting for this to show up on Consumerist. It’s a practice that I disagree with fully.
It works pretty much as the OP described: a banker (new account rep) pulls a customer intending to do a quick transaction over to their desk, sends a second employee to post the transaction with a teller, and in the mean time checks to make sure that all of the customer’s information is up to date.
In theory, not terrible. But this means that the transaction takes about twice as long as it would have otherwise, and the review almost always means “product recommendations” – a sales pitch. This is SO misleading, as the verbiage and mannerisms of the new account rep are meant to make the customer feel as if they are just going to another teller, which of course they are not.
Here’s the thing:
Just closing your account isn’t going to do a whole lot – it hurts, but Chase isn’t going to get the full story why, and thus, will take longer to change. Bankers have a feedback button on their homepage. If you are closing your account because of this, insist that the person helps you submits your exact reason why. If the banker looks at you like s/he doesn’t know what you’re talking about, talk to a manager. Ask them to submit feedback even if you’re not closing the account.
Trust me on this: if this goes away bc of customer complaints, the bankers will be happy, too. We hate it.
Also, as for the opt in/opt out question:
That form that the OP was asked to initial was for the “Debit Overdraft Coverage,” basically making the decision ahead of the August 15th deadline on how you would like your card to work. As many people pointed out, the default (“no”) will kick in automatically next month. However, customers – like the OP – can choose to start having her transactions declined now rather than waiting until August 15th. If she wants to verify that it’s what she did, she can ask to check her preferences with any retail banking employee. We also scan and keep electronic copies of everything the customer signs or initials, and so she can actually ask to see an exact copy of what she initialed.
I would have interspersed my non-anxwers with lots of creative cuss words. LOL
I’ve mailed in checks to my credit union and other out-of-state banks for decades and have never had a single loss.
The thing I love about Chase banks…
DEPOSIT YOUR CHECK AT AN ATM. You don’t even need an envelope anymore at some ATMs.
I understand some people are nervous about it, but I’ve never had a problem and the teller seems like a huge waste of time.
Then again, entertaining personal questions from a salesperson seems like a huge waste of time, too.
No, to fully decline you need to sign nothing – they can’t sign you up for overdraft without your permission.