Reader Jessica is clearly a red-blooded American. She demands service, and above all, LABOR, from her fellow countrymen and -women, even on national holidays, especially on Labor Day.

Staggering about San Francisco on the holiday morning with a hangover headache that only a trip to the ATM could cure, presumably to buy more tonic for her gin, Jessica left her card in the machine. Upon her return, it was gone. Way to go, rummy!

But when she tried to contact the bank’s customer service hotline, to block any unauthorized use of the card, she discovered that banks actually DO give their employees time off.

As Jessica suggests, reporting lost or stolen cards is an essential function that banks shouldn’t shut down, even on holidays. And they should offer an option to report cards on their website. And Jessica would have slept better that night, and everyone would have been happy.

Her e-mail after the jump.

So I call the customer service number and hear this harrowing message:

“We’re sorry, our customer service center is closed for the holiday so our employees can be with their families. Please call back tomorrow. *click*”

Uh? CRAP. Surely this cannot be..this is a major bank that prides itself on fraud and security protection for their customers. Right? Right?! I poke through the phone menu to try to find some sort of automated “lost card” function. Nothing. I race back to my hotel room to fire up my laptop to check the BoA website to see if there’s any way to report the card there. All it says to do if you lose your card is to call customer service ASAP- and I know what’s not going on there.

Luckily for me, there was no activity on my account until I could finally reach someone the next morning. Is it too much to be mildly pissed? It’s selfish but.. dude. I understand employees need to be with their families, but other businesses seemed to okay with seperating families and all they were doing was serving me a smoothie, not holding all the money I have in this world. What about holiday pay? Is a skeleton crew too much to ask? Or some sort of automated “lost card” option so employees can be with their families and I avoid 24 hours of panic? I’m certain that I’m not the only dummy who lost their card that day and I’m also certain there are people now tied up in claims because of it.

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