Taking Advantage Of Someone Else's Mistakes

Though I'm certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, I acknowledge that there ought to be some penalty for irresponsibility. A sharp slap on the wrist is usually enough to remind me to be more careful the next time. But seven slaps for the same offense seems a bit excessive.

Here's what happened. Positive that I had sufficient funds, I wrote several checks without consulting my check register. At my age, however, memory is not what it used to be, and I overdrew the account. I was rewarded with overdraft charges--seven of them. All on one day.

But I had a plan. I would simply confess my sin and throw myself on the mercy of some kindhearted soul at the bank. After all, I was a long-time customer with sufficient funds in other accounts to cover the checks. It was not that simple.

I immediately called a number that promised 24-hour customer service. A nice person answered but had no authority. She gave me another number that I called without delay. There, a cryptic, mechanical voice instructed me to call back later during some unspecified business hours. So much for "customer service."

I did reach someone the next day. She listened to my woes and decided that the bank was not at fault. I made a mistake and must pay for it--seven times. Continued recitation of my logic finally persuaded her to waive half the charges. I accepted that as an interim solution but asked for the name of someone at a higher level to whom I might further appeal. No one like that exists, she said. The only recourse she could think of was for me to speak with the manager of the local branch. And who would that be, I politely inquired. Don't know, she confessed. After all, they have banks in six states and can't be expected to keep up with all those managers. Nor can they just give away the "bank's money" every time a customer makes a mistake.

I finally did track down that local manager and found her to be quite understanding of my predicament. Without hiding behind some bank policy, she finally asked, "What do you think would be fair?" That was a change.

First I explained what wasn't fair: purposely processing checks from largest to smallest. If the first one causes an overdraft (as in my case), then all that follow will be overdrafts as well. That always maximizes the penalty--and the bank's revenue. "All banks do that," she confided. "It increases their revenues."

Though she made me a lot happier by reducing my overdraft charges even further, I'm still troubled. Having policies designed to capitalize on someone's error for the sole purpose of maximizing personal profit doesn't seem right. The day may come when they wish they had treated others as they would want to be treated themselves.

Copyright 2000 James McAlister

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