Friday, March 19, 2010

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Hey Citi and Bank of America - Welcome to the human race!

I was listening to NPR today and it was with pleasure that I heard Bank of America has revamped their debit card charges - you know the ones where if you order a latte and you don't have enough money in your account, it processes it anyway and charges you $20-$40 over draft fee. Like WTF is that about.

So, to my post heading, yes, welcome to the human race, although Citi and B of A are still way down on the evolutionary scale.
These sort of behaviors, the NOT declining a purchase like the way a credit card works, and charging someone $40 for an over draft, it's just wrong. Why did they do it in the first place. You're usually screwing the people who have the least amount of money. And really, a $40 charge on a latte, really? Really? Who was the marketing asshole who came up with that. Would you want to do that to your mother? Grandmother? This is just so wrong on so many levels and that it's taken so long for Citi and Bank of America to come around, it's just a sad state of affairs in our country today. What happened to the virtues of our fore fathers - make money the old fashion way - earn it. Don't F#$% people for a living. Don't f#$% your customers - it will hurt you in the long run.

This is just one in a long list of pathetic moves that banks do or charge fees for that really don't add any value to the customer relationship. They just cost the customer. Is this really a way to run a business? Is this just not legalized robbery? Hire an asshole lobbyist or lawyer to make screwing people legal.

I always wonder, who are these f'n assholes at the banks that come up with this. Do they go out after in NYC and brag or talk about how smart they that they have this new service? Is this what they were taught in school? Is this the best our MBA schools can come up with? I'm just saddened as a consumer, person, shareholder, civilian, whatever, it's just wrong and sad and that it's so prolific in America is ever sadder.

I'm glad Citi and BoA have taken one step in the right direction. I would like to think, as an ideal, that they would not need Congress to armtwist them to do the right thing. That the people that work at these banks are smart enough to make money, earning it. By providing value for service. Not f'@#$ people. Not gouging. Not coming up with more bullshit fees, but running the service of a bank. And maybe if compensation wasn't so high at the top and disproportionate to the rest of the company and society they would not have to f#$% john q. public to make a living. One can only hope.

If you're still with a bank that charges these fees - write them. Write to investor relations and tell them that even as a shareholder this type of activity is just wrong. Write to the President of the company. Vote with your dollars and move to a bank that is fair. That doesn't charge you fees while providing no value in return. Have hope that some companies will have the mindset of providing value and can run a business without screwing its customers.