Edinburgh Web Development

Banks - don't you love them?

by Iain Wilson

10 March 2011

A letter came today from my bank. It's no wonder people get a little hot under the collar over the subject of banks.

The letter informed that my Business Advisor (not their term) was moving on to pastures new and thanked me for my support over the period, wishing me good luck for the future etc etc.

It was a form letter, but well written, full of pleasantries while retaining a certain formality and it assured me that the high levels of interaction between us would continue with his successor.

So what was wrong?

Well, the problem for me was I had never met or talked to my 'Business Advisor'. I didn't even know what his name was or where he conducted his business from. To my knowledge he had never made the slightest attempt to get in touch with me or anyone in my company and had certainly never given us any advice whatsoever. The only service I'd ever had from them was the provision of my bank account for which we pay a rate which some people might describe as expensive.

Something like this creates the illusion they are still providing some sort of of customer service. I'm sure there are bank employees who really believe they do, but the sad fact is they don't and letters like this kind of sum up the whole problem with banks.

It's great that they are making huge profits again - nothing wrong with companies doing well. But it's a one-way street with these guys, and that's what makes people angry - they're fine again thanks to the taxpayers yet their management blithely stick out insulting letters like this.

I guess that you can get away with it when you're the only game in town.

Humility? Forget it.

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