A horrible banking experience

Going to the bank is the least fun thing I can think of doing, and on that list, there are activities like bullfighting and the proverbial watching paint dry, but literally. Seriously, every time I think of going to the bank, I unconsciously let out a big sigh and just curse a little bit.

Yesterday I had no choice but to go to the bank because of an issue I experienced last week Wednesday morning. The issue is that I tried to withdraw 5,000 from a mobile bank agent, one of those establishments that use one of those POS machines to deduct money from your ATM and then gives you cash. The money was deducted from my account but the agent wasn't credited at their end, meaning the funds are hanging in limbo.

Normally, the funds are automatically reversed in 24 hours but any longer than that, then you have to contact your bank branch closest to you, and by contact, I mean you have to go there. Thursday came, and the money wasn't refunded. Friday was a public holiday, and so no luck then. This left me no choice than make the hard decision and go to the bank on Monday(Yesterday).

I left home around 10 am to make a complaint that won't last more than a minute. Transport to the bank and back home will cost me 10% of the money I'm going to complain about and to make matters worse, the drink I took with me cost and extra 350, making my total expenditure 850, but let's call it 1000.

First of all, it had been raining all morning and made me even cancel my planned jog but I wasn't going to let this rain halt my plan. I spent 20-25 minutes on the road, and when I finally got there, I met a crowd of say 90-110 people with some form of complaint or the other, and I muttered 'oh fuck" under my voice as I found somewhere to seat under the canopy.

Thanks to the new social distancing rules, people stay outside the banking hall and we're given tallies/number tags depending on the problem you have. Mine was number 40 with CSU(indicating I want to see Customer Service Unit), and I heard that they were only in number 9 and CSU queue was the slowest because in the queues for collecting ATM and making a withdrawal, they were already in their 30s. Well, all I can say is thank God I spiked the coke I put in my water bottle

I spent the whole day waiting for my turn and when it finally came, the time was about 4 pm. I got into the bank and just as expected, the entire complaint lasted 2 minutes. I received a text that notified me about my lodged complaint and that was it.

It wasn't always this bad but even then, I still hated going to banks. It is always lines, fill this form and all that shit that really could be automated to be faster. So, at the end of the day, I spent 1000 Naira and 6 hours of my day to make a 2-minute complaint about 5000 Naira. I really hate banks.

Posted Using LeoFinance