I went to a Chase bank the other day to inquire about a loan and to possibly re-open an account. I signed in on the clipboard that was sitting on the table and took a seat in the waiting area. The two bankers were occupied at their desk with other customers and there were about 2-3 people ahead of me waiting. I didn’t think it would take that long, so I waited...

...and waited...and waited...

Whatever the two customers needed to take care of seemed to take forever. Meanwhile, more people had come in to get help too. So now there are about five people sitting around staring at each other wondering what was taking so long.

I understand that these bankers were doing what they could to take care of the customers in front of them. But what about the people who were waiting?

First off, there was absolutely nothing to read while we waited. Most banks I’ve frequented in the past have had magazines or newspapers in the waiting area. Not everyone has a Blackberry or iPhone to keep them occupied. Thankfully, I did have my Blackberry on me, but what about the other customers who don’t? They were just sitting around looking at their watch every five minutes and staring off into space.

One of the bankers got up to go talk to a teller, so I walked up to her as she was heading back to her desk and asked if there was a customer service phone I could use. She looked at me with a blank face as if I was speaking in Greek.

“Customer service phone?” she said.

“Yes, a phone so that I can talk to customer service,” I said.

“Oh! I’ll let you use one of our phones,” she said. Then she walked away.

I stood there for a few minutes waiting for her to show me which phone I could use, but she vanished into a back office. I then picked up a bank brochure to see if I could find a phone number to call. All that was printed was the company website.

That’s when I decided that I would get a business loan and account somewhere else. Actually, I’m a little upset with all banks at this point. If you have a recommendation, let me know.

Photo Credit:  John Lewis