Humble Bank Client
A letter we should all send to our bank manager.
This is an actual letter (allegedly) sent to a bank in the USA.
The bank thought it was amusing enough to publish it in the
New York Times.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing the cheque with which I
endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations
some three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting
the cheque, and the arrival in my account of the funds needed
to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly
deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has
only been in place for eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of
opportunity, and also for debiting my account for $50 by way
of a penalty for the inconvenience I caused your bank. My
thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has
caused me to re-think my errant financial ways.
You have set me on the path of fiscal righteousness. No more
will our relationship be lighted by these unpleasant incidents,
for I am restructuring my affairs immediately, taking as my model
the procedures, attitudes and conduct of your bank.
I can think of no greater compliment, and I know you will be
excited and proud to hear it. To this end, please be advised
about the following:
First, I have noticed that whereas I personally attend to your
telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you. However, I am
confronted by the impersonal, ever-changing, pre-recorded,
faceless entity which your bank has become. From now on I,
like you, choose only to deal with a flesh and blood person.
My mortgage and loan repayments will, therefore and hereafter,
no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by
cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee
of your branch, whom you must nominate.
You will be aware that it is an offense under the postal Act
for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Application Contact Status, which I
require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs
to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or
her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must
be countersigned by a Justice of the Peace, and that the
mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income,
debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by
documented proof.
In due course I will issue your employee with a PIN number
which he/she must quote in all dealings with me. I regret that
it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled
it on the number of button presses required to access my
account balance on your phone bank service. As they say,
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further by introducing you
to my new telephone system, which you will notice, is very
much like yours.
My Authorized Contact at your bank, the only person with whom I
will have any dealings, may call me at any time and will be
answered by an automated voice. By pressing buttons on the
phone, he/she will be guided through an extensive set of
menus:
-
To make an appointment to see me.
-
To query a missing repayment.
-
To make a general complaint or inquiry.
-
To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there;
Extension of living room to be communicated at the time the
call is received.
-
To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping;
Extension of bedroom to be communicated at the time the call
is received.
-
To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to
nature; Extension of toilet to be communicated at the time the
call is received.
-
To transfer the call to my mobile phone in case I am not at
home.
-
To leave a message on my computer; a
password is required to access my computer. The password will be
communicated at a later date to the bank contact person.
-
To return to the main menu and listen carefully to options
1 through 9 again.
The contact person will then be put on hold, pending the attention of
my automated answering service. While this may on occasion
involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the
duration. This month I've chosen a refrain from "The Best Of
Woody Guthrie's" music:
"Oh, the banks are made of marble
With a guard at every door
And the vaults are filled with silver
That the miners sweated for"
After twenty minutes of that, our mutual contact will probably
know it all by heart.
On a more serious note, we come to the matter of cost. As your
bank has often pointed out, the ongoing drive for greater
efficiency comes at a cost -- a cost which you have always been
quick to pass on to me. Let me repay your kindness by passing
some costs back.
First, there is the matter of advertising material you send me.
This I will read for a fee of $20 per page. Enquiries from your
nominated contact will be billed at $5 per minute of my time
spent in response. Any debits to my account, as, for example,
in the matter of the penalty for the dishonored cheque, will be
passed back to you.
My new phone service runs at 75 cents a minute (even Woody
Guthrie doesn't come free), so you would be well advised to
keep your enquiries brief and to the point. Regrettably, but
again following your example, I must also levy an establishment
fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
Sincerely,
Frank Lee FedUp
Your humble bank client.
[ Unknown (N.Y. Times) -- from Mike & Donald, via Jeff -- Ed:anon ]
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