Grime story: Messy check-writing desks and pens that don't work are bane of banks

As if skimpy interest rates and long teller lines weren't enough, now beleaguered bank customers have another indignity to contend with -- broken pens.

According to a survey in the banking meccas of New York and San Francisco, banks treat their customers poorly when it comes to meeting the simplest needs -- such as providing clean and well-maintained check-writing desks with pens that actually work.

The bank chain I deal with most of the time has taken all of the deposit slips and other transaction forms out of their lobby. When I asked why they told me they were being used too often for fraud. I guess I'll have to try to learn how to use a blank deposit slip to commit fraud. I've seen them in banks for years and never thought of using them for anything other than making deposits.

Hmmm. My nearest bank branch is about 1200 miles away.

Phone and internet based banking, debit/check cards, direct deposit and the Automated Clearing House / Electronic Funds Transfer protocol - and ATM's - have mostly eliminated the need for brick and mortar banks.

I haven't used a checkwriting desk in 5 years.

This is just the way to justify closing branches. The bank makes coming to a certain branch a miserable event. The floors are dirty, pens don't work, paper items needed for banking aren't there, and one or two lines are open with the newest, dumbest and most PC hires. They look and act like their feet are in a bear trap.

The manager and assist. manager are having coffee and watching the mess. They know that they have been assigned to work in what is considered to be hell in that branch! They have had their resumes on Gorilla.com for months with no luck as no one needs a branch bank manager!

So you learn how to use the computer and atm and never come back to the branch.

The bank closes down these miserable branches and fires clerks, and the miserable managers, and Willie Green posts a thread about the loss of jobs!

Then an amazing thing happens, no one really cares or is bothered. They find another bank, branch or do all of their banking on the internet. That makes the bank's management decision to start the branch towards closure by making the branch a miserable place to conduct personal banking, a wise decision as it is not missed!

Kinda of like when Demron went belly up. We did not have any power failures nor lack of natural gas. Since Demron did not really provide a needed service nor product, it was not missed except by those who got a pay check or invested in it!

The bank closes down these miserable branches and fires clerks, and the miserable managers, and Willie Green posts a thread about the loss of jobs!

Already did. (reply #6)

The "checkless" banking sector is swinging the axe as well!

Seriously, try a Waterman Laureat rollerball. It'll set you back $60 or so, but it'll still be writing 20 years from now. (My mother gave me one for high-school graduation in 1986, and the only reason I'm not using it today is that I need a refill cartridge and I'm too lazy to walk a block and a half to get one.)

(And yes, before someone points it out, I'm aware this is a fountain pen, not a rollerball.)

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