Wachovia(WalkAllOverYou) Bank - I'll give you $2 US for $20 Canadian (1034 hits)
Category: Business & FinancialRating: 1.77 on 15 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Rubixxcube (View user info) at 2004-11-16 16:03:09 EST
I went to toronto in July and forgot to exhange one of my Canadian twenties before I left the country. Over the weekend I was cleaning out some drawers in my house and came across my canadian $20 bill. First I look online and find that I will recieve around 16.75 US dollars for my Canadian twenty, not bad, could be better could be worse but I look at this as found money. All I need to do now is find out where I can exchange this. I ask around at work and many people tell me that my local bank will gladly exchange my canadian money for us dollars.
On my lunch break I walk into my local bank, Wachovia. I deposit a check and ask the teller if she can exchange my canadian currency for me. She plays around on her computer for a few minutes and shakes her head a few times and jams on several keys at once, I realize that this is not a good sign for me. Finally she tells me that I need to speak to Clint at the financial services desk. Clint informs me that indeed he could exchange my money for me but there will be a $15 dollar surcharge. I explain to clint how preposterous this is, the bill is only worth about $17, if I give the bank $15 of that I am indeed a sucker. I tell clint that I have 3 accounts with the bank and have been a customer for 10 years and ask if there is any way around this, I will even simply deposit the money into one of my accounts instead of taking direct cash if that will bypass the surcharge. Clint will not change his mind, he informs me that my best bet is to go to the airport becuase they will not charge me a $15 dollar surcharge. The airport is about 40 miles from my house, to park and pay for gas and take the time to go in the airport will cost me more then $15, this is not a viable solution. I thanked cliff for his wonderful advice and told him that maybe I would open an account at the airport as well and just keep my money in a locker at the terminal since the airport is such a convenient place to do my banking. My plan now is to auction the bill on ebay.
This is not the first problem I have had at this bank. Another time I was taking care of other banking business at this same branch and needed a money order for someplace that would not take a check. I assumed the bank could handle this. The teller informs me that she can give me a money order but that there is a $5 charge for this, and recommends that I possibly go to the post office, 7-11 or supermarket as they will only charge me about 75 cents. I explain that I am at the bank already and it is much more convenient to do it here. After a few minutes of arguing, and discussion with the manager they decide to waive the fee for me since I have been a customer of theirs for several years. You are bank, can't you just handle my banking needs for me?
Recently First Union and Wachovia merged, during this merger they had to make a decision as to which name to keep, Wachovia or First Union. They chose Wachovia I read somewhere because it was known for good customer service where First Union was not. After encounters such as this I wonder just how bad First Union's customer service could have been.
Why can't I just take care of my banking needs at the bank? It seems like a simple enough request.
Then I found the following picture and just wanted to cry....
User Reviews
Submitted by Totally_useless (user info) at 2004-11-17 10:07:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Funny you should post about a problem with Wachovia...
I just resolved a huge ordeal with them.
It involved a 2-month-old check that hadn't been cashed by my fiancee's orthodontist. I called to have payment stopped. Two days later, the check appears on my account, effectively overdrawing me and causing my account to incur TWELVE separate overdraft fees. Now, I don't know what the charge is for anyone else's bank, but Wachovia charges THIRTY-ONE FUCKING DOLLARS. After 7 different phone calls, 4 operators and 2 supervisors, I was able to recoup $300 of the $372 they had charged me. All because the operator I originally told to stop payment never stopped payment on the check, nor was there any record on the account that I had requested it.
Oh. That's right, I never DID ask for stop payment on the check. I simply fucked up and forgot about the check being out there. The account being overdrawn was entirely my fault. But, goes to show you, bitch enough and you can get what you want from corporate America.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-11-16 17:25:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I did that bit too about the money order. I don't remember now exactly what it was about except that it had something to do with my mortgage because I couldn't help but notice that they guy spelled the word mortgage wrong on the memo that he insisted had to be filled out on the money order. I think it was $6 and they acted like I was there to hold the place up when I asked for it.
I canceled the card I had with Wachovia that they sold to MBNA - those bastards. I have perfect credit because I'm an anal retentive bitch when it comes to money. I left for a trip and forgot to pay the damn thing so they hit me with a service charge that was approximately twice what the bill was for. Oh yea, I owed them a whopping $15 for a cd that I bought so imagine my delight at getting hit with a $25 service charge, for a bill that was only 2 days late. I called to bitch about it and they acted like I was some kind of criminal so I canceled my card. Then someone called me, apologized and offered to refund the service charge, but then it was a thing so I refused to keep the card and more or less told them where they could put my $25.
They get away with whatever they want to, I believe next to pharmaceuticals banks are the #1 lobbying group so that's pretty much where your service charge is going.
land of beautiful water my ass
Submitted by congo (user info) at 2004-11-16 17:02:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Similar story...
I went to Canada, and took $200CAN out of the ATM at a casino. I played, and won $15CAN (wooo! Big haul there, eh?). According to my bank, $164 American had been withdrawn.
I brought it home to the US, and took it to my bank, Citizen's Bank. I gave them the $215CAN to convert back to US currency, and they happily gave me $161US.
Bastards. I made a profit at the casino, and the bank took it all and then some.
Submitted by Sassmasterr (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:57:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
wachovia sucks ass. I use AmSouth while i'm in florida. USBank while i'm in cleveland.
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:52:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
What's funny is, you'll do an auction on ebay, and the winner will pay you in a Canadian PO money order, which will require the same sort of fee to exchange here in the states. I know because it happened to me once on an ebay sale to Canada. Make sure they pay in either paypall or with an INTERNATIONAL Money Order.
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:38:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Cliff! Normie!
Submitted by JMG114 (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:33:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Heh. Funny stuff. Post more often.
Submitted by Davros (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:27:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Don't get me started on banks.
I have $197 left over from my trip to the States, which equates to just over £100 at the current exchange rate.
The best I can get?
£65 sterling.
That is like £35 commission, those guys should start wearing stocking masks.
I am just going to keep it for Vegas.
-Davros
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:24:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
You should just plan another trip to Canada to spend it.
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:23:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by User10030 (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:10:51 (#)
Ranking: 2
Washington Mutual is the greatest bank ever. Seriously. The other day I overdrew my account because I'm poor and have bad money management skills. And When I deposited my check to make up for it, the teller waived the fee, then gave me head. That's customer fucking service right there.
-----------------
[runs to close all Wachovia accounts and open Wash. Mutual]
Submitted by hollygolitely (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:19:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I can NOT stop laughing at this...
I thanked cliff for his wonderful advice and told him that maybe I would open an account at the airport as well and just keep my money in a locker at the terminal since the airport is such a convenient place to do my banking.
Submitted by hollygolitely (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:15:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Hahahahaha.
Submitted by User10030 (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:10:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Washington Mutual is the greatest bank ever. Seriously. The other day I overdrew my account because I'm poor and have bad money management skills. And When I deposited my check to make up for it, the teller waived the fee, then gave me head. That's customer fucking service right there.
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:09:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Banks don't do financial services. Their purpose is almost like a credit card company. They charge ridiculous fees and are never open when you need them. 9AM - 5PM while you're at work druing the week. Sometime early - 12 noon on Saturdays. I fucking hate banks.
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-11-16 16:05:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 because I totally feel your pain with Wachovia.
I had a huge ordeal with them when I bought me house. Maybe I'll post the letter I wrote to them some time.