"Next Please!" - Inah, The Story

Contined from previous post.

As I have told in my last blog entry, I went to two banks the same day in two hours and had two different experiences. One was from Maybank, to pick up my check for my salary loan. It was just a small amount, no particular reason why I borrowed money, I just wanted to have something to deposit on our savings account, be it a loan or what. I borrowed money to have savings, does anyone do the same thing?

Okay so, back to the banking experience I had that day. The two banks' services are so different from each other. I would not name the other bank (where me and husband maintains a savings account) but I'll just give you clues. They have branches almost everywhere, especially malls. They are open on weekends and beyond the normal banking hours of four or five o clock. And they said they find ways. Okay!? Hirap hulaan no?!

Going back to the banking experience....

So I reached Maybank at exactly nine in the morning, as I have told, it was not open yet but the security guard opened it for me. Confused? Due to the very bad traffic matched with a weather half as bad, some of the employees of the bank were late, including the one supposed to be holding the key to the vault. The pretty teller asked me to sit down, politely explained the situation that I had to wait, and offered me coffee or juice or anything I would like to drink. First time to experienced that in my life, in a bank! I waited for almost an hour, the teller released my check, then apologized again for the delay. All the employees in that bank were all polite and very accommodating, including the utility staff, I felt like a VIP, when I borrowed a very small amount. It actually compensated the bad day that had already began with the weather half as bad. I thought that was the end of the badness of that day. Badness talaga!

Until I went to this other bank....

So I went to this bank that I supposed you have already guessed by now. It was still closed when I got there. There was already a queue of around twelve people waiting outside. Though it was already a couple of minutes past ten, it was still closed. The same thing happened to the other bank, some employees were late.

When the bank opened, I rushed to the area where the slips are located, all the spaces are occupied so I seated on the empty chair which I assumed was for the ones who will open accounts. I went straight to the single transaction lane and waited. There was only one teller, then after about ten minutes another teller went appeared from behind carrying a blue cash box. Her name was Inah, according to that square metal pinned on the chest part of her uniform. I did not know if it was just me, but it seemed like Inah was oblivious of the line of people waiting for her service. She sat down on her space, did something with the computer and chatted with the other teller like there was no sense of urgency. Another teller appeared from the back, and Inah chatted with her this time.  Time is important, not only to me but for everybody in that bank waiting and standing in line waiting to be served, and to everyone who are in the right consciousness. It looked like Inah did not understand that universal concept of importance of time! Okay, maybe she missed that memo!

When she's done with whatever she was doing, she called her first customer by the name "next please!". Those words were actually the first and last she uttered to all her customers. When it was my turn, I carefully watched her every move from the moment she called me "next please". I walked on the counter and deposited my check, she just looked at me, no smile, no good morning, no whatever. Just like with the other customers before me, "next please" was the first and last she ever told me.

It was not really a very bad experience to me, but the fact that my hard earned money entrusting to Inah's hands, literally and figuratively, has earned me the right to demand a good customer service from that bank, ke maliit pa yung halaga ng pera ko na andun! I should have yelled at Inah like this "hey! did you know that I borrowed that money from another bank and save it here, in your bank, ha, tapos ni smile and good morning di moko mabati?! Bagal mo pa kumilos ang haba na ng pila singhaba na ng ngusu mo! Maybe I should do that next time I experience something like that. Or maybe I should just transfer my savings to another bank with tellers na may manners.

Anyway, I should end this rant. Ganun talaga ang life! Kudos to Maybank's excellent customer service!!!!!

PS, I don't intend badmouth about the reputation of that other bank, this is just based on my personal experience for that day in that particular situation. Just sharing it and as a customer for years, I have the right to complain.


Thank you for reading :)