A Teller Tale

[golden silver]

Ok, I called a bank yesterday and asked if they had half dollars. At first it was a young teller that passed me to the vault teller that was nothing short of a "SPAWN OF SATAN." First, as she comes on the line I could tell how the conversation would go. She said who is this? I gave her my name. She says, "where are you calling from?" I told her I was from out of town but would be passing through on business and would like to purchase half dollars if she had some. She replied that she had some. I said "Great! any idea how many you might have?" (You know where I am going with this, right?) She says no I don't. All the while she is being way to deffensive of these half dollars and treating me like a bum off the street. So, I asked is there any way you could check so I will know how much money to bring in for the purchase? She then says she really doesn't know and asks me why I am going to stop into her bank. She suggests that I stop at the other BBT's along the way to get my half dollars and that I should try there first. At this point I am getting Heated. I say listen maam you have told me you have half dollars, I am a BBT customer and I would like to know an amount of Half dollars that way I can purchase them. She then says "You say your a customer give me your account number." So I do and then she says " Oh here you are....Well I suppose we can sell you about 100 or so." I said thanks see you monday. I mean this woman had a real problem. Why would you treat anyone like that let alone a customer with an account. Had she said no I won't sell you the coin I would have called her boss for sure. I can't wait to meet this woman on my trip.

There you go, another Teller Tale.

Golden Silver

 

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[myprecious]

I believe banks are bombarded with people looking for half dollars everyday. Maybe you just caught her at a bad moment. Maybe she's just nasty. Either way - good luck with those halves. Bring more cash than $100.

 

[rileyboy]

Golden silver,
I think "myprecious" is right. Banks seem to be getting bombarded with people seeking halves. Once in a while I get a "cranky" teller, but I just smile and wish her a nice day. It usually turns them around for the next time I stop there. However, as you mentioned, you have an account with the bank, so they should be a lot nicer than that. Stay well and good hunting on your road trip. Keep us all posted on your finds
rileyboy

 

[Silverminer]

Good Luck on Monday!
Take extra money in case she is feeling generous.

cheers!

 

[golden silver]

LOL. This lady be generous!! Well lets hope.

Golden silver

 

[Rich Hartford]

One time, back in the days when I was doing, road trips, I encountered a miserable teller who not only refused to sell me halves, but tried to embarrass me in front of everyone. Very much out of character I dropped the "A bomb". I thought I quietly uttered it but apparently she heard me and shouted"what did you call me"? I just kept walking,firmly resolved never to enter that bank again.
The following week I hit the same route again and now I was faced with a dilema. There were two small time banks on the same block, and the buildings looked pretty much the same. Which one to go into? I certainly did not want to go into the bank that I let slip the A bomb.
So I took a chance, and guess what ? I hit the wrong bank. There she was looking at me with fire in her eyes. If looks could kill I'd be on my way to be planted.
Just in the nick of time another teller saved the day. She called me over and gave me a half a dozen 40's. This teller told me that she would hold on to them for me as she gave me a wink. I guess she did not like the other teller. Everytime I went back there she would have a little something for me.
HH
Rich

 

[JD-GA]

I usually take some of my impaired proofs with me when i bank hop and when i run into one of these type tellers i pick one out and usually tell them they look like they couldnt have been born before the date on the proof so here ya go. The worst reaction I ever got for doing that was a simple smile. Yes these tellers are having to answer the half question constantly and if you read this board often enough you see the type attitude and reaction these tellers have to deal with on a constant basis from some crhers and that should give you an idea of why these ladies have corn cobs up their bums when they see or hear us coming.

Be nice, smile, give them a proof or some mini snickers bars to set yourself apart from the jerks. 2 weeks ago I stopped into a very small bank in the city and asked for halves and she literally said "ive never seen you in here before so i know you dont have an account" I said yes mam I dont have an account here and if its a bother i will be on my way. She tells me " 5 or 6 different people with no account come in here everyday looking for the same thing, they arent getting my help and neither are you to be fair." I smiled again and said sorry for the trouble and put a 1995 impaired proof in perfect shape on her counter and said I hope this makes up for some of the trouble you have to put up with. I didnt get 2 steps toward the door and she had stood up and apoligized for being frustrated. She then brought me 4 rolls from the vault. We talked about coins for a bit and got to know each other she even asked for my phone number to call me when she gets more in.

So for a smile, some politeness, and an impaired proof I got in return a great conversation, a new acquaintence, a teller who is looking out for halves for me,another bank happy to see me come in account or not, 22 more silvers from those 4 rolls to add to my collection, and several smiles.

Im so glad to see you played it cool on the phone and stuck it out long enough to get the desired effect. So few people realize that these banks are businesses and they offer us services because we are paying customers. Crhers rarely are paying customers and a lot of crhers think they are owed something for nothing. Keeping that in mind and not being one of them goes a long long way in this hobby.

 

[golden silver]

JD-GA, I like your style and I think I will use the Proof idea with this lady. I will let you know how it goes. To be honest the lady tested my patience but I bit my lip and reashured her I was a customer. In my opinion however, I think that anyone that calls or walks through that banks door should be treated with respect and as a possible potential customer. The way she approached the conversation from the start was bad business. Oh well... I will try to kill her with kindness.

Golden Silver

 

[JD-GA]

You are right that a person should treat anyone the way they wish to be treated. However we are all different and there is no telling what puts a person on the defensive like that. Someone could have chewed her out minutes before, maybe she isnt being pleased at home very often lol, or maybe she just plain hates humans. Either way we gain nothing by reacting negatively. We burn bridges, get our blood pressure up, and still dont get the result we were looking for. I figure if i can leave with a possitive attitude and having acted like the better person in one of those situations it wont bother me the rest of the day , week or whatever.

 

[STDevil]

That's a really good idea regarding the proofs. I have a bunch I can't figure out what to do with. That's a great way to build a relationship for only $0.50!

 

[timbobwey]

Man, banks tellers need to provide service with a smile.

 

[CHAINCHOMP]

2 things...
rich, didnt u tell a story about when u picked up some boxes and farted, and told the vault teller it was ur boots so what can i assume from this...u fart alot or when ur angry about a teller/happy about pickingup coins u fart?? j/k

second, once i called a bank 2 ask if i could buy bags off their counter, and the lady on the phone said that sometimes they r a little off count, but i assured her that would be no big deal (hopping i might get extra $$$), but then she replied rudely "no, ju da wanna go der" (no, u dont want 2 go there)...so long story short people r rude and rich farts alot.

 

[golden silver]

I believed we dubbed it pulling a Rich Fartford.

Golden Silver

 

[how u do n]

Try to be nice to the tellers
you never know when they will call that someone
has just dropped off a lot of old smelly coins.

 

[quiksilver]

You get more flies with honey then vinegar. At least twice after my detective incident whereas i shaved, wore nicer clothes and made it a point to be extra polite, I received coins [silver] from tellers who were holding them for others but decided to give them to me instead. Also 2-3 times tellers were holding silver for what ever reason and gave them to me.

 

[golden silver]

Well I met the angry teller. She was a bit different in person. At first she did not seem to happy to see me. And the first words out of her mouth were "It was you hmm?" My reply was So it was you. LOL. She then when and got the half dollars. She seemed to realize that she was a bit much on the phone because she brought it up that it "just seemed strange to come a long way for half dollars." I said "No problem....I brought you a little something." She seemed a bit curious and suprised at the same time. I handed her a Blazing white 65 kennedy. She happily took it as I said "Thanks for holding the coin for me and I hope I was not too much of a bother." I went on my merry way. I have to say the highlight of that trip was that teller Deloris. Taking that high road made her feel good and made me feel great that I did something for someone else who maybe did not deserve it. Perhaps if I ever pass through that little Town in Nowhere North Carolina she will have a little something for me too. Thanks JD-GA for the example. Its the chain of love that keeps this life worth livin' isn't it? God bless.

Golden Silver

 

[Silverminer]

Golden Silver

Great story with a happy ending!
Cheers!

 

[Fredness]

My Dump Bank vault manager gave me the works this morning, I thought I was done for...

She asked where I get all these halves and I told her: everywhere; dozens of banks, friends, businesses, I always ask for them... (she knows I'm a collector)

I then told her about the local bank that had $810 sitting in the vault "as long as [she] could remember" from a customer that dropped off "a couple rolls at a time", I cleaned them out so they wouldn't be sitting on them. She then mentioned how she gets half rolls all the time (never mentioned that before today ) and she has $130. I told her I'd be back to get them before the end of the week - not in a hurry, they are someones dumps.

Basically, I think their attitude changes as soon as they see you are working with them, and they actually get something out of it.

 

[gotgot]

I have to say, the kindness angle does not always work, some people are just miserable. One of the dump banks I use is part of a chain of about 40 locations, with ~8 of them a recent acquisition by the parent company. The first time I went to one of the "new" branches, instead of the pleasant transactions I had been used to, I was confronted by a very angry teller who would run through the standard "casino heat" as I call it - do you have an account here, where do you get all these, why did you choose my branch to return them, is this going to be a habit, etc. I should point out that this woman is about 10-15 years older than me (I'm in my late 30s)

I tend to smile a lot and radiate positivity when in any branch, its a professional environment after all and I am a customer service professional in another industry. But this woman is tough. Every visit...well, when I come to that branch, I got to the point where I would seek her out, and request her for my transaction, since she despised me so much (and for some reason, every time I come in, she is on shift, and I mix up my visits). This steamed her even more. Each visit, I smile when I see her, give her a big "Hi, how are you doing, its been a while! How's the family" etc. Each visit she gets angrier.

The time before last, her manager was monitoring the transaction..when I handed her the deposit slip, (I deposit some and cash some) she asked, I see, do you have an account here. I was getting ready to respond when her manager spoke up (he was at my 8 oclock about 10 feet back) and said "Yes Jill he's here every week and you have his deposit slip" - I was stunned. So its obvious to even the staff there that she is trying her hardest to be nasty.

So last time I came in, I had a surprise for her. I got to the window and started handing over my bags of rolled coin, when my wife comes barging in, zeroed in on "us" and made a scene "There she is! YOU - stay away from my husband!!! All he does is talk about you, he's married, stay away from him or you'll have trouble" then turned to me "I dont want to hear about how nice she is or why you like this branch any more- this isnt about you, she needs to get the message, and we will talk more about this when you get home" and then stormed out - it was awesome. customers, other tellers, even manager (different one from prior week) jaws wide open, it was just classic. After the uncomfortable pause, I just turned to her and said "I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't talk about my favorite tellers to the Mrs. Perhaps we should just have quick, quiet transactions"

Had to take the Mrs to Cheescake Factory to reward her for her acting skills we had a great laugh over that one. There's a reason why I married her. That, and the fact that she hasnt' kicked me out over my insane hoarding behavior.

I stopped pulling boxes a few weeks ago, I am on my summer break from hunting silver. I have arranged, however, one of my hunting friends to drop off some dumps at my work on his way home, so I can visit her tomorrow

CANT WAIT

 

[AGCoinHunter]

I have to say, the kindness angle does not always work, some people are just miserable. One of the dump banks I use is part of a chain of about 40 locations, with ~8 of them a recent acquisition by the parent company. The first time I went to one of the "new" branches, instead of the pleasant transactions I had been used to, I was confronted by a very angry teller who would run through the standard "casino heat" as I call it - do you have an account here, where do you get all these, why did you choose my branch to return them, is this going to be a habit, etc. I should point out that this woman is about 10-15 years older than me (I'm in my late 30s)

I tend to smile a lot and radiate positivity when in any branch, its a professional environment after all and I am a customer service professional in another industry. But this woman is tough. Every visit...well, when I come to that branch, I got to the point where I would seek her out, and request her for my transaction, since she despised me so much (and for some reason, every time I come in, she is on shift, and I mix up my visits). This steamed her even more. Each visit, I smile when I see her, give her a big "Hi, how are you doing, its been a while! How's the family" etc. Each visit she gets angrier.

The time before last, her manager was monitoring the transaction..when I handed her the deposit slip, (I deposit some and cash some) she asked, I see, do you have an account here. I was getting ready to respond when her manager spoke up (he was at my 8 oclock about 10 feet back) and said "Yes Jill he's here every week and you have his deposit slip" - I was stunned. So its obvious to even the staff there that she is trying her hardest to be nasty.

So last time I came in, I had a surprise for her. I got to the window and started handing over my bags of rolled coin, when my wife comes barging in, zeroed in on "us" and made a scene "There she is! YOU - stay away from my husband!!! All he does is talk about you, he's married, stay away from him or you'll have trouble" then turned to me "I dont want to hear about how nice she is or why you like this branch any more- this isnt about you, she needs to get the message, and we will talk more about this when you get home" and then stormed out - it was awesome. customers, other tellers, even manager (different one from prior week) jaws wide open, it was just classic. After the uncomfortable pause, I just turned to her and said "I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't talk about my favorite tellers to the Mrs. Perhaps we should just have quick, quiet transactions"

Had to take the Mrs to Cheescake Factory to reward her for her acting skills we had a great laugh over that one. There's a reason why I married her. That, and the fact that she hasnt' kicked me out over my insane hoarding behavior.

I stopped pulling boxes a few weeks ago, I am on my summer break from hunting silver. I have arranged, however, one of my hunting friends to drop off some dumps at my work on his way home, so I can visit her tomorrow

CANT WAIT

Dude, that is one of the funniest stories I have heard here on T-net. You should have video taped it. I would die to see the faces of those in the branch. That was great way to disarm your dispised teller!