Banks ask irrational questions

Did you notice how banks have become intrusive? They ask for too many questions that don’t make sense anymore. I do understand that maybe the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas has mandated that banks know their clients.
But lately, the questions that they are asking are sometimes insulting, intrusive, irrational, irrelevant, etc.

I have already earned a reputation as a masungit, mataray, iskandalosa client.

1. Security Bank calls to ask if the check I issued to MERALCO is good.
Banks want to make sure that when you issue a check, it’s valid and intended for the right recipient. Meralco? Kung hindi natin i-good yung checke eh puputulan kami ng kuryente. Banks should no long call to verify since this is a recurring expense month after month, year after year.

2. I was depositing a check issued under my name. The teller asked me
“Mam, sino ang nagbigay sa inyo ng checke na yan? Bakit kayo inisyuhan ng check? para saan yan?”

3. I was depositing a check paid to me, period. It’s none of the bank’s business to investigate who gave me the check, why, what for? etc.

Were they trying to establish if the check came from a syndicate or drug dealers?

4. Edmund paid a farmer with a check payable to the farmer’s name. He has a bank account with BDO. I told him to just deposit the check to his bank account. He and his wife went to a BDO branch at 11 am. At 2 pm they made a distress call to me. The bank did not want to accept Edmund’s check. he was being interrogated as to where he got the check. Why Edmund gave him that check. What was the transaction about. Huh? Pakialam nyo!

I spoke to the bank officer over the phone.
She said they didn’t want to accept because baka daw kung saan lang nakuha nung lalaki yung checke ni Edmund. Para saan daw yun?

I told her, “Miss, it’s unfair that you make those people wait. They are depositing the check, they are not encashing it. Why don’t you just accept the check for clearing. They are farmers, mukha silang mahirap, h9ndi sila nakabihis, but that should not be a reason why you would ask too many intrusive questions. Actually wala na kayong pakialam dun kung saan galing yung checke nya. Ang kailangan nyo lang masiguro eh hindi nya ninakaw yung checke.

At 4 pm, the farmer was calling me again. Awa ng Dyos nasa BDO pa rin sila. Limang oras na sila dun. Kawawa naman.

I spoke to the bank manager. The same argument. Those people are not encashing the check. What would the bank lose? “Miss, just accept the check and it’s not like they will withdraw it. You have time on Monday to verify the validity of the transaction with my husband. He will be back on Monday.

5. I saw two passbooks both with very low balances. I decided to consolidate na lang kasi wala ng laman halos yung passbook. I was transferring the balance from account #1 to account #2, both under my names.
The teller asked me “what’s the purpose why you are transferring the money?’ Oh my God, napikon ako. Tinalakan ko ng tinalakan yung teller.

He called the bank manager. I was really pissed.
I told them to inform their chairman that I am complaining about this nonsense. They are asking questions that are a waste of time, stupid, offensive, intrusive. What’s wrong with withdrawing your money from one account and depositing it to another? Ang liit-liit ng amount, kulang pang pambili ng iPhone.

6. BDO should not charge P100 for inter-branch withdrawals. One of the advantage supposedly of banking with a bank with multiple branches is the depositor can freely transact in any branch. But with the fees, BDO doesn’t provide good customer service.

7. My daughter was in Greenhills when she ran out of cash. She went to the BDO branch to withdraw 5,000 pesos. Repeat, five thousand pesos only. The teller didn’t want to let her withdraw without the passbook. Their ATM was down. Teller was also asking for P100 withdrawal fee. All banks are computerized and can view the customer profile from any branch. Passbooks are no longer crucial.