Need to Vent

I’m on mobile, btw.

Hi. I work at a bank call center. Not something special. Just the everyday worker giving information about your account. Our bank’s policy says that once a cheque has been charged from your account, you cannot cancel it (except for in special cases, like stolen chequebooks and the likes).

Today, this lady called. She had cancelled a cheque that had been charged on August 1. She sent in the cancellation request on August 5, and the request, for some bizarre reason, has been approved.

Now, we had server issues all day. This meant that people have been waiting longer than usual, and this lady in particular was pissed. When I picked up her call, she already was pissed, to the point of screaming at me for the waiting time, for a full five minutes, as if I had committed bloody murder.

When I finally managed to get her account number and ID, she had conitnued screaming more, about waiting times.

I asked, “How can I help?”

Then screaming some more. She was shouting about how she had asked for the cheque to be cancelled and that she wanted her money. So I checked the system and lo and behold, a cheque had been cancelled (against policy) and money had not been refunded.

So i ask her to wait so I can talk to someone about this, and she continues screaming that I will probably hang up on her and I tell her I won’t and I take her money just in case the call hangs up. So after further convincing, I put her on hold and ask for help.

So I talk to one of the managers and they agree that, yes, the cheque should not have been canceeled, and will never be refunded. I try to explain this as calmly as possible. Usually, being put on hold helps customer calm down, but no. This lady is still seething.

I try to explain that I want to check the issue in front of the department in charge of cheques. She doesn’t want to wait to tomorrow. It’s after 4 pm. There is no one to talk to right now. I will check tomorrow.

No, she demands. Check now. I’m waiting.

So I continue trying to explain. Thus start the verbal abuse. I’ll spare the details. You can probably imagine it.

It got to thirty minutes when the manager of the freaking call center decided to take the call. I explained the whole situation. By her instructions, I went on break until the call ended. During this break I went to the bathroom and bawled my eyes out.

Since then I’ve calmed down. I went back to work.

But I’ve been workingg in customer service for five years now. I have never cried. I guess it was because I was pissed that because the customer was misinformed (not her fault, tbh), she took it all put on me. I’m not angry at her. I’m angry at the people who gave her shitty info.

Anyway… Just wanted to rant.