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Had an interesting call with a customer (technically, a former customer) this afternoon.
Me: <normal spiel>
SC: This is <Mumble Mumble>. I need to know the routing number and account number for my account.
Me: Ok. I can help you with that. What's your name again.
SC: Andy <Mumble>.
Me: I'm sorry. Could you spell your last name?
SC: <Spells name. I finally get it.>
Me: I'm sorry, Andy, but your account is closed.
SC: Why? I kept $10 in there. The fee was only $8.
Me: Looking at your account history, I see the last time you had a balance was in January. You had $10, and then you were charged fees totaling $10 at the end of January. <I break this down for him.>
SC: But why did it close?
Me: When it reached a zero balance, the account closed. Did you look at your statements?
SC: I never got a statement.
Me: We sent them to <address>. Is that correct?
SC: Yeah. Thanks. <hangs up>
This customer opened his account in December. At the end of January, when the statement cycle ran, it charged him for being below balance and getting paper statements, which brought it to $0 and the account closed. It's almost 3 months later now and he hasn't called before today. He signed up for online banking, so he could have checked his balance at any time. But he didn't sign up for e-statements, which would have allowed him to avoid the paper statement fee. But even if he had signed up for e-statements, the remaining balance would have been eaten up by fees at the end of February.
I don't know why he was so shocked the account was closed. I suspect the sort of mind-altering substances that make it difficult to speak coherently.
Me: <normal spiel>
SC: This is <Mumble Mumble>. I need to know the routing number and account number for my account.
Me: Ok. I can help you with that. What's your name again.
SC: Andy <Mumble>.
Me: I'm sorry. Could you spell your last name?
SC: <Spells name. I finally get it.>
Me: I'm sorry, Andy, but your account is closed.
SC: Why? I kept $10 in there. The fee was only $8.
Me: Looking at your account history, I see the last time you had a balance was in January. You had $10, and then you were charged fees totaling $10 at the end of January. <I break this down for him.>
SC: But why did it close?
Me: When it reached a zero balance, the account closed. Did you look at your statements?
SC: I never got a statement.
Me: We sent them to <address>. Is that correct?
SC: Yeah. Thanks. <hangs up>
This customer opened his account in December. At the end of January, when the statement cycle ran, it charged him for being below balance and getting paper statements, which brought it to $0 and the account closed. It's almost 3 months later now and he hasn't called before today. He signed up for online banking, so he could have checked his balance at any time. But he didn't sign up for e-statements, which would have allowed him to avoid the paper statement fee. But even if he had signed up for e-statements, the remaining balance would have been eaten up by fees at the end of February.
I don't know why he was so shocked the account was closed. I suspect the sort of mind-altering substances that make it difficult to speak coherently.