Comments on: An Open Letter to Washington Mutual Bank (From the Financial Equivalent of a Brainless Squid) http://copywriterunderground.com/2008/10/03/an-open-letter-to-washington-mutual-bank-from-the-financial-equivalent-of-a-brainless-squid/ Copywriting Beyond the Words :: The Freelance Writer's Life Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:46:36 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Pages tagged "equivalent" http://copywriterunderground.com/2008/10/03/an-open-letter-to-washington-mutual-bank-from-the-financial-equivalent-of-a-brainless-squid/comment-page-1/#comment-49863 Pages tagged "equivalent" Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:19:05 +0000 http://copywriterunderground.com/?p=360#comment-49863 [...] bookmarks tagged equivalent An Open Letter to Washington Mutual Bank (From the... saved by 14 others     MissSoojinx3 bookmarked on 10/10/08 | [...] [...] bookmarks tagged equivalent An Open Letter to Washington Mutual Bank (From the… saved by 14 others     MissSoojinx3 bookmarked on 10/10/08 | [...]

]]> By: Tom Chandler http://copywriterunderground.com/2008/10/03/an-open-letter-to-washington-mutual-bank-from-the-financial-equivalent-of-a-brainless-squid/comment-page-1/#comment-49560 Tom Chandler Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:54:59 +0000 http://copywriterunderground.com/?p=360#comment-49560 Graham: The fees charged were some time ago. I simply wanted to point out the lopsided nature of the covenant with banks. Rick: Thanks. Cathy: Let us know how that one goes, though I wouldn't necessarily hold my breath. Graham: The fees charged were some time ago. I simply wanted to point out the lopsided nature of the covenant with banks.

Rick: Thanks.

Cathy: Let us know how that one goes, though I wouldn’t necessarily hold my breath.

]]> By: Cathy Goodwin http://copywriterunderground.com/2008/10/03/an-open-letter-to-washington-mutual-bank-from-the-financial-equivalent-of-a-brainless-squid/comment-page-1/#comment-49468 Cathy Goodwin Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:32:36 +0000 http://copywriterunderground.com/?p=360#comment-49468 Banks aren't the only ones who have a policy of, "We get to screw up but you don't." I just wrote a 2-page letter to an eye doctor whose office staff (a) told me the charge would be one amount and sent me a bill for $10 more; (b) told me waiting is normal and "I've waited 4 hours to see a doctor -what's your problem?" and (c) insisted on calling me Mrs. Goodwin when I'm not married. I am tempted to say, "If you can't get organized to provide decent customer service, I can't get organized to pay your bill on time." Instead, I'll be looking for a new eye doctor (unless I get a good response to my 2-page letter). Banks aren’t the only ones who have a policy of, “We get to screw up but you don’t.” I just wrote a 2-page letter to an eye doctor whose office staff (a) told me the charge would be one amount and sent me a bill for $10 more; (b) told me waiting is normal and “I’ve waited 4 hours to see a doctor -what’s your problem?” and (c) insisted on calling me Mrs. Goodwin when I’m not married.

I am tempted to say, “If you can’t get organized to provide decent customer service, I can’t get organized to pay your bill on time.” Instead, I’ll be looking for a new eye doctor (unless I get a good response to my 2-page letter).

]]> By: Rick Grant http://copywriterunderground.com/2008/10/03/an-open-letter-to-washington-mutual-bank-from-the-financial-equivalent-of-a-brainless-squid/comment-page-1/#comment-49438 Rick Grant Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:03:05 +0000 http://copywriterunderground.com/?p=360#comment-49438 Yes. Yes! This is excellent! No need to pay an attorney to file a class action, just take your client list and start paying those insolvency fees. Rick. Yes. Yes! This is excellent! No need to pay an attorney to file a class action, just take your client list and start paying those insolvency fees.

Rick.

]]> By: Graham Strong http://copywriterunderground.com/2008/10/03/an-open-letter-to-washington-mutual-bank-from-the-financial-equivalent-of-a-brainless-squid/comment-page-1/#comment-49430 Graham Strong Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:41:45 +0000 http://copywriterunderground.com/?p=360#comment-49430 "Dear Mr. Chandler, We are pleased to announce that you have been WaMu'ed. Please find enclosed a receipt for $75 that you so kindly give us..." Wow, you got a letter...? That's customer service for you! All I got was an NSF ding from the bank when they tried to take the mortgage payment. Similar story to yours, actually. I transferred in enough money to cover the month's bills. Of course I didn't realize that my wife had written a cheque for $40-odd dollars, putting us in the red... After a few minutes of embarrassment, anger, and tossed bills in the air (at the bank, not my wife...!), I (relatively) calmly called up the bank and asked why they wouldn't call me to warn me I had insufficient funds. After 20 years of being a model customer, why was I all of a sudden being treated like a criminal? The guy was nice actually, and told me they have thousands of these things happen every day. They can't track all of them I suppose, which made sense -- it's all automated. So I told him, okay, we're talking here and not automated, so what can you do for a customer that has two mortgages with you, a car loan, RSPs, RESPs, a web broker account, a line of credit, and all my savings with you? He told me he could reverse the charge. So now we're both happy I suppose. And I've learned to keep a little bit of back-up money in the account! Upshot -- give them a call. They might see their way to do the same for you... ~Graham “Dear Mr. Chandler, We are pleased to announce that you have been WaMu’ed. Please find enclosed a receipt for $75 that you so kindly give us…”

Wow, you got a letter…? That’s customer service for you!

All I got was an NSF ding from the bank when they tried to take the mortgage payment. Similar story to yours, actually. I transferred in enough money to cover the month’s bills. Of course I didn’t realize that my wife had written a cheque for $40-odd dollars, putting us in the red…

After a few minutes of embarrassment, anger, and tossed bills in the air (at the bank, not my wife…!), I (relatively) calmly called up the bank and asked why they wouldn’t call me to warn me I had insufficient funds. After 20 years of being a model customer, why was I all of a sudden being treated like a criminal?

The guy was nice actually, and told me they have thousands of these things happen every day. They can’t track all of them I suppose, which made sense — it’s all automated. So I told him, okay, we’re talking here and not automated, so what can you do for a customer that has two mortgages with you, a car loan, RSPs, RESPs, a web broker account, a line of credit, and all my savings with you?

He told me he could reverse the charge.

So now we’re both happy I suppose. And I’ve learned to keep a little bit of back-up money in the account!

Upshot — give them a call. They might see their way to do the same for you…

~Graham

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