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Name:   Firefighter - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/17/2008 7:04:20 PM

This week I tried to open another bank / money market account for the fire dept. but that was impossible. The first bank (Regent's) just opened on Route 280 and had 9 people working there and I was the only customer. When I came in they looked at me and then continued talking to each other. I asked the manager if anyone was interested in helping me open an account. Well, they offered a money market account for 2.7% for 3 months. I asked what happened after that and they finally said the interest would be reduced to a fraction of 1%. When I said that I may open the account for three months they told me they would charge $125 to close the account. Needless to say, I told them they discouraged me from opening an account with them.

The next bank was Aliant. When I went there the secretary told me the man that would see me was busy and I must make an appointment. He was sitting in his office by himself. I made an appointment for 1:00 PM. After lunch I came back at the appointed time and was told that he was busy and I had to wait. Again, he was sitting in his office by himself. At 1:10 PM I left. He then came running out to the parking lot to tell me he would see me. I told him we had an appointment at 1:00 PM and he was not available so I was not interested in doing business with him. I guess this is customer service.

How the service industry personnel keep their jobs is beyond me.




Name:   mckaygmc - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/17/2008 9:05:38 PM

TRy buying a used car..I finally gave up and drove to Atlanta to get a Truck because no one around here would even act interested in selling me one..LOL

I guess the car market is good.



Name:   Ulysses E. McGill - Email Member
Subject:   Amazing
Date:   7/17/2008 10:48:57 PM

no wonder banking stocks are doing "so well"......



Name:   muddauber - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/18/2008 7:02:40 AM

I've had just the opposite experience with Aliant in Dadeville. Could not ask for a better group of people.




Name:   Swimmer27 - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/18/2008 9:27:26 AM

I had been an Aliant customer for over 2 years when I sold a rental house. I went to the bank with the proceeds from the sale in a check from the lawyers trust account as usuall. I was informed there would be a 15 hold on my money. When I protested, they gracously agreed to free 5K after only 48 hours. I just took my check, and now one issued from Aliant with the proceeds of my closed accounts straight to Bank of Dadeville. They glady accepted my checks and issued cashiers checks in amounts I needed to pay off some folks.

Of course the Bank of Dadeville has been sold twice since then, so no telling what might happen now.



Name:   Swimmer27 - Email Member
Subject:   In my email today..Irony?
Date:   7/18/2008 12:44:44 PM





Name:   Swimmer27 - Email Member
Subject:   In my email today..Irony?
Date:   7/18/2008 12:45:09 PM


No one can make you serve customers well.

That's because great service is a choice.

Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport.

When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine.

Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside.
Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA
Today.'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card. 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies
do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining!

Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.''

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally.

'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were
dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year.

This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering
machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about us?

Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.....The ball is in our hands!



Name:   widgethater - Email Member
Subject:   In my email today..Irony?
Date:   7/19/2008 11:00:25 AM

swimmer27-I have not been a fan of your past posts but this was a great motivational piece. thanks



Name:   Swimmer27 - Email Member
Subject:   In my email today..Irony?
Date:   7/19/2008 11:16:42 AM

Glad you enjoyed it, but why would you not be a fan of my other posts?



Name:   NoBSMan - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/20/2008 5:22:08 PM

Mr. Firefighter it sounds like you had a tough experience trying to put that money to work. I know you must be an important person with little time to waste, but did you venture to think that the man sitting alone in his office may have a phone line connected to that office? Was that gentleman trying to add to your irritation or simply talking with clients? Hmmm......maybe, just maybe he was actually providing great customer service. I am pretty sure I've waited longer than 10 minutes before when I've been seeking professional advice.....doctor, lawyer, dentist, mechanic, builder, etc. Heck, I've waited longer than that to buy a gift at Disney. They have a pretty good handle on customer service.

Please don't take yourself so seriously. I have had many satisfactory experiences with Aliant Bank. Regions just got to town so it's too early to judge. Relax and don't get all worked up about waiting 10 minutes. How long does it take you to arrive on scene when a house is burning? I am certain it would be outside of your 10 minute window.....



Name:   lightkeeper - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/20/2008 9:43:17 PM

I dread trying to contact customer service by phone - especially when it is outsourced. I tried to contact Walmart regarding my credit card statement and after having to press menu buttons for about ten minutes, I finally got connected with a live person. Guess where? Manila. I could hardly understand him. I finally asked to speak to a supervisor and after another long wait, I got disconnected.

It's not just Walmart. I've found the same thing with Best Buy, Dish Network and other firms doing business in the United States but contracting their customer service across the sea.



Name:   John boy - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/20/2008 9:56:30 PM

Regions sucks now !! All the Regions people that believed in customer service are gone. Not the same bank as two years ago before merger.



Name:   John boy - Email Member
Subject:   Customer Service
Date:   7/20/2008 9:57:12 PM

Regions is terrible now !! All the Regions people that believed in customer service are gone. Not the same bank as two years ago before merger.



Name:   DaBurglar - Email Member
Subject:   Hey Firefighter
Date:   7/21/2008 7:49:56 AM

Go to Mutual Savings Credit Union (between Big B`s and the Post Office) - Forget Aliant, Over at the Credit Union when you make a deposit (even after 2PM) its in your account ready to spend. No fees and if you use a ATM elsewhere save the receipt and the Credit Union will reimberse you $1...They have Money Markets and CD`s and I love the online banking, bill pay etc... ... We left Alaint bank after they agreed to loan us the money to build a house and once we were almost finished with the building found out the were going to charge a extra 1% on mortgage cause I was self employed. But what really did us in was where my wife made a deposit and it took 5 days to hit the account...

I know they wont miss my money but, I aint missing them either...



Name:   dwbalb - Email Member
Subject:   Hey Firefighter
Date:   7/21/2008 8:38:12 PM

Firefighter i am in total agreement with you -- we all need to demand customer service and expect it. This country was founded on full service and the day we got away from that is the day our country lost
a lot of its glory and honor. Courtesy should be expected and demanded -the customer should always come first and there are a thousand and one ways that the bank could have gotten you to wait a few minutes if they had just informed you of the wait time and let the manager know that you were waiting. When I walk in my bank i am greeted by name-- i might have to wait but they let me know that I am important and they keep me informed as to why there is a delay -- little things can change how you feel about waiting -- it doesn't take much effort . I think you were right to leave -- its your time too and you are just as important as that bank manager .



Name:   roswellric - Email Member
Subject:   It's weird...
Date:   7/22/2008 8:39:09 AM

but when businesses are down the personel go down too. Car biz is getting killed so the salesmen don't want to try to sell a car. Banking business is desperate for cash so they ignore a customer trying to give them some. Wouldn't you think that after last disaster summer Chuck's would figure out a way to get the pizza's out the door?

Home Depot and Lowes are not selling their stuff either but you can't get anyone to help you buy something (Alex City excepted). I have noticed it in the restaurant biz too. Go figure. Don't even get me started on Sam's in Auburn.

I think its the leadership in the companies. There's not enough to go around.



Name:   water_watcher - Email Member
Subject:   Try Etrade
Date:   7/22/2008 5:38:47 PM

You can open a regular savings account on Etrade at 3.3%. There is no min requirements or time. They are very good in moving up the rate too as rates increase. You are not locked like a CD. You can link a checking account you have and move the money in and out electronically at no cost when ever you want. I do this with my regular checking and any surplus cash I move and start earning interest. If I need some in a month I just move back. Works very slick. Someday those banks will wake up ... if it is not too late ... until then there is ETrade (and others). Etrade bank is also FDIC insured in case you have any concern.

URL: Etrade Bank link

Name:   water_watcher - Email Member
Subject:   Correct link
Date:   7/22/2008 5:41:46 PM

https://us.etrade.com/e/t/jumppage/viewjumppage?PageName=high_interest_savings&tb=3908&SC=0185402700654DCA00830B12

Just copy and past







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