Wells Fargo and the Phone Caper

Like most of us I have a place where I throw errant change when emptying my pockets. Some of us use jars or cans, bowls or a tabletop -- I, I use a vodka bottle. Why? Because the bottle was cool looking, the mouth is wide enough to get all sizes of coins in and out, but narrow enough that nothing is going to fall out too easily. 

This bottle is used for "silver" change only. You know, quarters, nickles, dimes and the occasional dollar coin. Pennies have their own specific box I toss them in. Namely, a cigar box someone was going to throw out so I commandeered it for pennies.

Since I'm getting ready to leave Florida for Denver I decided to cash in the abundant amount of "silver" change I had lying around and hopefully get enough to put some gas in my truck or food in my belly.

I (currently) bank at Wells Fargo. In Denver when I wanted to turn pennies into cash I called up a branch and asked if they had a coin machine. They didn't but the one a little further away did. I drove down, dumped my pennies and cashed the receipt in for $40 deposited into my account. All for the low low price of free.

Since there are Wells Fargos here in Florida I decided to find which one had a change machine and turn my "silver" into cash.

Wouldn't that have been simple? One would think.

I jumped online and found the nearest branch. I was fairly certain this branch didn't have a coin machine, but maybe it did and I just hadn't seen it before. According to the WellsFargo.com website, the branch's phone number is 321 952 3460.

I dialed and after going through a couple of menus I finally had the option to press 0 to speak with a person in the branch. I press 0. The other end rings. And rings. And rings. Finally it hangs up on me.

Huh?

So I dial again. Zero to get to the sub-menu and 0 again to speak to a live person. And it rings. And rings. And rings. And then it hangs up on me.

Okay, so I call back. Eventually someone will get tired of hearing the phone ring and answer it, right? Nope.

In total I call 8 (yes, eight) times getting the same results. Since it's only about a mile away I decide to drive up there and see if perhaps someone blew it up or the zombie apocalypse over-ran the branch. Specifically, I wanted to talk to a manager and ask them if they taught their employees how to answer that weird ringing device with the flashing lights.

Nope. People are coming and going, a little old lady is using the ATM out front and when I enter the branch I see three people in line to talk to a teller and all three employees in the lobby occupied.

So I sit down and wait. Just to test out the number I received from the internet I give it a call while I'm sitting there waiting for someone to acknowledge me. I hear a phone ringing in the background. No one answers. I can see various people moving about behind the teller line and conclude they're tellers for the drive through area. Since I don't know if anyone is in the drive through I can't guess as to who is available and who isn't.

A few minutes go by and there are no tellers being occupied by customers. Four Wells Fargo employees are now standing behind the teller counter as free as a bird. Sure, they're doing busywork, but they're not actively helping any customers. So I call the number again.

And I hear it ring in the background. And ring. And ring. Until I'm kicked off the line. So, four tellers are not helping customers and no one still answers the phone.

A couple of people come into the branch and go to the teller line, still leaving the teller line 50% available. So I call again. I hear the phone ring in the background. No one answers.

Finally a woman in the lobby comes over and asks if I need help. Are you the manager, I ask? She says no. I tell her she's going to need to find the manager for me. Without hesitation she goes through the employees only door for a couple of minutes, comes back out and goes into one of the offices off the lobby. A moment later she comes out again and tells me the manager will be with me shortly.

During this time the tellers become 100% free again. Not a single customer at a teller station or in line waiting for a teller. The lady who asked me if I needed help is sitting it her desk in the lobby looking at her computer, I presume catching up on some things.

I decide to call again. I hear the phone ring in the background. And ring. And ring. It rings until the system hangs up on me. Again. At this time I see all the tellers available, some walking around in the background, I presume again it's from the drive through teller line. 

Awesome.

So, at this time I have called in as someone, anyone, who would call in from home or work who needed help with a question. I have shown up to the branch and watched as numerous employees are repeatedly available an no one is answering the phone. I have heard the phone ring and verified two things: the number works and it rings the right office.

Finally the guy in a suit comes out of the office (he was helping someone out) and stands in the middle of the lobby to ask me if I had a question. He doesn't come over to where I'm sitting, he doesn't extend his hand and he doesn't introduce himself.

I stand and walk towards him letting him know he's going to want to sit for what I have to talk about. We head into his office and sit. I grab a card off his desk and it doesn't read "manager" or "assistant manager." Instead it reads, "personal banker."

So I ask, are you a manager here?

 No.

No? I wanted to talk to the manager. Oh, she's not in until Monday? Really?

So I let him know what happened. I wasn't the nicest person as I was tired and frustrated, but I wasn't unduly loud or forceful. He actually looked dumbfounded when I asked if that was their number: 321 952  3460. It is? Good. Then why have I called it a total of 12 times in the past 45 minutes and not received and answer? My question is simple, it would have taken about 2 minutes to answer. Why did I have to drive down here and watch as all four tellers were actively not helping any customers and not answering the phone when it rang? Why could I watch as every person behind the teller counter was available to answer the phone and when I called from my cell phone I only hear the line ring and ring and ring until it finally cut me off? Why?

Four times I explain to him. Four. That's how many times I called while I was sitting in the lobby and watching as the branch employees were available and no one answered the line. Now, is this company policy not answering the main line that's listed on the Wells Fargo website?

No, it's not the policy? Then why wasn't anyone answering the line?  

I don't know, either.

So, what you've just told me is that although plenty of people were available to help me over the phone, no one did and it's not due to a policy. Okay, so it must be due to poor management. Does your team need training? Do they know how to answer a phone? Do they need to be spoken to from the management? Or do they need to be spoken to from a district or regional manager?

Oh, you'll talk to them? That's great, but that's no guarantee it will solve the problem. It was at least 4 employees who didn't answer the phone, that's not a failure to communicate, that's a failure to know their duties and follow through with their duties -- that's failure of management and training.

May I have the name of your manager? Yes, please grab me her card so I can follow up with her. You see, I don't live here, I live in Denver and this is my last day in Florida. I've never had this problem with Wells Fargo in Denver. Maybe It's a Florida thing and I need to speak with the district or regional manager. Oh, you won't share that information? Chain of command and all that?

I'm tired so I tell him that's fine. I then ask him if he wanted to know my question and he does. "Which branches have coin machines?"

That is a simple question that anyone here could have answered. Yes, I know.

Oh, and tell the teller in the yellow shirt with the line-beard thing to stop walking like a pimp, it's unprofessional.

Branch Manager

Amy Hernandez

Asst. Vice President

2200 Harris Avenue NE

Palm Bay, FL 32905

321 952 3460

amy.m.hernandez@wellsfargo.com

I'll add a picture I took of the branch later when I get it off my phone.

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The Affect of Knowing the Effect

Affect versus Effect gets me every time. And I always remember Principal versus Principle the way they taught us in grade school: the principal is your pal. I've never really thought about Compliment and Complement, but now I suppose I have to give it some brain power.

Man, the English language is hard!

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Oh, Kincora ~ MacLaig

60. Kincora

By James Clarence Mangan (Translated)

AH, where, Kincora! is Brian the Great? And where is the beauty that once was thine? Oh, where are the princes and nobles that sate At the feasts in thy halls, and drank the red wine,   Where, O Kincora?         5   Oh, where, Kincora! are thy valorous lords? Oh, whither, thou Hospitable! are they gone? Oh, where are the Dalcassians of the Golden Swords? And where are the warriors Brian led on?   Where, O Kincora?         10   And where is Murrough, the descendant of kings— The defeater of a hundred—the daringly brave— Who set but slight store by jewels and rings— Who swam down the torrent and laughed at its wave?   Where, O Kincora?         15   And where is Donogh, King Brian’s worthy son? And where is Conaing, the Beautiful Chief? And Kian, and Core? Alas! they are gone— They have left me this night alone with my grief!   Left me, Kincora!         20   And where are the chiefs with whom Brian went forth, The ne’er-vanquished son of Evin the Brave, The great King of Onaght, renowned for his worth, And the hosts of Baskinn, from the western wave?   Where, O Kincora?         25   Oh, where is Duvlann of the Swift-footed Steeds? And where is Kian, who was son of Molloy? And where is King Lonergan, the fame of whose deeds In the red battlefield no time can destroy?   Where, O Kincora?         30   And where is that youth of majestic height, The faith-keeping Prince of the Scots?—Even he, As wide as his fame was, as great as was his might, Was tributary, O Kincora, to thee!   Thee, O Kincora!         35   They are gone, those heroes of royal birth, Who plundered no churches, and broke no trust, ’Tis weary for me to be living on earth When they, O Kincora, lie low in the dust!   Low, O Kincora!         40   Oh, never again will Princes appear, To rival the Dalcassians of the Cleaving Swords! I can never dream of meeting afar or anear, In the east or the west, such heroes and lords!   Never, O Kincora!         45   Oh, dear are the images my memory calls up Of Brian Boru!—how he never would miss To give me at the banquet the first bright cup! Ah! why did he heap on me honor like this?   Why, O Kincora?         50   I am MacLiag, and my home is on the Lake; Thither often, to that palace whose beauty is fled, Came Brian to ask me, and I went for his sake. Oh, my grief! that I should live, and Brian be dead   Dead, O Kincora!

 

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Failure to Communicate

Originally posted on Google+

For those of you not paying attention, I've been staying with my mom this winter so I didn't have to endure another Colorado winter.

My mom and I are rarely on the same wavelength when it comes to communication and recently a friend of mine saw first hand what I', talking about. Here's another example that just happened.

My mom has a friend over and they're on the patio talking. Rufus is outside and I hear him from the front window which is open. He does the equivalent of a doggy-burp. I say to him, "I hear you," in a playful tone.

My mom starts laughing from the patio out the back door (so the other side of the house), "there's no way you heard that!"

I respond, "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Rufus." She laughs as she enters the house and walks down the hall. "Sure you are."

A minute or so later Rufus makes the same noise. Again, "I hear you!"

My mother is coming back down the hall laughing, "I didn't say anything so you couldn't have heard it."

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to Rufus. I thought I made that clear the first time."

She shakes her head, whispers something to her friend about my attitude and once again, without even trying, I'm the bad guy.

And people wonder why I hate coming home. 

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Denver LIbrary and eMedia

So I had an eMedia snaffu with the Denver Public Library system today.

Yesterday, I receive an email stating one of the items I had on hold with the DPL was now available for download and use. This item, a WMA file of the audiobook (the very first audiobook I would be partaking of -- ever!) Mistborn: The Allow of Law.

Dear Denver Public Library patron,

The following title is now available for check out and will be held for you for 5 days (120 hours) from the time this email was sent:
  The Alloy of Law: Mistborn Series, Book 4
  by: Brandon Sanderson
  WMA Audio eBook

Please visit the Denver Public Library website http://downloadmedia.denverlibrary.org and select the 'My Holds' link from the 'My eAccount' page.  From there, you'll be able to add this title to your eCart and proceed to check out.  If you do not check this title out within 5 days (120 hours), the hold on this title will expire.

Thank you for your interest in digital media!

 So, naturally I go to the Denver Library website, log in and follow the directions:

• Log in
• Go to eMedia
• Go to MyHolds
• add to eCart

And then it get's wacky. The screen changes from the add to eCart screen to one stating the media is no longer available.

Um, what? It hasn't been 5 days or 120 hours. So I call the DPL and talk to the Hampden Branch. Oh, you need to refer me to tech support? Fantastic! So I call tech support: 720 865 1706 and speak to John. I explain to him what has happened and he's as confused as I am -- he asks someone in the background what to do about this and I have to assume at this point that this situation doesn't happen often. A woman tells him to have me email tech support (emedia@denverlibrary.org). 

I ask what this will do and he tells me the woman who fixes these problems will try and add the item back to my eHolds or eCart. I will need to supply my first and last name, library card number and the title of the eMedia I am trying to check out. Okay.

So I send the following email:

Hi, 

I just spoke with John on the telephone but let me go ahead and give you a rundown of what occurred, anyway so your tech/IT team can troubleshoot if necessary:

1 - I placed a hold on an audio book via the eMedia section of Denverlibrary.org.

2 - Yesterday, March 12, I received an email stating the item was available and will be held for 5 days.

3 - Today (one day later) I logged into Denverlibrary.org and the eMedia section ==> My Account ==> My Holds and the title was there with the option to move to eCart and, presumably, checkout. 

4 - Once I clicked the move to eCart option the screen changed and I received a message stating the audiobook was no longer available for checkout -- that there were no copies available.

5 - I went 'back' to the eHolds page and the item was no longer in my eHolds, either.

Book Title:

Mistborn: The Alloy of Law in WMA audio format.

Member Name (me):

Jason ON

Library Card Number:

YouDon'tNeedtoKnow

Thanks for any assistance you an provide. If there are any more questions for QC or making sure this doesn't happen to anyone ese, please let me know.

Have a great day, 

We'll see how this all pans out. All in all, it's been handled fairly well so far. Unless they put me on the bottom of the list for checkout, this should play out fine.

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Hit and Run? A Recollection.

So, while on Google+ today I saw a story from Linda Lawrey about a fender-bender she was in recently. Which got me thinking about my very first fender-bender.

 When i was 16 I had to drive my Dad's car back from where it was. I was having a severe case of afternoon sleepy-time and was barely awake. There was a truck (Ford F150, I think) that was blocking the driveway of where the car was parked and I tried to make it around the truck. Being inexperienced and tired I misjudged and ended up hitting his bumper.

No damage to his truck but a dents and some paint scraping to my dad's car.

I got out of the car, checked the damage and the owner of the truck came around and looked, too. He said he felt back for me since his truck wasn't damaged and the car was. I asked him if he wanted to exchange information and he said no because he suffered no damage -- it was all on the vehicle I was driving.

Fair enough.

I got home parked the car and went to take a nap. I called my dad when I woke up and told him what had happened.

A few days later his wife (otherwise known as super-bitch) is screaming and yelling because the owner of the truck had called saying that I hit and ran him and his entire truck was damaged. So, naturally I was wrong. In this woman's eyes, no matter how things play out, I'm always wrong. No one asked me again what had happened or let me see the damage.

So, somehow, during my 2 to 3 MPH maneuvering around a parked full-sized truck while in a sedan I totalled the other vehicle. Not scratched the paint, but enough damage to replace the rear fender.

I never saw a picture of the supposed damage. I was never allowed to talk to to guy and I was never given a chance to make a statement. I was never a participant in the follow-up.

This was 20 years ago (damn, I keep getting old) and I still remember it. Another time when I was wrong, when I lied, when I tried to be underhanded and unethical. You know, things I've never really done in my life. 
No damage to his truck but a dents and some paint scraping to my dad's car. 
I got out of the car, checked the damage and the owner of the truck came around and looked, too. He said he felt back for me since his truck wasn't damaged and the car was. I asked him if he wanted to exchange information and he said no because he suffered no damage -- it was all on the vehicle I was driving.

Fair enough.

I got home parked the car and went to take a nap. I called my dad when I woke up and told him what had happened. 

A few days later his wife (otherwise known as super-bitch) is screaming and yelling because the owner of the truck had called saying that I hit and ran him and his entire truck was damaged. So, naturally I was wrong. In this woman's eyes, no matter how things play out, I'm always wrong. No one asked me again what had happened or let me see the damage.
So, somehow, during my 2 to 3 MPH maneuvering around a parked full-sized truck while in a sedan I totalled the other vehicle. Not scratched the paint, but enough damage to replace the rear fender.
I never saw a picture of the supposed damage. I was never allowed to talk to to guy and I was never given a chance to make a statement. I was never a participant in the follow-up.
This was 20 years ago (damn, I keep getting old) and I still remember it. Another time when I was wrong, when I lied, when I tried to be underhanded and unethical. You know, things I've never really done in my life. 

Picture not related

I've been in a few fender-bender's since that day. Two were my fault, one was the fault of traffic (I was hit from behind and pushed into the car in front of me which I still got a ticket for, believe it or not) and a couple were not my fault. And to this day, this is still the only accident where I have been accused of something I didn't do. 

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