Tired of the sales pitch at the bank

[Daylily]

I know this might not be applicable to everyone since we just had a thread recently about 'how often do you actually go into a bank' and many people said never.

I go to the bank about twice a month - usually to deposit checks from online surveys or to deposit bottle refund money or the like. Everytime I go, the customer service reps ask me if I'd like to make an appointment with a financial rep. They also ask if I'd like a home equity loan. They also ask if I'd like to refinance my car. They also ask if I'd like to apply for the bank credit card. And on and on.

I realize they receive referral bonuses if I actually take them up on one of the offers. However, this is a small bank and the tellers know me and they know I always say NO but they continue to ask.

Here's the real kicker, sometimes after I've deposited money into my account, they'll look at the balance and ask if I have plans for that money!

Does anyone else get harrassed at the bank!

[Snave]

I have had that happen to me (the "what are your going to do with thatt money" question). I told them that I was going to move it to another bank if they kept asking.

[tripods68]

Unfortunately that's the reality of banking nowadays.

Banks can't no longer stand still and lose deposits to other competitors. As a former banker for Wells Fargo, I had to cross-sale banking products to meet quarterly goals. That means we had to "hassle" each customers. Think of it as "offering" more services that most people wouldn't bother their bank offers. Banker also could care less whether they annoyed customers because of the fear factor not meeting goals. The truth the matter is customers rarely closed their account once they established long term banking relationship because of the hassle factors (e.g., direct deposits, CD, investment accounts, HELOC, credit card, business account, merchant account, online banking, automatic deductions, gym membership, etc). Imagine if you had to closed these all at once. It's often just better to stay.

I would say that most customers are rather happy that their bank offer more services than never approach them at all when their just waiting in line.

[Brokemofo]

I don't get it. Why would anyone be upset with a bank that is offering you things that may help you? I wish my bank would let me know more about the services they offer. Or, at least pretend to care that I am in there. If they did offer me a heloc it wouldn't bother me in the least.

[safari]

I was depositing a check the other day and a teller asked me if I wanted to open a savings account with them. Out of curiosity I asked him what interest rate they were paying on the savings account, and he said 0.5%. I told him I was getting 4% from an online bank, and he just chuckled.

[disneysteve]

I've never had that happen, but I also hardly ever go into the bank. When I do, the lobby is plastered with ads for all the different services they offer, but the teller never mentions it.

If I was constantly getting asked like you are, I'd complain to the branch manager. Maybe if enough people complain, they'll stop doing it. I think it is really annoying.

On a similar note, my receptionist goes through the Dunkin Donuts drive-through every morning. She constantly complains that the cashier always asks if she wants to try whatever the new promo item is. They know her. She goes every day and gets the same thing. They know she doesn't want anything else, but they keep on asking. It gets old really fast.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Brokemofo

I don't get it. Why would anyone be upset with a bank that is offering you things that may help you?

I don't appreciate unsolicited sales pitches. I wouldn't want the bank teller trying to sell me a loan. I don't want spam e-mail or telemarketing phone calls or junk mail. I don't even like when I'm in a store and a sales person comes over and asks if they can help me. If I want help or I have a question, I'll ask. Otherwise, please leave me alone.

[Caoineag]

The only time bank reps have offered me other products is when I had already solicited their help for other issues so it hasn't been an issue. Once in awhile I can put up with. I did even take them up on the upgraded checking since it had benefits I could use. But I have never had a teller try to get me into any products, both times I was talking with a bank rep.

[Brokemofo]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I don't appreciate unsolicited sales pitches. I wouldn't want the bank teller trying to sell me a loan. I don't want spam e-mail or telemarketing phone calls or junk mail. I don't even like when I'm in a store and a sales person comes over and asks if they can help me. If I want help or I have a question, I'll ask. Otherwise, please leave me alone.

OMG, you are a sales person's worst nightmare. Get over it. A retail salesperson in a store IS going to ask if you need anything as it's their job. Just say "just looking" like all the other people walking through the store.

[LuxLiving]

Broke, this may not be the correct thread to talk about this, but weren't you the one who is going to be laid off soon? I woke up thinking about it this morning - if it's you, could you decrease your tax withholdings on your checks now to get a little more cash in the pockets currently so that you can put more back for the upcoming rainy day or use it now to pay down debt? If you aren't going to be working for awhile, you won't be owing as much in taxes. I'm not real sure this would make good financial sense if you immediately get another high paying job, but if you're out of work for awhile and just receiving unemployment checks wouldn't this work? Anyone else have any thoughts on this one?

[simple987]

I don't know what I'd do if they asked me what I was going to do with the money. I'd say that is none of your business!!


I used World Savings before they were bought by Wachovia, since they had high rates on CDs. Everytime I went in there they asked me if I was shopping for a home loan. I said no, and she proceeded into a 5minute spiel about all the great programs and deals they have. I said ok great, and then went about my day.

[Brokemofo]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

Broke, this may not be the correct thread to talk about this, but weren't you the one who is going to be laid off soon? I woke up thinking about it this morning - if it's you, could you decrease your tax withholdings on your checks now to get a little more cash in the pockets currently so that you can put more back for the upcoming rainy day or use it now to pay down debt? If you aren't going to be working for awhile, you won't be owing as much in taxes. I'm not real sure this would make good financial sense if you immediately get another high paying job, but if you're out of work for awhile and just receiving unemployment checks wouldn't this work? Anyone else have any thoughts on this one?

Yep, that's me, and yep, we are hijacking this thread. I also thought about doing that but never changed my w-4. I probably should, so thanks for the advice.

Now, let's get back to talking about why we hate/like sales pitches.

[LuxLiving]

If they asked me what I was going to do with the money in my account I would 1) ask them why they needed that information and 2) tell them it was none of their business.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Brokemofo

OMG, you are a sales person's worst nightmare. Get over it. A retail salesperson in a store IS going to ask if you need anything as it's their job. Just say "just looking" like all the other people walking through the store.

I don't mind a quick "Let me know if you need any help" but I don't like when they hover and follow you through the store. That's why I hardly ever shop at "full-service" types of stores. I do almost all of my shopping (what little I do) at places where that doesn't happen - Target, Kohl's, Wal-Mart, and outlet stores especially. I get most of my clothing and shoes at outlet stores. Good prices and no pushy salespeople.

[Brokemofo]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I don't mind a quick "Let me know if you need any help" but I don't like when they hover and follow you through the store. That's why I hardly ever shop at "full-service" types of stores. I do almost all of my shopping (what little I do) at places where that doesn't happen - Target, Kohl's, Wal-Mart, and outlet stores especially. I get most of my clothing and shoes at outlet stores. Good prices and no pushy salespeople.

Agreed, good, so you're not their worst nightmare afterall.

[safari]

Last year I went to the bank to withdraw $21K with a cashiers check to pay off my car loan. The manager asked me why I am withdrawing so much money. I asked her why they needed to know, and she said they don't like losing that money and she wanted to know if there was anything they could do to keep the money in the bank. I transferred money there a day before from an online savings account just so I could withdraw it, so it wasn't their money to begin with.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I don't like the hovering and following either, disneysteve. But I figure it is a fault in _me_ for not being familiar enough with how real service people act. I figure it is because I, too, have shopped all my life at discount self-service stores. Suddenly to be in a store where clerks present themselves to help, I feel like I'm being watched, as if they want to at least rush me into buying, rather than let me ponder the quality and compare this piece to that piece, and think for a while whether it will meet my needs as well as something else and how it compares to the item I saw at such-and-such store. And I go so far as to wonder if they think I'm a potential shoplifter when I linger and linger, not buying. Really that is very much on my mind--that they must suspect me.

But at my bank? Well, evidently the tellers have only just started asking specifics about how else they can help. I'm pretty sure they used to say, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" But now they ask with a deposit, "Do you want to buy a certificate of deposit with this?" Or, "Do you need any traveler's checks?"

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

I'm pretty sure they used to say, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

I think that's fine. Just because you have completed one transaction doesn't mean you didn't have other business to transact, so they shouldn't just assume you are done. But I don't think they should be trying to sell you services or products that you haven't expressed interest in.

[jIM_Ohio]

Yes- my banks offer me services when I walk in.

I needed a signature guarantee to get my Roth deposits made, they asked if I would open the Roth with them instead.

I asked what funds and what charges were- 5.75% load into American Funds as the fund house. No thanks.

I have no problem taking my business elsewhere.

[jimmyengland]

i can see this issue from both sides as i used to work in retail banking. the deal is that they are trying to help you get into the products that you should be in for the most part plus also picking up a refferal bonus at the same time. Some people need help with different accounts and some people dont. Most savers on here probably dont need advice on rates and ways to save money as they already understand. For the less educated individual this may actually help them to get into the right products that they may not have realised were out there.

Also since they set such high targets for tellers, platform sales staff they have to make sure they are asking people as if you continually miss opportunities for sales they could be fired as a result.

I understand it may be a little annoying but they are actually trying to help you and themselves both at the sametime and since you know everything their is to know about banking you become frustrated. trciky situation!!!