Monday Melee from Mark for 08/13/2007
August 14th, 2007 at 2:50 am by Mark SteelTags: business, enjoy-life, happy, love, monday-melee, money, responsibility
“She can’t remember a time
When she felt needed
If love was red then she was colour-blind
All her friends they’ve been tried for treason
And crimes that were never defined
— Savage Garden, “To the Moon and Back“
Hey, it’s Monday NIGHT … I was busy! Cut me some slack. 
1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.
There’s a nasty little thing that all of us get from time to time when we’re unhappy. Instead of vocalizing what we’re upset about, we go off on everyone single person around us… And we just can’t accept or apologize for it.
Some of us get over it… and some people don’t.
2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
I’m leaving my answer from last week, because, seriously, that’s a crock:
“I dug my key into the side
of his pretty little sup’ed up four wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seat
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights,
slashed a hole in all 4 tires…”
— Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats“
3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
I’m unhappy with my choice if business banking, Suntrust.
Suntrust are a bunch of asshats, and unfortunately, completely nameless because their so-called Customer Service department refuses to reveal anything anything more than how much they value me as a customer. Of course, after saying that, and knowing they’re recorded, they take absolutely no responsibility for their actions, regardless of the fact that they’re not actually doing anything helpful or proactive when faced with what is an absolute catastrophe on their part.
If I had one name, I’d make an Asshat of the Day post. But they just won’t give me one… Wonder why?
4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
This weekend, I was repeatedly mauled by a Kentucky Wildcat. Damages include many bruises, bite marks, scratches, sporadic blood loss, various serious abrasions, slightly seperated nose cartilage and swollen extremities.
And I so look forward to the coming weekend…
5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
Knock me down on the way to the goal, and you only strengthen my resolve. The further down the hole I get, the harder I’ll dig, because I know damn well I’ll see the other side.
6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
There’s a place I wanna be… and I can see it… it’s so close… I’ve been there before, and I’ll get there again… and hopefully, just hopefully… Oh, man, that’ll make our lives so much easier… *grin*
Now it’s your turn.
You can take part in The Monday Melee, even make it a regular feature at your site by visiting The Monday Melee page and following the steps. Kick-start your brain on Mondays and meet other bloggers.
August 14th, 2007 at 3:33am
Oh yea, oh yea on the #2, lol on the #4 since I’m smart enough to know what that means, #5 is just ducky and admirable and I’m sure hoping for #6 for you.
Yeah.. Canadians make good friends.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:08am
what is the problem you’re having with SunTrust?
August 14th, 2007 at 9:11am
Hey, you are in East Tennessee. Go see my friends at Home Federal!
SunLust is problematic; AmSorry is just that; and I wouldn’t give BB&T ToD…
All of those are better than Bank of America, tho. IMHO.
August 14th, 2007 at 10:16am
[ Look! Tim works for SunTrust ]
Well, Tim, which problems, over which accounts?
Could it be … The loss of two different foreign wire transfers? Having to wait four months for Suntrust to put the money back into my account? The inability to change an address correctly for three and a half months? Having one account frozen and placed in “Fraud” status because of it? Having a debit card which still doesn’t work because of it? Not being able to get a replacement debit card due to “security” restrictions caused by Suntrust Customer Service’s inability to change said address? The inability to acknowledge deposits in a timely fashion? The inability to accept wire deposits from my credit card processor in anywhere under 72 hours? The inability to accept other wire deposits in anything short of a week? Being charged random overdraft fees when the accounts are never overdrawn? Circular customer service reps who neither understand nor give a damn to fix their own problems? The fact that not one single person in your company has ever taken ownership of an issue?
One of my favorite Customer Service faux pas: You explain the problem concisely, tell the Rep exactly what needs to happen to fix it. They respond, “Well, Sir, I’m sorry you feel that way. But I can’t help you with that issue. Please see your local branch. Thank you for calling SunTrust!” See my local branch indeed … the ones that are required by policy to pass everything up the chain, including changed of address… Nice job!
Another favorite, of course, is the age-old trick of not dealing with a problem by accusing a customer of cursing rather than escalate an issue to management. This is especially unforgivable when I’m neither screaming nor cursing at them (which I should be!), being proactive in trying to deal with a solution, and not berating or belitting every CSR I deal with. I expect to be treated with the same respect and dignity — something which SunTrust CSR’s simply do not do.
So basically, the usual faire, Tim. The same things you’ve heard before at your precious bank.
We inherited SunTrust due to a buyout — never chose it. The friendly reps we knew for years were surreptitiously replaced, and those who weren’t were forced to adopt SunTrust’s lower standards. Service declined to Bullshit Level DefCon 5 the following week, and has done nothing but degrade since.
August 14th, 2007 at 6:28pm
I asked because I was interested in trying to help you.
August 14th, 2007 at 6:50pm
While I appreciate that, the situations are far beyond help. Regardless of what anyone does to fix it, the fact that things are this screwed up leaves me with zero faith that anything can stay fixed. There are simply too many problems, too often and too severe.
I’m moving banks.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:57pm
[...] by the removal of his pubic hair and the insertion of a large radish into his rectum. (And you were complaining about that “Before he cheats” song Mark? I’ll bet a louisville slugger sounds a whole lot more appealing now… [...]
August 18th, 2007 at 5:03pm
Sooo, there’s a new one. There’s always a new one somewhere dude. Have a great weekend.