Yesterday I walked into an ANZ bank and had the worst experience I have ever had with a teller in a bank. I wanted to withdraw >1000 so i had to go to the teller. I did not have my physical bank card but I have the ApplePay one so i figured that would do. Went up to the teller, tapped my phone on the EFTPOS machine. She then said to me "You cant use a non ANZ card". The other teller next to her leaned over and said the same thing. I had no idea what they were talking about and why they would even thing someone would show up to ANZ with another banks card. Anyway, I was confused, asked what she meant then she said her computer is showing that im using a non ANZ card. I showed her the card, she asks me to do it again and she says the same thing. She then asks me for my actual card number, which i show her from my Lastpass. Does the whole verification, name, address, date of birth then walks off to speak to someone and comes back and asks for my ID, which i didnt have upon which she said she couldnt help me. The demeanor of these tellers was really bad honestly. Made me feel stupid and I felt as if they treated me with contempt or very high level of suspicion.
So i went back home and got my ID. I was really affected by the interaction so i wanted to go back to that very same teller. Went back and tapped my phone again. The conversation about the non ANZ card started again….and again. Luckily a more senior person happned to be walking behind and she explained that the phone works at the ATM but not on the EFTPOS machine in front of the tellers. Ah right. I understand. The junior lady then continued serving me, got my ID, asked my name, address, date of birth as usual and im ok with that. Then she asked me to tell her roughly how much was in the account. WTF. I have never been asked that as a security question. I asked her why that matters and she said it was for security reasons. I refused to answer. She then asked for my security code and i gave her. Then she handed me a wad of notes (didn't count it in front of me as they normally do). I went to speak to the manager to tell him about this whole experience.
Here is the thing. I am a minority. I am black. So i get treated funny in a lot of places i walk into. Simple things like being followed around when i walk into a store, having that extra level of verification required when i have an account with >100k, being spoken down to in establishments etc so these tellers behaviour really impacted me. The set up of the branch is also such that there is very little privacy. Every customer in line can hear the entire conversation between the teller and who they are serving. All the verification info, the extra questions from the tellers etc. So i really felt humiliated. Whats worse is that I know how this whole interaction made me feel….i have had soo many pleasant interactions in banks so i know what good service in a bank should look like and yesterdays was not one of them yet i am second guessing myself on whether i over reacted by speaking to the manager and filing a complaint. Sucks.
Just wanted to vent and to get opinions on the above….and vent.
Not the whole comment section, and not asserting what you write.
This site is notoriously right wing, racist and fascist.
Essentially its un- Australian in outlook…but that is what the new Australia has become - a country dissociated from its old values.