Why the bank teller hates me.

[janedoe]

About six years ago, my local branch hired a senior teller. This is a very small bank. She is always very friendly to other people, referring to them by name and seemed polite enough with me initially but then became downright nasty after a few weeks. I absolutely could not figure this out but decided that it must have had something to do with settling my mother in law's estate just because people were not kind about the fact that I was doing it instead of my husband. He was pretty much non-functional at the time but apparently many people felt that I was taking advantage without realizing that she had no significant assets.

In any event, I just did my best to blow it off. A lot of employees have come and gone but she is still there. I also thought that I knew of a manager named Chris because everyone was always saying hi to Chris when I was there.

I thought of changing banks but decided it was too much of a pain but it was an unpleasant experience whenever I had to go into the branch. I've even driven out of my way to go to a different branch the next town over.

And then this happened. A new employee came in. Lovely, sweet woman. I came in and heard the usual chatter. The new woman called out, "Hi, Chris!" and sure enough the guy was coming out of the safe deposit box room. Filled out my deposit slip and went to the new woman. She stared. I smiled. She typed in the deposit, looked at me and said, "You're name isn't Chris, is it." I told her my name, looked up and saw the woman who always treats me like something she scraped off the bottom of her shoe watching me suspiciously.

This entire time, she has been calling me Chris, saying hi to me as I walked through the door and then getting offended when I don't respond.

Now when I walk through the door, the new woman practically yells my name and the other one kind of turns around like she's not there.

[POPTOP]

OMG! Maybe a brief discussion with the senior teller and acknowledging that you were not deliberately shunning her but you did not think she was talking to you. See if the two of you can have a good laugh about it. It's amazing after all this time she did not catch on you were not "Chris".

[janedoe]

Honestly, I have a problem with going on the defensive with someone who never even bothered to look at a long term customer's name.

[POPTOP]

Oh, I did not mean defensive. Just make a joke about it.

[janedoe]

My personality type is more of one that says ignore it and keep being pleasant until she comes around. Pretend it never happened and see if she can start being professional. I don't even know how to make a joke about it. Love the new woman though. Just as nice as can be.

[Bamps]

I wouldn't worry about it. They need your business, not the other way around. If that person wants to call you by a name that isn't yours, it's not your place to worry none. She's the one who almost lost your patronage. I would even go as far as when she is blatently rude ask her outright if she would prefer if you would do your banking buisiness elsewhere.

[labsnewfy]

Well kudos to the new hire, she was smart enough to put two and two together and figure out what was going on. It is sad though that you and maybe others are treated differently because an employee felt slighted. What if a person was hearing impaired and couldn't hear the hello coming from bank tellers?

[smartrock]

I'm assuming she is able to read and that she handled your paperwork and that your husband's name is not Chris and that she saw your name on the paperwork you were bringing in. I have experienced occasions where someone was mistaken about a name, you try to correct them but it's just stuck in their mind and then it just goes on for so long that it is embarrassing to find out that you've been mistaken all along. I don't think I've called anyone by the wrong name but there are people I've known because of our dogs or we're neighbors and you know the dog's name but you don't know the owner's name and after a few years you're embarrassed to admit it. Maybe her way of dealing with her embarrassment is to act like a jerk.

[amyb]

I wouldn't worry about it..small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.