I just can’t catch a break with banks. I do like Fidelity don’t get me wrong. They are very warm and friendly, there is even someone who watches the front line staff to ensure that they are always smiling and doing the whole customer service thing. You can tell that they paid attention in training and they live whatever values are instilled in them. I also like the fact that I am not being charged unnecessarily every time I make a transaction. I never knew what Ecobank were charging for but all I know is that if there were a few cedis leftover in my account, it would be gone by the end of the month.

I also like the fact that the bank manager is accessible. He/She is not tucked away in the back where you have to book an appointment to see them. If you have an issue, you can just walk right in, and if you know me by now, you know that if I have an issue and I am not getting answers, I am going to go straight to the boss.

What I am finding exhausting however, is that where there is an issue, there is no sense of urgency in resolving it. There is a lot of “sorry Madam”, “we are working on it”, but no results. I can’t really blame this solely on the banks because ECG, MTN, Vodafone and all the many services in Ghana do same. Heck, I have even resigned myself to saying it when stocks are stuck in transit (like really what do you want me to do, jump on the high seas and pull the cargo over on my back).

When I opened my account I ordered an ATM card and a cashing book. I hate queuing for anything let alone my own money so was pretty pleased that it would take 2 weeks for it to arrive, just in time for pay day.
I opened the account in June/July, we are now in October, where is my card. Well I can tell you where it is not, in my possession.

When I opened the account, I got a very nice text message from a gentleman named Andy, he sent me my account details and told me I could come to collect my things. I got there, he gave me the cash book and then realised that the card had not arrived. So I asked him to follow up and give me a call when it arrives. I didn’t get a call that week and as I couldn’t get to the bank during the week had to wait until the following Saturday. I see Andy and I ask him what’s happening. He tells me that the machine has broken down, now I am very calm at this moment, the machine has broken down, there is nothing he can do, so I calmly asked him to follow up and let me know the status. He can’t fix the problem but at least he could keep me updated. I heard nothing for two weeks then it got to two months.

I went back to the bank again, I say that it has been two months and I still haven’t’ received my card. The machine had been broken for a couple of weeks, I understand there is a backlog, but if they are doing their jobs properly, the backlog should be 2 months or a month tops. Andy wasn’t around and so I ask the gentleman to call me back on Monday with the details. I hear nothing that week. I go back the following week to enquire (still calm) and asked why the gentleman did not call me. He said, because the card hadn’t arrived. So I asked him if in future he would kindly provide me feedback (I don’t think he heard me though).

On my last visit, still no card, I ask for the customer service hotline. I was given three digits which was supposed to be some sort of shortcode I think. So I took to the net and found the branch manager’s number. I then went into the bank the next day to speak to said bank manager. I found out that there was a broken machine, but somebody’s incompetence had meant that I wasn’t on the radar. However, after apologising profusely, and berating his staff for not bringing it to his attention, I was told that, they are working on it.

So now, I am waiting, now I am not expecting a daily report but considering the amount of time spent following up on this, you would think that someone would apply pressure. Or at least follow up and communicate. It seems though that the staff at Fidelity enjoy my weekly visits so they wait in eager anticipation for my arrival.
It has been 4 months, and I have been unbelievably calm about all this, but it’s been 4 months if I don’t get my card soon, this bitch is going to blow.