We were planning to get something done today...finalize the opening of a new checking account in fact. We've only been meaning to do this for about 9 months now (any financial decision we make seems to take about that long to implement). Anyway, so the hope was to transfer all our savings to this local, FDIC-insured bank that offers incredible interest rates if you meet a couple monthly criteria (i.e. have one direct deposit going into the account and make "x" number of debit transactions in a given time period.) It is a smaller bank with only about 6 branches in the NW, but since we plan to mainly just let our savings earn interest and not use this one too much, the limited access shouldn't be an issue. Plus, there are branches in Edmonds and Everett which isn't all that bad (especially since I'm in Everett 1-2 times/week for work).
Anyway, we actually already opened the account but wanted to go into one of the branches today (in person) to hand deliver/deposit/wire the check with all our life savings (not something we wanna just throw in an envelope in the mail....) The Edmonds branch was the closest so off we went. As we neared the address for the Edmonds branch on the bank brochure, we realized it was listed as being at Stevens Hospital. Okay, that's a bit odd, but we perservered. Maybe it's just on the hospital's campus? We arrive and don't see any sign of the bank anywhere. Hmm, so maybe it is actually inside the hospital. Kinda like how there's Starbucks and banking branches inside grocery stores?? That's normal, right? Well, sort of. Still no sign of the bank inside. So we go to admitting and they direct us to the elevator, up to the 2nd floor by the cafeteria. Okay yeah so it will probably be like gift shop, bank, cafeteria, post office. Ya know, the usual. But still we get there and see no bank. We ask inside the gift shop and the lady directs us to the very back corner of the cafeteria where we find what is literally a CLOSET with no windows with a nice sign saying the bank's name and that it is open. Perfect. We casually sneaked a peak inside to spot the ONE lady at the ONE desk in the 5 ft by 5 ft "Edmonds Branch." OH. MY. GOODNESS. You have got to be kidding me! Graham and I both kind of looked at it each and said there is absolutely NO way we are "despositing" our money into that closet!! I mean, can you even deposit money in a closet? The door to the "bank" looked like it just had one of the punch-button locks on the door handle. So weird.
So we turned around and left without letting the banker lady see us. And we spent quite some time wondering if this was "for real" and smirking at the comedy of it all. We concluded (or at least are choosing to believe) that maybe the hospital offers a special program or benefits with this bank and so they need on-site respresentation but that actual cash flow happens elsewhere.
Normally I am not one seek out opportunities to offer feedback to companies unless a survey is placed right under my nose. But in this case, I think I may just give the bank a couple tips. It might be in their best interest NOT to call the in-hospital, back-of-the-cafeteria closet a "branch." Maybe next time they should just leave that off the brochure?
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