Bank Rant

I'm really not much of a complainer, honest. But there are days...

My bank was bought out recently by another bank and they've been in the process of converting for a few weeks now. This weekend was the day of the final changeover when everything goes from the old bank to the new bank, with supposedly minimal fuss.

Last week I received a new bank card and paperwork explaining how to activate said card, so on Friday, following these instructions, I went to the ATM machine to withdraw some money [which I really didn't need] in order to activate my new card.

The machine told me my pin number was invalid.

Naturally.

I didn't have time to argue with the machine, because I had to be at the office, so I went on my not too merry way sans money with a bum bank card. Saturday I went back to the bank with DH in tow and spoke to one of the bank employees.

Convarsation goes like this:

ME: I tried to activate my new ATM card yesterday, as per the instructions in the letter and my pin number is invalid.

Bank employee {BE}: What pin number did you use?

ME: My only pin number.

BE: Did they send you a new pin number?

ME: No. They sent me a paper telling me my pin number would not change.

BE: And the pin they sent you was the same as your current pin number?

ME: Yes, it was.

BE: Are you sure?

ME: [No, I'm lying to you.] Yes, I'm sure.

BE: Yesterday was very confusing. If you try again today it should work.

ME: [Sure, I bet that's what you're telling everyone to get them out of your hair.] Okay.

BE: Go try it now and if it doesn't work, come back and we will see if we can fix it.

ME: Okay. But this must be taken care of today because I will need my ATM card on Monday.

BE: Go try it. It should work.

ME: [Yeah, right.]

At this point DH is annoyed with me because in his words, I'm being "overly agressive."

Why, I ask, does he think I'm 'overly agressive?' Because, he replies, I used the word 'today.'
I need this taken care of 'today' - is apparently me being nasty and unreasonable.

Okay. So I go OUTSIDE [because the bank does not have an indoor ATM] DH tries his card, which of course works perfectly. I try my card, which of course, does not work.

We go back inside.

BE: It didn't work?

ME: [Would I be back if it did?] Nope.

BE: [directs me to another BE who will fix the problem]

2ndBE: Your ATM card isn't working?

ME: No. My pin is invalid.

2nd BE: Did you get a new pin number?

ME: [Yes, but I'm stupidly insisting that the old one should work, duh.] No. I got the same pin number and a letter telling me my pin number should not change.

2nd BE: But the pin in the letter was the same as your old pin number?

ME: [No, it was different! I've been lying to you all this time.] Yes. It was the same number.

2nd BE: And that's the pin number you used?

ME: [No. I typed in the 35 digit code that the Pentagon uses to launch nuclear missles. Why won't THAT work?] Yes, that's the number I used.

Turns out the computer locked me out and all that needed to be done was that the pin number be reset to the same pin number and presto, it worked.

Yet, DH lectured me on being calm and collected in these situations because he felt I overreacted to not being able to get my money out of the bank with my new ATM card.

I plan to be 'overly agressive' all week now. So everybody better watch out.