Why Am I Paying Handling Fees When Nothing’s Being Handled?

The charges are correct. The airline now charges for emotional baggage as well.

Unknown

Once upon a time, in the olden days, when we purchased tickets to the theatre, we called the theatre, made the purchase over the phone and gave the reservationist our credit card number. Those tickets then had to be printed and mailed. They were actually handled and there were fees involved, which of course were passed along to the consumer.

Now we live in a culture of self-serve. We buy the tickets online with no live intervention. The tickets are emailed to us. We can either print out our tickets or just bring them up on our phones at the theatre for scanning. Then why are we still paying the same handling charge as we used to when tickets were handled?

I recently bought tickets for a play at Stratford. Each ticket included a $2 facility improvement charge and a $4.75 handling charge. This boggles my mind! I’ve never heard of a facility improvement charge and I’d like any normal human being to justify a $4.75 handling charge when I’m the only one doing the handling. In essence they’ve charged me $4.75 for sending me an email. Isn’t that a nice way to gouge the public?

I love Stratford and I understand that they’re a not-for-profit organization, but I hate getting screwed by anyone. Raise the ticket prices if you have to by $4.75 but don’t charge me a handling fee of $4.75 for self-service. It’s the same sort of BS as the banks charging you to use an ATM to access your own money.

We’ve created a self-serve society and I have no objection to that. What I do object to is being charged for service that isn’t being performed.

Shoutout to ATM fees for making me buy my own money.

Unknown

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Do You Visit Your Bank Branch Anymore?

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.

Bob Hope

It occurred to me when I was taking out some cash from the ATM that I hadn’t been into my branch in ages. I’m sure that many of you are just like me. Banks have developed a self-serve culture that makes going into the branch obsolete. We can withdraw money at the ATM. For those of you who still have an account that comes with a bank book that electronically registers your transaction, the ATM can update that for you. We used to go into the branch to make deposits, but that’s not necessary either. In addition to depositing cheques in the ATM, most banks have an App that allows you to use your smartphone to make deposits. You simply take photos of your cheque, front and back, and then deposit it into your account. In fact, the only reason that I ever have to go into the bank these days is for foreign currency transactions.

My late grandfather knew the names of every teller at his branch and he would let people go ahead of him in the line so he could be served by his favourite teller, Susie. Banking was part of the fabric of our lives. Technology and progress has brought about the self-serve banking culture, rendering everyday branch banking a thing of the past. So, why are so many banks now open on weekends, when no one even needs to bank in person during the week? And why are all of the bank commercials focused on customer service and personal attention? It’s bizarre that they set up a self-service culture and then try to lure you with customer service. Banks need to decide what they want to be when they grow up.

I really like the folks at my branch and I’m going to make a point of going in once in a while and transacting in person instead of just electronically.

Drive-in banks were established so most of the cars today could see their real owners.
E. Joseph Cossman

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Why Do We Pay Bank Service Charges for Self-Serve?

It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.
Henry Ford

I don’t know about you but bank service charges drive me nuts. They nickel and dime us to death for everything that we do. But, what really infuriates me is when banks have the nerve to charge transaction fees for self-service. ATMs are a perfect example. If you use another financial institution’s ATM you get charged twice; once at the bank machine and again from your own bank. Yet, with so many people doing self-service banking at ATMs, financial institutions are able to reduce the number of tellers in branches. So we’re actually being charged for saving the banks money. Isn't that a concept!

Another pet peeve is the service charge to send money by email. It’s a terrific convenience but again it comes with a fee – typically $1.50 per transaction. Shouldn’t the bank reward us for not coming into the bank and taking up a teller’s time to buy a money order, or using cheques which they would have to process? Instead we're being punished and charged a fee for another self-service act.  

Bank services charges defy logic and they’re nothing more than a cash grab. Although banks may differ slightly in service charges and their amounts, at the end of the day no matter where you bank, you’re going to get screwed.

Heard you went below your minimum balance. So we charged you a fee for not having any money, then charged you another fee for not having any money to pay the fee we charge you for not having any money.

Uber Humor

Make someone smile today.

Geri