some customer service people are less fun than others

lord_kjar and I have been talking about setting up an additional joint bank account with two debit cards on it, to make it easier to keep track of joint expenses (so far we have been using the debit cards on our personal accounts, and then trying to remember to transfer money appropriately). Therefore he went on line a week or so ago and set up the account the other day, but was unable to order the debit card--the web page will give you a credit card with the push of one button, but it says that if you want a debit card you need to go into the bank.

Today we finally found time to head to town during lunch break and go to the bank. We told Tommy, the customer service person on duty, what we wanted, and he immediately went into "hard sell" mode to do his best to convince us that instead of a debit card we wanted the "credit card" version, but with no credit attached, so that it would work like a debit card. After quite a lot of talking and questions later we finally agreed that we would go with his recommendation, since it has a lower annual fee for two cards on one account than does the debit card we had asked for. However, after all that time and effort on his part (towards the end of which he quipped "time to decide--the line is growing and other customers are waiting", he then refused to give us that sort of card at all.

Why? Because I do not have an official Swedish ID card, and he says that it is against the rules to give me any sort of credit card or debit card without one. Never mind that I HAVE a debit card on my personal bank account with this bank. Never mind that I BOUGHT A HOUSE with a mortgage obtained through this bank, and neither person dealing with me on either of those occasions cared that my ID consisted of a US passport, my uni ID card (which shows my Swedish personal number), and the card from the Migration office showing that I hold a valid visa to live in this country (which does not show my Swedish personal number, because it was obtained before getting the number, and in fact, is a pre-requisite to obtaining that number). When I pointed out these facts to him Tommy was quite snippy "just because someone else got it wrong does not mean I should break the rules".

I have been in Sweden nearly two and one half years (ok, the end of June it will have been that long), and in all of this time not one person who needed to see my ID for transactions has ever said "you need an official Swedish ID card", instead they simply wrote down what forms of ID I gave them and were happy. We are in progress of getting my a driver's licence (which will be an official Swedish ID card), but I cannot take the test for that until after I have completed the "slippery test", which is scheduled for mid-May (sadly, people holding driver's licence from the US and Australia have to take the same tests and courses as a Swedish beginning driver, though people moving here from within the EU can just trade in their old licence for a new one on arrival). Had ANYONE, even once, said to me during the time I have been here "you should get a Swedish ID card", I would have done so, but at no time have I been given any hint of information that it would be necessary. I told Tommy this, and he simply repeated the part about he won't break the rules just because others did.

His first reaction was to refuse us any card on the account at all, since one of us does not have a valid Swedish ID, and when we suggested just giving lord_kjar a card he explained that he can't give us a credit card, even without credit, because I am on the account. We asked about the debit card (remember, the one we asked for in the first place?), and he was willing to do that.

This is how I learned his name. Tommy does not wear an ID pin, nor does his desk have a name plate, but the receipt he gives for the transaction once complete states his name at the top of the paper.

All and all I was not impressed with Tommy's service today. His hard sell made the simple request for a debit card turn into to well over a thirty minute discussion on the pros and cons of credit vs debit cards, and his fear that leads him to follow rules that no one else ever thought fit to mention even exist at all meant that it was a waste of my time to come into town at all, since we could not get the card. Everyone else we have dealt with at Handlesbanken have been pleasant and helpful. I hope I never have to deal with Tommy again, even once I have my official Swedish ID.

One of the stories he shared, to explain why the rule exists is that, apparently, it would otherwise be possible for students and temporary researchers at the Uni who come from other countries to get a debit card then go back to their home country and use it enough to overdraw the account, costing the bank money. The fact that I moved here before I got the job at the university doesn't seem to matter to him.