I was at a bank here in San Antonio trying to coordinate a transfer of funds. I was a bit confused why my transaction wasn’t processed on time. I completed the paperwork, and called to confirm that all the fields were completed correctly. The discussion with the teller became animated when she hinted that it was probably my fault for selecting a wrong “account-type.”
The Pretty Girl Story
Before approaching the counter, I noticed an attractive lady in her mid-20s scribbling on a notepad. This was unusual to me because most people use deposit or withdrawal slips provided by the bank. It wasn’t my business, so I proceeded to take care of my business.
A few minutes later, the same pretty girl made her way to a teller, and here is how that conversation sort of went:
Teller: Hello! How can I help you?
Pretty Girl: I wanted to check the balance on my account. When I logged in using phone, it shows my balance to be this [pointing to her notepad].
Teller: Okay, ma’am. Let me check.
[The teller collects the account number, and verifies the identity of the pretty girl.]
Ma’am, it appears that your balance is overdrawn by $428.
Pretty Girl: What? No way!
Teller: Here are the four most recent charges: $521 at Victoria’s Secret, $177 at Macy’s, $715 at Delta Airlines, and $78 at Hark Rock Café San Antonio.
Pretty Girl: That’s weird! I haven’t bought any airline tickets. I haven’t been to Hard Rock in months.
[The pretty girl grabs her mobile phone and calls a friend or family member. She begins to sob.]
Male Banker to the Rescue!
[A male banker who was not too far away, quickly came to help out this pretty customer. He was going to save the day, even if it meant leaving his station.]
Make Banker: Miss, how may I help you?
Pretty Girl: I think someone has access to my account, and they are buying stuff.
Male Banker: Do you know who it is?
Pretty Girl: I think it’s my ex-boyfriend. He knows my account info.
Male Banker: Miss, let’s see what we can do. Leslie [the teller], we might think about cancelling the account.
Pretty Girl: No! That is not necessary. I will call him and ask why he is doing this. I’m sure that he won’t care.
This scenario intrigued me. As a business instructor, I’ve read many case studies where attractiveness makes a difference when it comes to customer service. There were many dynamics in this case, such as a male banker appearing out of nowhere to offer assistance. We also had a pretty lady crying at the counter of a bank. This is something we don’t see often.
Regardless, I finally resolved my issue regarding the transfer, but it did take about 45 minutes. In my case, I had to ask for the branch manager to help me. He made me wait about 20 minutes in the queue.
I guess I wasn’t pretty enough!