You guys been to a bank lately? I hadn't been to one in ages, probably well over a year. Quite possibly quadruple that in fact.
My bank card chip has been giving me hassles for a while but I've been loathed to go into the bank to get a new one because it's still meant to have a full year's worth of lifespan and I hate paying for things like new bank cards when I have one that should still fucking work but doesn't. Things just aren't made like they used to be... Hey do you remember cheque books? Lol I remember cheque books.
Totally different tangent.
A new card wasn't actually the reason behind my little visit to the bank - I would love to say it was to deposit my millions that I've made from crypto but alas, that is still in the making, possibly still a long way off - stick around will ya?
I needed to change my cell phone banking onto my new phone and for that I needed to actually present myself to the bank. Being so scarce with bank visits I thought it would be a good idea to phone before hand and ask them what they needed me to bring with me in terms of Identification address blah blah bubblegum. They said I just needed my phone and a form of ID or my bank card. Simple - the way I like it.
These days I like to curtail my outings and roll as many into one as possible as it saves time, energy and fuel. We had to ship an order so I figured I'd use the opportunity.
Greeted at the door, all is well and pleasant, take the ticket - we're number 50.
Loud speaker calls out our number and the lady behind the desk stands up to summon us over and greet us standing. That was a nice gesture I was not expecting and stood out to me, very nice.
Sit down, the lady is all smiles and we have a bit of an introductory chit chat. She looks at LL and thinks she is just the sweetest thing since the invention of jube jubes. Well it is true.
Hmmmm now I feel like jube jubes.
LL gets all shy and hides behind my arm. So weird, my kid who runs around like a little maniac is shy around the bank teller? Ok, this is totally not going how I thought it would.
I rummage through my bag...
...
...
Gosh there's a fooking lot of crap in there...
...
...
Got 'em. My ID, bank card and cell phone. I explain the situation to her and she nods to being able to update my cell phone details and give me a new card. A shiny, swanky, slick new black one. Purdy.
She finds me in the system, updates the details and the asks me to sign. With my finger prints. All of them. I'm kinda going Huh? But you have me in the system already. Yes, but we need to update biometrics every few years, retake your finger prints etc.
Ah ok.
Sign this with any finger please. On the scanner. Again...Again please...Again please.
This went on and on. I felt like I was signing wayyyyyy too many things with my finger so I asked her what am I signing? Am I signing my soul away here? Why so many times?
She calmly explains that because everything is now done digitally like this, everything needs to be signed in triplicate with my fingerprint. Hmmm ok, if you say so. More button pressing and we're now done with that process. Fine print? What fine print? There was a LOT of fine print on the screen but did I get a copy of any of it?
Nope.
She asks me for my old bank card and explains that when my new card is issued she will destroy my old one. Perfectly good with me, how it should be really. More fingerprint scanning, DNA samples and saliva swabs later (it felt like) and she bends my card in half horizontally snapping it along the edge of the magnetic strip.
LL's eyes grow super wide "Mommy why did she break it?"
"Because that's my old card and now that I'm getting a new one, the old one won't be needed anymore".
I look over at the lady who is holding my two card pieces in her hands and seems quite content for us to leave....I let the pause grow as I watch her and I wait.
"Won't you please destroy it infront of me by cutting it up?"
"Oh, oh yes, of course. No problem"
"LL the reason I've asked her to cut it up is because it has that black strip on the back. That black strip has information written into it that can be read by the card machines like when we go shopping and if someone else gets hold of that, then they can get into my account and that would be bad".
"Oh. Like a villain thief? Would they steal your money mommy?"
"Yes my angel, that's why I've asked that it gets cut into pieces so that no villain thief can use it and only I can use the new one, you see?"
I gestured to the bank teller who was now cutting the card into little pieces.
We watched to make sure that she did it entirely and then LL asked if she could have a piece to keep and the lady gave her a tiny little square which elicited a grin from LL. I think she learned something important about banking security and while I'm still rather uncomfortable not having received copies of the documents that I mysteriously signed without seeing what they said, I'm at least satisfied that my bank card can't be used by anyone other than me.
As I was walking out I had to wonder how many people don't insist on their card being cut up? Would it really even matter? Does fraud of that nature even still happen?
I don't even know but I'd rather not take the chance.
What's your latest banking experience been like?
