Easy switch banking - ah, the irony

Because of our upcoming nuptials and house buying, The Guy and I have been dealing with bank issues. To make things easier, I have opened an account at his local branch with a bank I have never used before*. It made sense, this is where the mortgage will be and allows for easy transferring of monies. So, I signed up, got a new card, PIN'ed it, and signed up for the "Easy Switch Banking" that will allow me to transfer all my bills and things to the joint account in one move.

Should have been a simple thing, right?

Of course not.

I get a call from the "Easy Switch" people and -- because I get about 5 - 10 calls a day from people begging for money (Dad!) -- I didn't answer so they left a message. I called the number they left and hoped it would take only a few minutes to deal with things. But then, I talked to Carlos. At least, I think he said his name was Carlos. The call went like this:

Carlos: Easy Switch Banking, can I help you?
Me: Yes, I got a call regarding my new account and wanted to get things underway.
Carlos: ... [silence. Crickets chirping.]
Me: So can you tell me what you need from me to do this?
Carlos: Your account number. [I provide him with the one they gave me.]
Carlos: That's not the one I have. I need the other one.
Me: I don't have another one.
Carlos: You have to.
Me: ... But I don't.
Carlos: I will pass you to a colleague of mine and they will provide it to you.

This is where he transfers me to a different 1-800 number where I have to push buttons and provide them numbers that I didn't have in the first place. I finally press 0 and talk to a lady. She was quite helpful and provided me with both numbers I needed. I called back and desperately hoped I would not have to talk to Carlos again.

Carlos: Easy Switch Banking, can I help you?
Me: Likely not at all. Okay, I didn't say that. I wanted to. Instead, I said: I just called and now I have the numbers I needed to get for you to do the transfer thingy.

I then provide him with numbers I have for the joint account. He refuses to accept these numbers. He only has the ones for my solo account -- the account I am not doing the transfers for. After a good ten minutes, he says he will call my bank and get the correct information. Moments later he calls back to say he can't get that information until Wednesday and then he personally will call me back.

Lord help us both.



*I have had one bank and the same personal bank assistant since I was 8 years old. This feels very much akin to cheating on a boyfriend I've had since Grade 3. I had to email my banker the other day and tell her I would be canceling almost all of my services with them. It closely resembled a Dear John letter and I feel very guilty about it.