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My Bank Has Never Sent Me Christmas Card

No organization earns more money off me each year than my bank. Actually I have two–Royal Bank and Vancity. Between mortgages, fees and so forth, they make a good chunk of change off our household.

Do they ever thank me for my business? Maybe even send me a little gift or something to show their appreciation? Has the Royal Bank, in my twenty years of patronage, ever sent me a measly Christmas card?

I’m really not keen on Christmas cards, but it’s indicative of the sorry state of customer service from Canada’s banks. I’d take my business elsewhere, but experience has taught me that the only place I’ll get better service is from under my mattress. Banks and credit unions seem all the same.

And keep your dirty mattress jokes to yourself.

This entry was posted in:Vancouver
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Published by dbarefoot

Darren Barefoot is an author, speaker and digital strategist. He’s the co-founder of Capulet Communications, and co-author of “Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook”.

16 comments

  1. And with all the politically correct crap we are being served these days, even if they’d send a card to you, it probably would have been a “have a happy holiday” card rather that a christmas card.

  2. Speaking of customer service, I’m still waiting for my thank-you-for-being-a-customer gift from Telus Mobility. My housemate, who has been a TM customer for four years, got a Jabra headset about a year ago. I’ve been a customer for a decade and, so far, not a thing.

  3. My bank sends me invitations to lectures. They also sometimes give me toys for my son. And one of my other banks gives me a free cookie and a coffee while I stand in line.

  5. I make Christmas cards every year and send them to everybody, from my mom (who I live with) to the college that I graduated with for my undergrads. And, I’m not 80 years old. Where has this lovely tradition gone?

  6. Funny, I just got a card last week from my bank (Coast Capital Savings). It was a non-denominational holiday card, but someone did take the time to hand-write “From Everyone at (local branch name here).”

    The more I do business with Coast Capital, the more impressed I am with their dedication to service.

    Especially since, other than Telus’s free kitschy animal calendar (which I still have to go to a website to ask for) I seem to be largely forgettable to my other service providers – until I forget to pay a bill of course.

  8. Double: Because retaining customers is a pretty important part of doing business, and small, inexpensive gestures often help keep customers.

    And, more importantly, we ought to clarify your statement. I gather you’re referring to large corporations here. For example, Capulet sent out Christmas cards to clients. We paid for it. We’re not going to pass that miniscule cost onto our clients by adjusting our rates upwards.

  9. I do have a question though, who would you expect the card from? The staff at your local branch, or the “corporation”? I am an ex-teller and I have to tell you that we didn’t have time or money to give our customers cards. If you want it from the “Corporation” does it really mean that much?

  10. We’re not going to pass that miniscule cost onto our clients by adjusting our rates upwards.

    Sure, but when it comes right down to it, in a competitive environment like banking, costs like this are passed on to the customer. As VanCity is a not-for-profit entity, I’d rather skip the meaningless corporate niceties like Christmas cards.

    Besides, who sends out Christmas cards any more? Too nineteen-fifties.

  12. Double: The Christmas card is kind of a synecdoche for why companies of all size should recognize my patronage. My bank is just the worst culprit because they never do, and they get more of my money on a regular basis than anybody else.

  13. Well, imagine my surprise when my new dentist sent along a Christmas card, along with a $10 Starbucks card! Not a bank, but not a business from which I expected a card either, let alone a gift.

  14. I get a calendar (large, USABLE version) from the real estate agent we used three years ago. That’s a nice treat I look forward to.

    In lieu of sending out the Fesitvus cards, what do people do? Birthday cards or announcements? DH and I get those from our mortage broker on our birthday.

  15. Darren, you must just have a lousy branch. I also bank at Royal and although I didn’t get a card, they did throw a Christmas/customer appreciation party for all of their clients. Maybe this is a benefit of living in the suburbs.

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