Consumer complaint received 2020-07-14
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Unable to open an account

Complaint:
I am submitting this brief statement as an addendum to the complaint I submitted regarding Chase earlier this evening. I want to make it a point to mention that I entered the bank the second time ( after I had my ID ), and I waited behind the sign until I was called, at which point I approached and had a brief interaction with the banker who I mentioned, Mr. XXXX. He ( XXXX ) then loudly asked me to step aside, because I was blocking his ability to help the gentleman behind me. This man, Mr. XXXX, he WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED ME OVER. And then he treats me like Im being a nuisance? Thats just so disappointing on so many levels. It is manipulative, deceitful, and many other things ( but most importantly : morally and factually wrong ). 

The gentleman to whom Mr. XXXX was referring had stepped away, and ( as far as I knew ) was finished and left. How was I supposed to know? My back was facing towards him. I only approached Mr. XXXX after the other guy stepped away and Mr. XXXX called me over. At which point he only became unfriendly when I mentioned the name XXXX, the name of the gentleman that Mr. XXXX or ( presumably ) one of his colleagues had connected me to when I called perhaps 20 minutes prior to speak to someone ( other than the lady who turned me away ) to let them know how disappointed I was with the experience I just had. 

Last time I checked, this isnt a sports team. And what I mean by that is that these people are treating me ( and presumably other customers ) like Im on another team attacking their players, the bank employees being analogous to the players in this comparison. That is the wrong attitude to have with not just me but any customer ... In my case, I have many many many reasons to want to be friendly, get along, and give you money, fist-over-fist. I tried to do just that, and its like these employees went out of their way to be unfriendly. I dont just feel rejected as a customer. I feel rejected as a person. I feel judged, profiled, etc. 

I have a distinct feeling that their attitude corresponded to the way I looked, which is XXXX ( their attitude in this sense, that is, colloquially speaking ) ; and, this behavior is illegal by the way : you cant profile people by the way they look, thats called discrimination. It is unfortunate that your employees were too busy staring at my tank top and XXXX backpack ( which I am proud to say is 25 years old, XXXX years less than me, and in my possession this entire time, and still in great condition ) to notice the {$1000.00} shoes ( and low-key lululemon shorts that cost more than that cheap suit thats too tight - thats a pro tip to Mr. XXXX Not my place to tell you how to dress ; however, if I wanted to look like a banker, Id avoid wearing suits that are too tight. And Id also avoid wearing anything with a polo emblem on it ). Low-key : my tank top costs more than your outfit. And its a XXXX of a lot more comfortable. Theres a reason youre working at a bank chafing it up in tight suit at XXXX on a Monday evening, and I am in a tank top dropping off a check after taking an amazing walk before dusk. 

And I really feel like that is what happened. I mean .... read what I wrote directly above. Its obvious that I feel profiled because my rant/vent is pretty defensive and emphasizes the low-key nature of my style, something that not many notice or appreciate. What happened is : I feel like I sat down to open an account and when I first entered that lady profiled me and assumed I didnt have a lot of money, both because of my appearance and my confusion with the line and then rejected me because she didnt want to waste her time. 

I have dealt with these types of people before. They are part of why I moved to XXXX/Cali ; and, frankly, if your employees are treating someone differently based on the way that they look in TWENTY TWENTY, 2020, etc ..., and doing it in XXXX, good XXXX luck getting any business out here. I saw a dude in a sweatshirt and XXXX chaps yesterday on the side of the road buying a XXXX in cash. XXXX anyone stupid enough to profile people out here. Excuse my language. 

People like these are why I go out of my way to dress like XXXX and grow my hair long. I want to see how people treat me when they think they have nothing to lose ; and, furthermore, I want to see how they act when they are in a position of ( perceived ) power over another individual. Im not sure if this is said often/at all ; however, an expression that has always stuck with me is that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their inferiors. These were not kind people at this bank. 

I visited JP Morgan Chases philanthropy website multiple times in the past week, and a big part of your mission as a company, from a philanthropic standpoint, is to promote diversity and inclusivity, just as it is mine and XXXX XXXXXXXX to promote those same ideals in the biomedical sciences. Diversity is one of the most important ways that innovation is driven and forward progress made. In the sciences, promoting diversity is analogous to new ideas/new styles of thinking, many of which lead to groundbreaking discoveries that can ( and often do ) change the world for the better. I plan to change the world for the better. And if Im a little different, which I am, and some people judge me because of that .... Thats okay with me - I am glad I know who/what my true friends/supports are. XXXX fake people. XXXX ( specifically referring to Mr. XXXX and his female banker colleague ). Ill go to a different Chase branch where the banker respect me as a person, not just what I can offer as a tool to use for your profit ( btw : people who view others/the world this way have a name : narcissistic sociopaths ). 

As I said, I have a massive amount of respect for XXXX, the executive director with whom I have been working on this philanthropic endeavor these past few months, which, at this point, is the only reason why I am even still considering making an account with Chase, an account which is now going to be at a location that is pretty inconvenient ( compared to the XXXX XXXX and XXXX  XXXX XXXX 1000 feet away from my house ). I still want to give chase my business, and I am still going to give chase my business ; however, I want you all to know that the only reason for this is as stated above. 

If I were anyone else in any other situation, I would be a crazy person to do business with a bank that has an entire branch of employees who treat customers like they are nuisances and/or otherwise unwanted guests. Even with the disability-related limitations I have in ascertaining various intersocial colloquialisms, I understand that the fundamental social dynamic driving a successful and long-lasting business relationship is respect and trust. I still respect and trust Chase as an institution and XXXX as a person ; however, the branch at XXXX  and XXXX no longer has either.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation