Consumer complaint received 2017-11-03
Company: BB&T CORPORATION
State: WV
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Check cashing service
Issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX, XXXX TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN : I am writing to place a formal complaint regarding the manner in which I was treated by the associates named in this account. I believe their actions were based upon my race and in violation of federal law. I have sent a copy of this to XXXX XXXX to see what will be done to offer a resolution to how I was treated. 
1. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX I went to the XXXX XXXX BBT branch located at XXXX XXXX XXXX. in XXXX XXXX, XXXX at or about XXXX or XXXX. 
2. I presented to the male teller ( forgot name ) a  personal check for {$700.00} and 2 cd interest checks, one for XXXX and one for XXXX. 
3. The account is in my mothers name, XXXX XXXX and my name as well ( XXXX XXXX ) and I am on record as her POA. 
4. The male teller cashed the personal check with no problem but was unable to cash the interest checks and sought assistance from XXXX, who was working the outside window. 
5. After making an attempt to run the checks she informed me that she would not be able to cash the checks, handed them back to me, without explanation and informed me that I needed to see a personal banker for assistance. 
6. I then went over and took a seat to speak with XXXX XXXX, the personal banker on duty. 
7. While I waited the male teller asked me if he could try the checks again and gave them to the female teller XXXX. 
8. She eventually figured out how to cash the interest checks after about 10 minutes and had me come to the counter to give me the XXXX cents. ( If I were XXXX  would she have walked it to me rather than have me get up to walk and get it? ) 9. XXXX XXXX was the Personal banker on duty and at that point in time she was opening a checking account for an individual and there was a couple waiting to do the same. ( this is how I know I waited more than 10 minutes to speak with her because there is no way she opened 2 new checking accounts in 10 minutes. ) 10. I know this because I was able to hear the entire conversation, both their personal business and their banking questions while they completed the process. 
11. I believe that I waited at the very least 30-45 minutes before I was able to speak with XXXX XXXX, who seemed very attentive, patient, personable and respectful to all the individuals ( 1 XXXX male and the a couple, 1 XXXX male and 1 XXXX female ) she assisted before me. 
12. When I went in I explained that I was concerned about the service I had received during my transactions. I was confused about why my interest checks for XXXX cents could not be cashed, considering there was sufficient funds in the account they were to be drawn on, and why I had not at least been provided with an explanation why the checks could not be cashed so that if I had to cash similar checks in the future I might be able to assist the teller by informing them what this teller had done. I also explained that I did not understand why I had to wait a half hour or longer to see a personal banker to cash 2 XXXX interest checks worth XXXX. 
13. XXXX XXXX then proceeded to tell me that everyone there was new and that I had not been waiting that long, that it had only been 10 minutes, in essence calling me a liar. 
14. As I attempted to further explain my situation XXXX, the female teller, burst into XXXX XXXX office and interrupted me to supposedly explain why the checks could not be cashed when I initially tendered them. I was perturbed because I did not understand why she did not bother to tell me why the checks could not be cashed and what had to be done to do so when she called me to the counter and gave me the XXXX cents ( without so much as an apology, even if it would not have been sincere, for not knowing how to do her job ) and saw that I had went to wait and see the personal banker. 
15. By this time I had become quite frustrated after having been called a liar by XXXX XXXX and to have another employee enter her office and interrupt me while I was attempting to explain my issue, not to mention that another XXXX male who was listening to all this yelled out that I was being rude. 
16. At that point I threw the XXXX cent in the air and expressed my feeling that had I been XXXX I would not have been subjected to this kind of treatment. 
17. XXXX XXXX then told me to get out of the bank or she would call the police and have me arrested. 
I am very disturbed at the treatment I received, the lack of privacy I had while attempting to have my concerns addressed, being called a liar and the rude and unprofessional behavior of XXXX, as well as the threat of being arrested after I had been provoked to a fit of anger by XXXX XXXX, XXXX and the unknown XXXX male who said I was being rude. Although my first thought after leaving the branch was to close my mothers and my account, I immediately rejected the idea and thought, I will leave my money in this bank and I will demand the same personable, attentive, patient and respectful customer service that was given to all of the XXXX customers before me. This is not the first incident of questionable customer service I have experienced at this institution and if I do not see a reasonable resolution to the treatment I received today I will consider a legal alternative. I would assume that bank records and cameras would reveal the time I waited, and the truthfulness of my statements. 


XXXX XXXX Contact info XXXXXXXXXXXX or home phone XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX Went to meet XXXX XXXX at the XXXX XXXX branch of BB & T after going to XXXX XXXX branch and they told me she was at XXXX XXXX and would see me there. As I went into the meeting I was concerned about the fact that she was there on site where the complaint originated. I assumed she had discussed the incident that had taken place prior to my arrival with XXXX XXXX and XXXX, the rude teller. 
XXXX XXXX was polite and professional and allowed to me to speak and explain my concerns uninterrupted but other than that I was not satisfied at all with the explanation she offered for the discriminatory service I was subjected to or the stressful situation her employees placed me in. For every aspect of my complaint she nonchalantly wrote it off as a misunderstanding or miscommunication. She did not deny any of the factual allegations of what took place nor mention any disciplinary action that might be forthcoming to the two employees involved. She had no problem with XXXX bursting into XXXX XXXX office and interrupting me because she was explaining to me why the checks could not be cashed. That maybe she should have announced her intentions before entering XXXX office and interrupting me as she XXXX XXXX XXXX had no knowledge why I wanted to speak with XXXX. 
There was no issue with XXXX XXXX in essence calling me a liar and stating I had not been waiting to see her more than 10 minutes, but instead stated that XXXX stated it had not taken more than 10 minutes to cash the checks. I was there and know exactly what XXXX said and what she meant, there was no miscommunication or misunderstanding. She offered no apology for the actions of her rude and unprofessional employees and no mention of disciplinary action of any sort. There was also no mention about the threat to call law enforcement after provoking me to angry by calling me a liar and XXXX interruption of my meeting with XXXX. 
So I came away from this meeting with XXXX XXXX with the impression that she had went and meet with her XXXX female employees and discussed with them how to explain away their unprofessional and rude behavior without so much as a slap on the wrist because this incident involved a XXXX man with 2 interest checks worth XXXX cent. 
I explained to XXXX XXXX that I felt XXXX did not want to take the time to process the XXXX interest checks because she was busy at the drive thru and  told me Id have to see a personal banker to cash them because XXXX assumed I wouldnt wait to see Sparks over XXXX cents as there were 2 people ahead of me. If she could cash the checks ( as is evident by the fact that she did ) then why tell me she couldnt and send me to see XXXX? Then after she saw that I was going to wait she wanted to cover herself and cash the checks so as not to waste XXXX time with having to explain why she XXXX XXXX XXXX could not cash the checks. It was okay for XXXX to waste a XXXX mans time to cash two checks worth XXXX cent in a manner convenient for her but not okay to waste XXXX time explaining to me why it couldnt be done when in fact it could and was. Although it is my personal belief that both employees actions were racially motivated, even if they were not their actions were still unprofessional rude and uncalled for as my only intention upon entering the bank was to cash a check issued by BB & T.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation