Published on October 6, 2006 By _02 In WinCustomize Talk
Shown below, is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.

Dear Sir:

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last
month.
By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, --- when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh -and-blood person
My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.
Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete.
I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her
medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation
(income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further.

When you call me, press buttons as follows:
#1 To make an appointment to see me
#2. To query a missing payment.
# 3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
# 4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
# 5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
# 6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
# 8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
# 9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year? Your Humble Client


(Remember: This was written by a 86 year, old woman)

'YA JUST GOTTA LOVE " "SENIORS" !!!!!

We all need to follow her example!
Comments
on Oct 06, 2006
hehehe...

Chalk one up for the blue rinse brigade!
on Oct 06, 2006
on Oct 06, 2006
i think i'll copy and paste that and send it to my local branch of wells-fargo. i can relate to that lady!   
on Oct 06, 2006

(Remember: This was written by a 86 year, old woman)


Absolutely flamin' marvellous! My dear departed grandmother, though not quite as eloquent, had a very similar mindset and way of dealing with people who put her nose out of joint. I remember a time in 1960's England, when a traveling butcher short changed her by a half penny on a meat delivery....responding to her bitter complaint with: "But that's all I have on me."

Prior to the next meat delivery, my grandmother changed 10 pounds, 12 shillings and 8 pence into farthings, thus resulting in a rather hefty weight for the butcher to carry the 200 or so yards back to his van. Natuarally, when the butcher complained about being handed several farthing filled cash bags, my grandmother smugly replied: "But that's all I have on me!". Not only did he have the inconvenience of having to carry it back to his van, but also counting it for the correct amount....which prompted my grandmother to say: "That'll teach you to go try cheating me...you'll think twice about it next time, won't you."

For those who don't know: 4 farthings = 1 penny, 12 pennies = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound....meaning the butcher had around 12,000 farthings to count & carry.
on Oct 06, 2006
I hate to rain on the parade, but this was not written by an 86 year old woman.
From snopes.com
The letter quoted above was one man's method of blowing off steam at having to deal with some of these exasperating aspects of modern banking. It was penned by Peter Wear, a columnist for the Courier Mail in Brisbane, Australia, for that publication's "Perspectives" column. The letter was not actually sent to a bank; it was a humor piece from start to finish, albeit one inspired by the author's having had one of his checks bounce. Though the item did appear in an actual newspaper, it was not, however, (as claimed in the Internet-circulated version's prologue) published in The New York Times. Mr. Wear's sardonic offering about the over-mechanized joys of banking as experienced by the consumer was written in January 1999.
on Oct 06, 2006
Well, sorry about that. I was just reporting what I read. I should have known better!! LOL However, it is a very good letter and one in which should inspire us to stand up for ourselves and teach people how to treat us fairly!
Great idea SW!!
Oh, and great story from you Starkers. I love a person that stands up for themself. Especially a woman!
on Oct 06, 2006
on Oct 06, 2006
Oh, and great story from you Starkers. I love a person that stands up for themself. Especially a woman!


My grandmother, though only 5' 1", never took a backward step to anyone and always gave as good as she got, if not better. I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents (mum's side) during my teens, so I have many great stories/memories of them both....my grandfather was always a jovial character and I never ever saw him angry, such was his happy disposition and outlook on life.

It's funny, really, they were complete opposites in many respects yet remained happily married some 70 odd years....both were in their nineties when they passed on.
on Oct 06, 2006
on Oct 06, 2006
Well Starkers, sounds like you come from very good stock. Genetics would indicate that you will have a very long life as well. Thanks for sharing that with us.
on Oct 06, 2006
Well Starkers, sounds like you come from very good stock. Genetics would indicate that you will have a very long life aw well. Thanks for sharing that with us.


My grandfather was the son of a trawler skipper and grandson of a pirate/smuggler, both of whom lived into their late eighties and were right wags, according to stories I was told about them.

My grandmother was the grandaughter of Joanna Southcott, a prophetess who rose to prominence throughout England during the 1800's and now a legendary figure in Britain and other parts of the world....check link for more info (front page pic is a spitting image of my grandmother) WWW Link

My mother is a spritely 75 yo who's approaching 55 and still very much active, both physically and mentally, so yeah, longevity is another family trait I hope to have inherited. Well I've got the wag and prophecy parts nailed, so why not the trifecta!