Friday, July 9, 2010

Getting Soaked On The Tandy Hills & Confused At Chase Bank

That is not the early morning, dark view, from my patio. No, it's the noon view, looking north, on the Tandy Hills.

Hiking the Tandy Hills did not go well today. On the drive there a couple raindrops hit my windshield. But I did not think a rainstorm was imminent.

As I often am, I was wrong.

About 15 minutes into hiking it started to rain. And then it really started to rain. I then started to run. Then I had to stop running because the rain had made the trail slippery. I had not experienced that on the Tandy Hills before.

By the time I made it back to vehicular cover I was drenched.

Next stop. Chase Bank to make a deposit in the ATM. I usually make a deposit via the drive-thru, but I was wet, was in a hurry.

As I sat on Beach Street, waiting for the light to change to green, so I could turn left to the bank, I kept watching a guy in a pickup spend way too much time at the ATM, with a lot of interaction between him and the ATM. I sat there wondering what that guy's problem was.

The light changed just as the pickup finally pulled away from the ATM.

When I pulled in, beside the ATM, my first problem was I could not find any deposit envelopes. I've made a deposit at Chase via this means before, with the check stuck in an envelope.

After a couple minutes of being baffled, I decided to shove the bank card in the reader slot. That did not go well. Previously the ATMs simply took the card and gave it back when the transaction was completed. I kept getting an "unable to read card" message.

Then I realized it was now like swiping the card at a gas station. So, I quickly swiped it through the reader. After several more failures, success, now being asked to enter my PIN.

The PIN part went easy. Then I pushed the "deposit" button. I get told I can enter up to 25 checks into the check entry slot.

Huh?

A door opens, I stick in the check. I've not been asked to enter the amount of the deposit. I was getting very frustrated.

The ATM tells me it can not read the check, to please re-enter it correctly. I looked at the example on the ATM screen. I tried again. Still wrong. After I don't know how many attempts I was successful.

The ATM told me it had accepted a check deposit and said the amount and asked that I confirm it. Or reject the deposit if I wanted the check returned to me.

Next confusion was asking me what type receipt I wanted. I think there were 3 options, one of the options was a receipt with a photo image of the deposited check. I chose the just give me the damn receipt with the current balance on it option.

After what seemed another minute, the receipt showed up.

The next time I attempt to make a deposit in a Chase ATM I'm assuming I'll have an easier time of it. I hope.

I wish Washington Mutual had not had its meltdown. Their ATMs were so easy to use.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yeah Durango, we too wished that WaMu had not melted down to become the largest, cold.. complete robotic corporate bank who've just helped themselves, without notice to our savings and checking account (925) balances to cover an six year old debt from Bank One of 285.. right, a family of five on fixed and very limited income... all Zeroed out balances. Legally, because they write the Laws they are governed by.

-what 401k?