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| - When it comes to the banking industry, I'm usually pretty disgusted with the whole lot. As a customer, I roll my eyes at frappuccino-sized fees for using the "wrong" ATM or monthly charges if I let them hold on to, say, $1950 of my money and not $2000. As the daughter of someone who was heavily involved with the industry while I was growing up, I know that's just the tip of one very messed up iceberg.
Despite being the sort of person who doggedly stayed with local banks (remember those?) and credit unions, about eight years ago I somehow ended up a Wells Fargo customer. Despite friends' warnings (Isn't there a war story about every bank?), I did the lazy thing and stayed with WF. (When I moved to Las Vegas, Wells Fargo was only one of two banks with branches in my part of town, so it was this or Bank of America.)
Well, the industry may reduce grown men to tears, but I have to hand it to this branch - they are so friendly and human (while completely professional) that it surprises me every time. And I'm not just saying that because they gave me a stuffed animal when we opened our joint savings account, even though the plush versions of their iconic horses were for new checking accounts. ("Maggie" is adorable.) A bank that puts the spirit of law before the letter of it? Gasp!
And although a little plush is often all it takes to buy me off, I've been consistently impressed with the service I've received here. Isn't good service so often the dealbreaker when it comes to choosing or staying with a bank? That feeling that, should bad things go down, you'll be able to talk to someone who will really listen?
Hopefully I'll never have a problem that puts my Wells Fargo branch to the test, but since it's the first bank where I've felt like I didn't have to know the president to be truly valued as a customer, I'm happy to stick with them.
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