Earlier today I completed my trek up to parts north to spend the holiday with family.  As I’m typing this in front of a roaring (gas-powered) fireplace, a dog of intriguing lineage has decided I’m her best friend.  She’s pretending to sleep right now, but every few minutes she inches closer and wedges herself in as close as she can.  I just finished off the last piece of homemade poppy seed roll while watching the season’s final three episodes of Dexter.  Life is good.

2009 has been an amazing roller coaster of a year.  For starters, floor9.com moved a little further from covering nightlife and a little more towards consumer interests.  I called out Privado for printing full, unmasked credit card numbers on their receipts (a practice which they have since corrected).  Circuit City went under and tried to take us all with them through unethical, anti-consumer behavior.  Metro Bank Harrisburg … don’t even get me started (although the story did earn me a link from The Consumerist).  The state decided not to pay 70,000+ state workers for weeks on end.

And then … I ran out of steam.  Don’t get me wrong — lots of other interesting and significant things happened in 2009.  I just didn’t have the momentum to cover them all.  I honestly think I’ve put forth more blog posts this year than I have at any point in the last seven years of floor9.com, and I’m only now starting to recharge.

And now it’s Christmas.  I’m exhausted from a day of shuffling presents around.  We polished off the last of the traditional Christmas Eve made-from-scratch pizza hours ago.   The though of spending the next 12 hours sleeping is awesome.

Merry Christmas* to all.  I doubt I’ll update again in 2009, but I do want to thank you all for being here.  The massive readership over the summer has been, if nothing else, therapeutic towards the shared causes so many of us took up.  And the gigantic spike I saw after the last post let me know a ton of you are still here.  Be safe, and see you in 2010!

* – To avoid offending the fragile sensitivities of Glenn Beck / Rush Limbaugh / et al listeners:  “Please partake in and/or observe an adequate non-secular event”.

Financial Institutions:

Many, if not all, of the offers from financial institutions require you to be a member of that institution prior to the budget impasse being enacted.  If you join now, it is likely that you will not receive the offer.

• PSECU is offering zero-interest loans for qualifying state employees.  You will need to pass a credit check, and the deadline to apply seems to keep getting unofficially extended.
• Belco CCU is quietly offering a low- or no-interest loan for qualifying state employees.
• ACBS FCU is offering interest-free loans for qualifying state employees.  It appears you must live in Allegheny county and there is no credit check.
• Soverign Bank allegedly may allow affected customers with mortgages to defer payments until October.*
• Citi Financial & Citi Auto allegedly may allow affected customers to temporarily defer loan payments without penalties or interest.*
• The following financial institutions have been reported by OA as possibly offering assistance to state workers, either in the form of payment deferment or low- or no-interest loans:  ACBA FCU, Altoona VA Hospital FCU, Americhoice FCU, Central Keystone FCU, Citizens Bank, Citizens & Northern Bank, Corning CU, Cross Valley FCU, Erie FCU, Erie General Electric FCU, First Capital FCU, Franklin-Johnstown FCU, Fulton Financial Corp (Fulton Bank, Lafayette Ambassador Bank, FNB Bank NA, & Swineford National Bank), GNC Community FCU, Grove City Area FCU, JSTC Employees FCU, Members 1st FCU, NE PA Community FCU, New Cumberland FCU, Norristown Bell CU, NORSCO FCU, Oil Country FCU, Orrstown Bank, Patriot FCU, PNC Bank, Superior CU, Tobyhanna Army Depot FCU, Wyrope Williamsport FCU, and Your Choice FCU.  Terms and offers vary with each institution; contact the institution directly for more information.  Note that most loans require credit approval, and most offers are only open to existing members of that institution.

Social Assistance:

• The Central PA Food Bank has opened its doors to affected state employees.  Your local food bank may also be able to help.
• SNAP – certain affected employees may qualify for food stamps.  NOTE: There is a lot of back-and-forth on this one.  Call or visit your local office and ask.*
• AFSCME Local 2456 is offering use of the computer & phone at their Front Street (Harrisburg) office for individuals to complete welfare applications, contact creditors, or seek social assistance.  Contact your steward.

Utilities:

• Allegheny Power allegedly may allow affected customers to temporarily defer payments without penalties or interest.  This may depend on your location.*
• Windstream allegedly may allow affected customers to temporarily defer payments without penalties or interest.*

Retail / Service / Dining:

• Zembie’s Sports Bar is offering lunch & dinner to state employees; pay back when you get paid!
• Zips Dry Cleaners in Springettsbury Township (York County) is offering free dry cleaning for state employees & the unemployed.
• Auntie Anne’s Pretzels in the Capital City Mall is offering a free pretzel to state employees.

* – Entries marked with an asterisk are based on anecdotal claims and have not been verified.

This information is collected through word-of-mouth.  Do not assume that these programs automatically apply to you; contact the bank, business, or organization directly and ensure that you are covered before taking action. Also, if you’re a state employee who isn’t feeling the pinch right this second, please consider volunteering.  If you can’t volunteer at one of the charities helping us out, pick any charity that you feel is reputable and worthwhile.  They would all be grateful for just a little bit of your time.

It seems as if the media coverage of the impasse is painting a rosy picture of zero-interest loans and creditors willing to show lenience.  The reality is that plenty of people like myself with good credit (around 700 FICO across two of the three bureaus) are being turned down for those loans.  And utility companies and lenders just don’t care.

What follows below is the story of one state employee who did her best to take control of her situation, but was shot down at every turn.  It is not my story, and the only editing done was to remove personally-identifying information and to clearly mark some sections.  My comments will be [bracketed in bold & italics].

We are not a member of the credit union and would be required to change our accounts over to them if we would apply for the pay day loans that Rendell is bragging about Unfortunately, we are sure that we will not pass a credit check due to an illness that prevented me from working for more than a year.  Rendell has made it sound as though the employee’s of the state are guaranteed a loan just because he said so and because he has made all of these great arrangements.The banking industry has been in a bad position for some time so you know they are not just going to give money to anyone. But he never mentions people will have to pass the credit checks. He never mentions you will have to move your accounts to their insitution and become a member of the credit union.

We have contacted been contacting our creditors as we were told to do. He again makes it sound like everyone is going to work with you but it’s not true.

When I called the water company,they told me people lose their jobs every day and are required to pay their bills and they expect payment as usual. I explained that he has a job, is required to show up for work but doesnt get a paycheck, no unemployment checks and no welfare checks. She told me I would be accessed a 10% penalty per mo and after 60 days my water service will be terminated.

The gas company said there is nothing they can do until we receive a termination notice because they have nothing in place for the PA State employee’s. I asked about energy assistance, she said we did not qualify because we make too much money. When I explained again there is no paycheck, she said it is based on your annual salary.

The life insurance I wont mess with considering my husband works in a Maximum security prison! Car Insurance – no payment – no coverage.

The mortgage company is demanding that I send them a copy of the letter we received along with a detailed list of our income and expenses to determine what we should be able to pay them.

The governor makes it all sound like nobody is really effected by this.

I contacted Bill Deweese’s office about the 1.7 million that is being spent on a museum in Philly? Why isn’t this project and others like it not being eliminated. Here is the correspondence: The first thing you see is my reply to their email. His office is on the bottom.

[The following paragraphs are her response to Rep DeWeese's response.]

Thank you for your response but it doesn’t really answer any of my questions. Why was there no vote on stop gap funding? This would have allowed you to continue to work on a budget without interrupting the pay of the employee’s of this state. It didn’t have to come to this. You have nearly 80,000 families affected by this! Had this happened to the welfare recipients or inmates, there would have been an outcry! Had this been a natural disaster, there would have been emergency funding! But no, it’s just the state employee’s. They don’t need their paychecks!

Also, Why would you put 1.7 million into a museum and risk the lives of law enforcement by taking away million? This is a HUGE waste of tax dollars. What about the stamps and envelopes provided to the inmates every month that are paid for by the tax payer? Why not take all of that away and let the family foot the bill? They are incarcerated for a reason! I am sure there are many more perks provided by the state tax payers that can be cut!

Then there are the extra perks of the welfare recipients! Why are they permitted to get vouchers for car repairs and new vehicles? Why are they not required to work this into their budget? Most of these people, especially in the Greene county area are generational welfare! They have never worked a day in their lives! They are not down on their luck. They want a free ride! Lets not mention the free cell phones, the weather programs, the rent rebates and many other benefits they receive!? They don’t leave their house and still receive these benefits and more. Yet my husband has worked all of these years in life threatening jobs and he is required to show up for work and receive NO pay check! What is wrong with this picture!?

Then there is the penalties and interest that I am now facing with my creditors. Is the state going to reimburse me for these expenses that I would not have incurred had they resolved the budget on time? How about the mental anguish and stress that this is bringing on? Am I going to be compensated for this? And I have the water company telling me they will not work with me on the bill even though I have a letter stating that my husband is affected by this. They told me people lose their jobs every day and are required to pay their bills and it was no different for us. I explained he is not unemployed & doesn’t receive unemployment nor welfare but that he is required to show up for work, business as usual but is not going to get a paycheck and that is could be a few months until he does. She told me if I was 2 months late, not only will I be assessed 10% per month but that my service will be terminated! How do you propose I take care of this? I haven’t even gotten through all of the people I pay monthly!

I also have children to feed & clothe! Gasoline for my husband to drive 45 min to work, my car insurance and life insurance can’t help us either. No payment, no coverage! I can’t not have life insurance on my husband when he works with the worst inmates in the state.

Please respond for I truly am in need of answers!

[The following paragraphs are the response from Rep DeWeese.]

From: Norton, Helen [mailto:HNorton@pahouse.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 5:20 PM
To: my email address
Subject: budget impasse

Dear Mrs. *****:

Representative DeWeese asked that I thank you for contacting him about the budget. In an effort to get over the impasse House Democrats have introduced a new budget bill, HB 1416, (and Representative Civera has amended it with language essentially worse than SB 850.) It may interest you to know that Mr. Civera’s amendment cuts the DOC General Governmnet Operations appropriation by $1.8 Million. What that will translate into is staffing cuts which well may make Correctins institutions more dangerous places than ever to work in.

Representative DeWeese asked that I send you the following letter:

Thank you for contacting me about the state budget.

It’s important for you to understand that I fully support appropriate funding for state programs such as education, job creation, senior citizens and veterans. Unfortunately, ideology has taken root in the state Senate and we remain locked in budget negotiations at this time.

The latest budget action came Monday when my Democratic colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee moved forward with a budget (H.B. 1416) that maintains those vital programs and, more importantly, contains no tax increase – the sticking point with Republicans.

The plan also holds state government accountable by tightening our own belt, and funding programs for which we are responsible rather than passing the buck to counties and school boards.

I promise you that I will fight for what’s best for Pennsylvania’s future, not just what’s the easiest to get through today.

Your fervent ally,

Bill DeWeese

helen norton
room 626, mcb

[This ends Rep DeWeese's response.]

This is the reply my sister received when she emailed him about the Barnes Museum in Philly.

Der Mr. and Mrs. ****** – Representative DeWeese asked that I thank you for contacting him about expenditures in the budget, and for your careful perusal of those appropriations. He appreciates your alerting him to the Barnes Collection transportation and will attempt to elarn more about it.

helen norton
room 626, mcb

Learn more about it? Unbelievable!

Oh and I have yet to get any answers on the questions that I asked him.

I believe if the media starts to hear what we are really going through and reports it maybe something will be done. As of right now people believe we are being taken care of because of what he is telling the media and none of it is true! PLEASE tell our story!

[This is the end of her contribution.]

And there you have it.  The story of one state employee who has chosen to swim instead of sink.  The responses she received from her creditors, while disturbing, are to be expected. By the way, you won’t be able to sue the state for damages from increased interest rates resulting from the irreparable damage to your credit report.

If you happen to work for Met-Ed, PPL, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, UGI, or any of the other utility or service companies serving Pennsylvania residents, consider cutting us a break.  Especially if you provide service in the Central PA area — where most state employees are located — consider pulling whatever strings you can to be compassionate to your customers during these extraordinary times.  It makes good business sense to give your customers a temporary deferment on payments, especially if we’re talking about critical, not-optional services such as electricity and mortgage payments.  While you’re certainly under no obligation to do so, the alternative is seeing tens of thousands of paying customers written off for nonpayment.

If anyone else would like to share their story, please do so in the comments below.  I’m especially interested in hearing about any companies that have been helpful and understanding in these ridiculous, unprecedented times.

Remember:  We’re not asking for a handout or a free ride.  All we want is our paycheck.

In case you somehow missed the news, Sprint has rocked the wireless world by being the first carrier to subsidize a netbook all the way down to (almost) free.  Sign up for a two-year agreement on Sprint’s 3G EVDO Rev. A network at $59 / month, and you’ll get the netbook for 99 cents.  It’s not a bad deal; consider it a two-year interest-free finance offer for the netbook, roll in a corporate discount, and you’re effectively getting wireless broadband for around $34 a month.  You can also choose Verizon Wireless or AT&T, at which point the netbook costs $199.

The specs are nothing to brag about.  Anyone familiar with netbooks knows the standard single-core Atom drill by now, so I’ll spare you the specifics.  I will point out that the keyboard is the best netbook keyboard I’ve found so far.  While slightly smaller than a desktop, I don’t have to cramp my fingers inward to type.  My only complaint is that it’s not backlit.  One quirk is that the trackpad has its buttons on the side — an ergonomic choice that can become annoying.

The broadband component is totally integrated with the unit.  There’s no USB dongle or PC card to plug in.  Surprisingly, this does not cause the unit to get any warmer than any other netbook I’ve used, nor does it appear to kill the battery.

I’ve spent the better part of today driving around the region testing network connectivity.  Part of my test was streaming 128k net radio stations in my car — like getting Sirius for free, only with more channels.  I’m particularly fond of soma.fm and M2 Radio.  I also did some speed tests while being chauffeured around Central PA.  Driving from Bethlehem to Mechanicsburg my audio stream was broken twice, for only a few seconds each time.  I had no problems between Mechanicsburg and York.  At no point did I completely lose signal.

I’ve also done some surfing and Tweeting (while stopped, of course) and the experience was, surprisingly, better than my DSL connection at home.  In fact, right this second I’m sitting in front of the Dauphin County Courthouse typing this with my car in Refresh Mode and M2 Chillout playing over my car stereo while waiting for friends.  One of the nice tricks about EVDO Rev.A — the 3G wireless broadband technology used by Sprint and Verizon Wireless — is that it has astoundingly low latency.  I use a regular, older EVDO card frequently at work, and the difference is staggering.

I’ll post some more specifics next weekend, but for having this thing two days thus far, I’m in love.  If the Internet was the “killer app” that brought PCs to everyone’s home, and WiFi was the “killer app” that made everyone move to a laptop, then wireless broadband will hands-down be the killer app that brings netbooks into the mainstream limelight.  The only drawback is the monthly expense — I can think of a lot of other ways to spend $60 / month.

So the question I’m trying to answer now is, “is this thing worth it?”  If I could disconnect my home Internet service, and if every wireless carrier didn’t interpret “unlimited” to mean “up to 5GB per month”, I’d say “hell yes”.  But being that I can’t (I need a home connection for my security system) and they do, I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

I’ll post a one-week followup next Sunday.  For the impatient among you, this deal is only available at Best Buy.  Nobody at my store knew how to activate it, and it took me an hour to check out.  But if you ever wondered what having statewide WiFi feels like, go pick one up.  There’s always the 14-day return period.

Just watch out for that 15% restocking fee.

There was a very enlightening story in today’s Patriot-News.  In it, Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo is quoted as saying:

“The Pennsylvania Constitution outranks federal law, and that constitution bars us from spending any money without an enacted budget”

This is 100% completely and totally wrong.  As I have pointed out time and time and time again, the Court did not say that the Pennsylvania Constitution outranks federal law.  Don’t take my word for it — read the Court’s decision for yourself.  The Court very clearly said that because no conflict exists between the FLSA and the Pennsylvania Constitution, the answer to the question “Does the FLSA overrule the Constitution” is “no”.  To infer, then, that “because the FLSA does not overrule the constitution, the constitution must overrule the FLSA” is a logical fallacy.  One does not imply the other; non sequitur is in full effect here.

To put this another way, let’s change the context.  Let’s imagine that your township has, as many do, a law on the books that bans outdoor leaf burning.  You file a lawsuit asking the court to clarify whether Pennsylvania’s 65MPH speed limit overrules your township’s leaf-burning law.  The court’s answer would be “no, because the two laws address two completely different concerns”.  What the Rendell administration is saying is “Look, the court said that state law does not overrule the township law; therefore, we’re going to have a huge leaf-burning fire on the capitol lawn and it’s perfectly legal!”

The actual circumstance is that neither of the two laws overrules the other.  The FLSA does not care where the money comes from, it simply says that wages must be paid.  And the cited section of the Pennsylvania Constitution does not care about the payment of wages, only where the money comes from.  The two laws exist hand-in-hand without any conflict.

What’s puzzling, however, is that earlier in the story, Ardo is quoted as saying something completely contradictory to himself:

“There is certainly a possibility that the U.S. Department of Labor could intervene,” Ardo said. “But that’s far from a certainty. … There could be recovery of payment, as well as some penalties.”

Chuck is simultaneously stating that our constitution “outranks” federal law while saying that we could (will) be on the hook for damages.  I suspect the legislature and governor’s office are beginning to realize the crapstorm they stirred up.  Had we gone through this as recently as ten years ago, things would probably be different.  Up until just a few years ago, most people did not have constant access to the Internet.  Consumers and employees did not have the self-defense resources available to them today.  And if you wanted to put up a blog and say “Hey, the governor is wrong and the legislature isn’t doing their job”, you wouldn’t have nearly as many viewers.

I think it is beginning to dawn on some of our elected officials that they will have to answer to angry taxpayers once the lawsuits start.

Three years ago, Pennsylvania voters showed that we’re not the ignorant, forgetful fools that our raise-voting legislature thought we were.  Right now they’re banking on the notion that the 2006 flush will never happen again.  Let’s show them that we haven’t forgotten anything, and in fact, have grown stronger.  Call your legislator today and demand that the budget be passed.  If you get a response like “we’re trying”, demand answers.  This is your money; let’s make sure they’re doing the jobs we sent them there to do.

The first thing I noticed about Integrity Bank is their unorthodox branch design.  Frank Lloyd Wright would be proud.  And there’s function to the form; not only is the exterior design unique, but the interior layout took a very obvious cue from Commerce.  As you walk into the stanchion-free sunlight-drenched lobby, complete with a ridiculous number of free pens, you’re immediately greeted by the smell of cookies and coffee.  FREE cookies and coffee.

And I’m not talking about a shady-looking coffeemaker next to a pile of styrofoam cups cranking out burnt Folgers.  Two stainless steel carafes offer two different blends (in my case, Costa Rican and French Vanilla) next to environmentally-friendlier double-walled paper cups.  These were set next to a assortment of about a half dozen types of (soft! chewy!) cookies.  Since I walked in just before closing, it’s safe to assume that the coffee (and cookies) are fresh throughout the day.

While all of that is nice, it doesn’t mean anything if the service isn’t up to par and/or the rates are no good.  With a checking account at .5% and savings account at 1%, Integrity actually had the highest rates in the area for no-fee, no-minimum accounts.

My only complaint — which ultimately became a tale of epic customer service success — about Integrity involves their online banking website.  It is not good.  While their website is technically functional and can do everything I need it to, the overall navigation is awkward.  For example, when I click on “Bill Pay”, a popup window appears letting me know that I’m entering bill pay.  When I click “Ok”, a second popup window appears letting me know I’ve just entered bill pay.  It gets old pretty quick.

I emailed the bank to ask if there was any way to improve upon this.  Almost immediately, an employee responded thanking me for my feedback and stating that my concerns would be “forwarded to senior management”.  Sure – I’ve heard that before.  I figured that would be the end of it.  Companies always like dumping customer feedback in to the Pit of “We Value Your Business” And Other Cliches.  If you’re lucky and 50,000 other people happen to complain about the exact same thing, you might reasonably expect a slight improvement at some point before the next century.

Imagine my surprise when the next day I received another email from Integrity Bank.  It thanked me again for my feedback and explained that they are currently executing a complete overhaul of the online interface to “a more robust platform”.  While she didn’t have an exact date, she expected it to go live sometime this fall.  Furthermore, she said she’d inquire with their current vendor to see if the popups could be disabled.  The fact that I received any further response at all is impressive in its own right, but this particular response came from Laurel Leitzel, Integrity Bank’s CFO.  That’s right; their Chief Financial Officer took the time to personally respond to my complaint! It’s not like I have a $500,000 mortgage and three car loans through them.  Just my no-frills, low-balance checking & savings accounts.

If this is how Integrity treats me as a brand-new, low-revenue customer, then I know without a shadow of a doubt that these are the guys I want in my corner when I go for my next mortgage.  The fact that my concern received a response straight from the top speaks volumes to the value Integrity Bank places on customer service — far more so than any billboard, pamphlet, or website ever could.

The staff at the Allentown Boulevard branch was great.  Nobody tried to hard-sell me any “upgrades” or unnecessary services.  The customer service representative I worked with was able to answer all my questions without hesitation (based on my experiences shopping some other local bank branches, this is a pretty big deal).  The branch manager came over and chatted with us while I was doing my comparison shopping.  And until this past Thursday, I’ve never had a bank teller come over and refill my coffee, let alone without me asking.

Sweet.

Another nice touch is that Integrity will not only destroy your old checkbook(s) and ATM / debit / credit cards from your previous financial institution, but they’ll actually pay you $2 per checkbook and $1 per card up to a maximum of $25.  No forms, no haggling – I just took in my leftover bank remnants and received an immediate deposit into my account.  Not bad.

The icing on the cake (as if the email from the EVP / CFO wasn’t enough) was the hand-written thank-you card I received in the mail a few days after signing up.  It’s a minor detail, and one that ultimately doesn’t impact my finances at all.  But I prefer to do business with businesses that treat me like a human being, and this goes a long way towards showing that.

If you’re one of the many former Commerce customers who has been obliterated by Metro Bank, take a close look at Integrity.  They seem to have expanded upon most of Commerce’s more unique features while adding a few of their own.

For what it’s worth, if I hadn’t signed up with Integrity, I probably would have gone with either Centric or E*Trade.  Like Integrity, Centric has some very pro-consumer policies (for example, transactions post immediately with no daily cutoff time).  E*Trade has a very, very robust web interface (and their commercials are great).

And I’m not the only one who noticed.

Since the first post ten days ago, the Metro Bank reviews have been read just over 12,000 times and clocked in just shy of 200 comments.  Search engine terms like “Metro Bank Harrisburg” and “Metro Bank complaints” (and my personal favorite, “Metro Bank sucks”) brought in just under 800 views.  Referrals from media outlets such as PennLive and The Consumerist brought in 2715 views.  While it is impossible to say exactly how many unique individuals viewed the site, those numbers alone are staggering.

Metro Bank remained silent on the matter up until the Patriot News ran their front-page article detailing the frustrations customers were having.  To many frustrated customers like myself, that paints a clear picture of Metro Bank burying its head in the sand and hoping nobody would notice.  It appears that they had no interest in admitting problems until the bad publicity began piling up.

But was it too little, too late?  Judging by the response from the general public, the answer seems to be “oh hell yes”.  Consider the following comments, all from people who claim to be Metro Bank employees (except for Shannon, whom I’ve been able to confirm as a Metro Bank employee):

Shannon: Everyone ”F” off!!! I am sure they still have all of their GOOD customers!!!

another employee: I will tell yuo right now. We have no clue what is going on with our own bank.  I can’t even explain how much it hurts going into work. We all want to leave.

Tammy: I am a metro bank employee … Everybody runs into some issues sometimes but that does not mean that the bank is bad.

empl: The reason you are being asked to reset is … the site being hacked all sites are prone to this within the first 48 hrs and is the exact reason as to why you need to reset your password.

Sarah: I, myself, am incredibly disappointed that Metro chose not to inform it’s customers about these various changes, as it made my job as a teller increasingly frustrating.

Gary Nalbandian: For its scale, the project went well. However, there were some glitches.  (NOTE:  This quote, taken directly from Metro Bank’s website, was later deleted and replaced with a slightly more apologetic message stating that their computer upgrade had “caused some service interruptions.”)

Anonymous: I would like to thank every single customer for their business, patience, and attitude. You all have expressed extreme disappointment which we as not only employees but also customers understand.

Nate: Most of these comments are about 1 or 2 issues that lasted at the most 4 or 5 days. Seriously, do you have anything else in your life?

Harry: Today it seems if you run a good business and grow it from nothing, they investigate till they pin something on you and you are forced to resign.

employee: I understand everyone is upset.. but imagine being on our end. Our accounts are as screwed up as everyone else’s plus we get to deal with every single customer and their mother screaming at us for ten hours a day… at nine dollars an hour.. in a tacky blue vest.

Anonymous: Make an attempt to not be so condescending and disrespectful. If you had these so called problems continuing I would like to believe you would go into your branch and solve them.

Anonymous: the narrowmindedness and simple nature of shaundra is obtuse. get the blog ready for those genious’ at wachovia that have that company -350 billion.  i know you’ve never made a mistake right

A. Teller: Don’t be too hard on “Shannon.” Do you have any idea what it’s like to drive to work and know that you are going to be yelled at constantly and not have any definite answers for customers?

METROCSR: Any of you people that say “I have gone in time and time and time again” HAVE YOU? Because I know for the last 10 days I have helped every single person that has needed it if they let me.

There may be more scattered in there, but you get the point.  With two or three exceptions, the response from the employees has been staggeringly inappropriate.  Most of the blame rests with upper management for failing to engage the employees on any meaningful level.  I’m willing to bet money that the employees heard a lot of phrases like “opportunity for development” and “growth investment” and “challenging potential”.  But did they hear anything on how to take care of the customers?  Were they told?  Did they listen?  Because one of two things is absolutely, positively, unconditionally true:

Either someone chose not to tell them, or they chose not to listen.

I don’t expect Metro Bank’s CEO to kowtow and grovel.  And I really don’t expect any more than a basic level of efficiency when I visit a branch or speak to an employee.  Keep an accurate record of my account and you can count me as a satisfied customer.  But the way this mess was handled speaks volume after volume about the inner workings of Metro Bank.

First the problem happened. Then they chose to keep quiet.

Then some guy with a blog posted his frustrations online.  Two newspapers, two TV stations, and a national consumer advocacy blog picked up the story. Then they posted a statement saying the upgrade went “well”.

Then the comments from angry, frustrated customers flooded in.  The Pennsylvania Department of Banking got involved. Then Metro Bank replaced their statement with an apology (but kept the June 19th date).

Then their employees showed up and told us all to “go ahead and leave” and “F off”. Then we did.

Goodbye, Metro Bank.

A lot of alleged Metro Bank employees have been contributing to this series.  Some good, some bad.  A number of other bloggers, podcasters, journalists, and Tweeps have been linking and re-linking to this site, which has driven my traffic through the roof.  As of 12:30am on Friday 6/19/09, over 4600 hits have come in on the Metro Bank posts alone.  I don’t know Metro Bank’s customer tally, but 4600 customers or potential customers is certainly a noteworhty amount.  So a big “thank you” to everyone who’s been helping to bring attention to this matter!

Here’s what I’ve been able to piece together so far:

TD Bank, who purchased Commerce Bancorp of NJ, wanted to keep the name as “TD Commerce”.  A federal judge said this was too similar to “Commerce Bank & Trust” in MA.  Pennsylvania Bancorp lost the rights to use the “Commerce Bank” trademark, and as they weren’t included in the TD sale, were forced to adopt a whole new name.  In November 2008 (possibly earlier), they announced they would be changing their name to “Metro Bank”.

Metro Bank also lost the rights to use their previous banking software, and switched from Metavante to Fiserv.  Their new website — which looks like something I would’ve designed back in 1996 — may be a result of this.  And the call center which previously handled all of Commerce Bank’s calls no longer services Pennsylvania customers, so a new call center was spawned (apparently subcontracted).

Posters representing themselves as employees are posting mixed reactions ranging from “we’d like to help, but management has forsaken us” to “everybody F off, I’m sure they still have all of their GOOD customers“.  My personal experience with employees at the Jonestown Road store was beyond terrible — the teller was either texting or fiddling with something beneath the counter while I was talking to her — and Metro Bank’s reaction was “I’m sorry to hear that, is there anything else I can help you with today?”  Call center employees are either incompetent or poorly-trained (offering to “call the store” where my direct deposit was made).  And the bank’s management?

They’ve had nothing meaningful to say on the matter.  Metro Bank’s chairman said “For its scale, the project went well“.  Then, almost as an aftertought, he grudgingly added that “there were some glitches”.  If this is what metro bank calls “going well”, I’d hate to see what they consider “an honest mistake”, let alone “a major problem”!

Customers are (still) reporting disabled accounts, double-posts that haven’t yet been corrected (despite promises to do so), and other issues.  My own personal account had all of the errors simply deleted from the ledger (a no-no in accounting; ALWAYS correct, NEVER delete), which makes me glad I printed my account statement daily starting this past weekend.

It seems that Metro Bank took the mid-90s-corporate approach to handling this problem.  Deny everything, admit nothing, and make counter-accusations.  But there’s on big difference these days:  The Internet.  Specifically, the proliferation of social media.  Like them or not, services like Facebook and Twitter — to say nothing of blogging — will propagate information like wildfire.  Case in point:  Since I began typing this, my Metro Bank hit count has risen to just shy of 5,000 reads in about three and a half days.  And if a company doesn’t manage that information, it becomes the only side of the story.

With the exception of a few employees, Metro Bank has remained silent.  Presumably, they’re hoping that if they just keep quiet long enough, everything will go away.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if an internal email has circulated advising employees to not speak on the matter, and/or to say that they aren’t aware of any problems or media coverage.

And they are partially right — by not saying anything on the matter, a number of customers are most definitely going away.  Judging by the comments section, a large number.  Bearing in mind that the commenters don’t represent the silent majority, I wonder how many customers have already opened other accounts and are waiting for the employer to update direct deposit before closing their Metro Bank account?

But the biggest problem is the circumstances under which this failure was allowed to develop.

This did not happen overnight.  Metro Bank’s failure is a result of poor planning and poor execution.  Where was the load forecasting for the website?  Where was the load testing?  Where was the capacity planning for the call center?  Where was the employee training for the new software?  Where was the error handling?  Where was the backup system?  Where were the contingency plans?  Where were the pre-prepared press releases?  And, most importantly, where the “F” did my money go?

At issue here are the underlying processes and principles that allowed these failures to take root and flourish.  What unsound business practices are in place that led to these circumstances?  More importantly, what other unsound practices might be lurking just beneath the surface?  Metro Bank is exhibiting all the symptoms of a company on the verge of collapse:  Failing systems, poor accounting, absentee management, disgruntled employees, denial of problems … the list goes on.

I loved Commerce Bank.  I was very happy with their customer service and convenience.  While I was midly unnerved by the name change (foreshadowing?), I planned on sticking with them.  But after having my ATM card shut down with no warning, having $300 of my money become unaccounted for, hearing half-baked excuses and explanations from customer service, and encountering apathetic employees at the branches, I’ve changed my mind.

I certainly can’t tell you what to do with your money.  But I can tell you that I no longer trust Metro Bank Harrisburg with my money or my personal information.  I’ve already opened an account at PSECU and will be closing my Metro Bank account as soon as my direct deposit is transferred.

I’ve said pretty much all there is to say, so this is going to be my last post on Metro Bank unless a major development occurs.  I’m leaving the comments open — please feel free to share any stories, complaints, or progress on the issue.  To the employees who have made intelligent comments, thanks for your input.  I know how it feels to work retail and face hordes of furious customers, so I feel your pain.  The fact that you’re disgruntled is a good sign that you should consider taking your career to another employer.

Thanks to Jersey & Sara, The Patriot-News (twice), York Daily Record, WGAL, ABC27, The Consumerist, and the countless people who have commented, tweeted, and linked to / on this story.  Who knows if Metro Bank’s management would’ve even bothered fixing anything if we hadn’t all thrown this epic failure into the limelight?

Finally, to Metro Bank employee Shannon:  Yes, I know you work there.  And yes, you do know how I know.  Your comment let all of us know exactly how Metro Bank Harrisburg sees its customers.

If your Metro Bank account is not straightened out as of right this instant, please contact the PA Department of Banking immediately using this link. As always, remember to remain calm and professional.  We’re all frustrated and angry (and rightfully so), but remember that the Dept of Banking is here to help you.  They have the power to set things right, and if that can’t be done, they have the power to punish Metro Bank.

UPDATE: As of 6/19/09, Metro Bank’s CEO is stating that the “glitches” have been fixed and everything is back to normal.  Interestingly, he’s also stating that affected customers are being contacted by phone or email to let them know what happened.  This is a dramatic change from earlier in the week, when they attempted to sweep their issues under the rug with silence.  It’s pretty obvious that Metro Bank’s change in attitude is a direct result of the avalanche of negative PR that’s kept them buried all week.  While it’s good to see them finally starting to take responsibility for their poor planning and poor execution, it’s disturbing that they regarded “give customers the silent treatment” as their best option.

UPDATE #2: As of 7/5/09, commenters are still reporting problems with Metro Bank.  By now, all problems should have been resolved (actually, they should have been resolved by June 13th, but that obviously didn’t happen).  If you are still having trouble, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Banking immediately.  And while you’re at it, consider switching to a bank that knows how to treat its customers.

My site is currently getting thousands of hits every day from Metro Bank customers.  If you work for a bank or credit union and you’re offering any sort of special incentive for Metro Bank customers to jump ship, send me your contact information and details on your promotion.  I’ll post all the offers within a day or two.  I’m willing to do this for free, and in fact, I will not accept any compensation of any kind.

From the comments here and elsewhere, the most common problems users are reporting are:

• Visa / ATM cards being declined for no reason
• ATM cards not working at ATM machines
• Unauthorized transactions debiting the account
• ATM withdrawals that never happened still debiting the account
• Website is inaccessible, slow, and/or non-functioning w
• Website is poorly designed
• Customer service unreachable by telephone, or has excessive hold times
• Apathetic, defensive, and/or confrontational employees
• Incorrect balances or inaccurate transaction history
• Duplicate transactions
• Incorrect overdrafts

For added bonus points, a Metro Bank employee named “Shannon” waltzed on over here and said that any unhappy customers can go “F off”.

If you’ve been affected by Metro Bank’s epic failure, here’s some helpful information to make sure your complaint is heard by the right people.  Read on for information on crafting an effective complaint letter.

First, try to resolve your complaint through their call center (888-937-0004).  Document the name of the person you speak to, the time & date you called, the time they answered, and the time you hung up.  It’s also not a bad idea to note any important points you discussed.  If that’s unsuccessful, visit your local branch.  Ask to speak with a manager if the employee can’t or won’t help you.  Again, document the time & date of your visit, who you spoke to, and what the outcome was.

If that’s unsuccessful, contact their corporate headquarters in writing.  Metro Bank’s corporate address is:

Metro Bank
3801 Paxton Street
Harrisburg PA  17111

Their upper management consists of:

• Gary Nalbandian, Chief Executive Officer
• Mark Ritter, Chief Operating Officer
• D. Scott Huggins, Chief Risk Officer
• Steve Solk, Central PA Market Manager
• Victoria Chieppa, Senior Vice President of Operations

Metro Bank’s email structure appears to be firstname.lastname @ mymetrobank.com.

There are three main outside parties that can help with your complaint.  First is our good ol’ Pennsylvania Attorney General.  Typically they defer bank complaints to the Pennsylvania Department of Banking, but our AG is very aggressive and pro-consumer.  If they get a big enough volume of complaints, they may become involved.  The FDIC also has the authority to send in Bank Examiners to ensure that all applicable laws and regulations are being followed, and that sound practices are being used to protect the public interest.  The addresses are as follows:

Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

http://attorneygeneral.gov/Complaints.aspx
(click on “Consumer Complaint Form”)

Pennsylvania Department of Banking:

http://www.banking.state.pa.us/
(under “Have a Question? Need Help?”, click on “submitting a request online”)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC):

https://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp
(simply fill out the form)

Remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Be polite, but persistent.  Calm, but unrelenting.

If you’re unhappy with Metro Bank (as I am), you should also consider leaving (as I am).  Central PA has an abundance of dependable, secure, financially-sound banks and credit unions who will bend over backwards to earn your business.  There are also a number of national banks, such as E-Trade and ING, who offer unique and competitive advantages.  If you have experiences to share with your bank (or if you ARE a bank looking to pick up some alienated Metro customers), please feel free to do so in the comments below.

Now then:  There’s a right way to complain and a wrong way to complain.  I am 100% sympathetic towards the customers who have had their finances locked out by this fiasco, but the fastest way to have your complaint dumped into a pile and never looked at again is to be rude.  Other turn-offs include threatening legal action (companies get these all the time), making unlikely or inappropriate demands, and wordiness.  Keep your complaints brief and to the point.  Remain calm.  Stick to the facts.  If you must talk about your feelings or thoughts, keep it light.  For example:

RIGHT: I spoke with Nadine at your call center on June 17th at approximately 4:28pm.  She was very dismissive of my claims, and even stopped to say “Well I didn’t double-post your bills”.  She was ultimately unable to resolve my concerns.

WRONG: I spoke with Nadine at your call center last week sometime after work.  Our conversation went on for a very long time.  I feel that she was not taking me seriously and had no interest whatsoever in helping me out.  As an example, when I told her that my bill payments had been double-posted in my online ledger, she sarcastically replied “Well I didn’t double-post your bills”.  I don’t appreciate being spoken to in this manner.

Unless you’re attaching supporting documentation, your letter should be no more than one page.  If it goes longer, you’ve probably written too much.  Set it aside, go do something calming for an hour or two, then come back and see what you can trim off.  Your letter should clearly state what happened, why it was wrong (if it isn’t already painfully obvious), and what you want them to do about it.  The last part is important — if you say “I hope you all go out of business!”, you’re not going to get what you want.  Reasonable resolutions should be concrete.  Examples include:

• “I would like a written apology for the conduct demonstrated by this employee.”
• “I expect my account balance to be corrected as described above no later than June 20th, 2009.”
• “I would like my account closed effective June 21st, 2009.”

If you want proof that your letter was received (not a bad idea, considering Metro Bank’s track record for inaccurate record-keeping), send it certified mail with signature requested.  This costs about $5 for a standard letter.  Reputable businesses do not refuse certified mail; if Metro returns your mail refused or unclaimed, then cut your losses and seek another bank immediately.