Banks: your biggest frenemy

OH.MY.GOODNESS.

I kinda decided I wasn't going to write about what happened this week... but it's just so mindblowing I feel like I need to get it off my chest.

If you're Brazilian.. maybe just.. don't read any further. I'm going to offend you. And I don't feel like saying sorry. 

This will be an interesting post for people who work in a professional environment in North America, like say a bank (auntie m??) or people who just.. use their brain and think.

As a foreigner, I don't really have any business to do INSIDE the bank... since I don't have a bank account here, the only reason I ever go to the bank is to use the ATM outside and then leave. 

However, Deison and I were waiting on a money wire from my bank in Canada, so we had to go in. 

Ok first, WHAT ARE ALL THOSE PEOPLE DOING IN THERE?! It's like an anthill, every single time I see the inside of the bank... why are there always like a hundred thousand people there? 

Deison says it's because most things cannot be resolved by phone (and getting things resolved takes forever. We were there for an hour and a half and resolved nothing). Anyway.

You know how, at the bank in any other part of the world... it's completely organized, AND PRIVATE, and you have your own space to talk about what you need to talk about? 

Yeah. No.

So the person we need to talk to, is sitting at a table. Like, in the middle of an area, completely open. I'm not too impressed at the lack of privacy, but we sit down... and I assume people will use their brain, and give us space.... I mean after all, we are discussing large amounts of money and private finances...

No. 

Like, people are crowding around the table, LOOKING AT THE SCREEN that shows our personal information, and trying to get their questions answered... WHILE WE ARE SEATED AT THE TABLE. {I have this pet peeve... people reading over my shoulder. It just enrages me. It doesn't matter if I'm looking at the news or at my bank account, it just irritates me. And especially my bank information... imagine my fury.}

At one point there was a lady standing in between me and Deison, yelling about how the bank wasn't helping her and she was going to take them to court or something, and another guy was standing beside the desk shoving a receipt in the manager's face trying to get his question answered..

WHILE it was our turn to be served. 

While we were discussing private financial information. While no one had absolutely any business being within 5 feet of the table. The manager helping us, also served about 6 or 7 other people at the same time we were there. Which means I saw people's personal information, and they heard about our "international money wire" and then became really interested.  

I.Was.Livid. 

CAN YOU IMAGINE?! IT'S SO UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!

At one point I looked at Deison and I was like, "Seriously I.. I think I need to leave. I can't be here. I'm going to hurt someone."

I'm sorry, but as a client of this bank... AS A HUMAN BEING, I deserve some privacy and respect in regards to my personal banking matters. I actually felt unsafe knowing that all these people in line, are listening to how much money is being transferred to my account. 

The lack of simple common sense that I see here, like how you DON'T cut in line or interrupt when someone is talking about personal issues regarding money, just BLOWS MY MIND. 

REALLY BRAZIL?!

I do feel bad for Deison, because I know it's not his fault... and he sees how angry I get about things like this and just totally explode... and there's nothing you can do to change the mindset of 190 million people...

BUT WOW.

There is a good ending to this story though.. a few weeks ago the banks were on strike (again) so it was really hard for people to do anything with their accounts, and some people couldn't take out money etc. so this old guy shows up at the bank, and he's furious. He wants to get some cash, and he can't. Everyone just keeps telling him that they're on strike and they can't help him. He got so mad, he took off his clothes, pooped on the floor, and then left.

I know I shouldn't be amused by that, but I couldn't contain myself when Deison told me. How much bigger of a "ha! so there in your face" statement can you get?