Dealing with big city banks

I'm finding that it’s necessary to be a little bit pushy with bank tellers
Here in SF if you’re into collecting BU rolls or notes.
Most (not all) are just too lazy to get up and check with other tellers or look in the vault for coins that I inquire about.
An example:
ME-Hello, how are you today, I would like $20 in $2 bills
Teller-we don't have any
ME-ok, do you have any half dollars?
TELLER-just three, do you want them?
ME-sure why not, how about a couple rolls of Nichols?
TELLER-the new Nichols?
ME-(BINGO)yes please
So I got two banks wrapped mint state rolls of the OIV 5C and returned the next day.
ME-Hello how are you, I would like 5 rolls of the new Nichols please.
NEW TELLER-we don't have any
ME-yes you do, I just got some yesterday from that lady.
NEW TELLER-oh ok I guess we do.
I swear these folks really don't want to lift a finger (a few have been helpful)
To accommodate me and often say "no we don't have them" as a standard answer when many times they do have the stuff I request.
Overall Wells Fargo tellers have been more helpful than Bank of America tellers.
Anyone else have similar experiances?

 

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I'm in NY and so far I've tried Citi Bank, HSBC & Northfork but no luck. No new nickles, halfs or $2 notes. They can't order either. And I have accounts with all 3 banks but this is the service I get. I thought tellers get paid to service their clients

 

exactly my point,it's almost nonexistant in most large urban area's.
I've noticed that some of the cointalk posters report better results
when dealing with small town banks.

 

It appears that I have to defend my fellow bank tellers again. Banks simply don't keep any quantity of two dollar bills or halves because no one wants them. In fact tellers try their best to gid rid of any two's, halves, or dollar coins that they get in. This isn't because they don't want to be helpful, but because it is next to impossible to get rid of these items. I can think of only one customer at my bank that ever asks for $2 bills or dollar coins. So, there is no point in keeping them in my drawer. In fact, tellers can only keep a certain amount of money at their station at any given time (due to fear of robbery), so they try to keep only items that they commonly use in their drawer. As for the new nickels, banks cannot order them from the Fed. While the Federal Reserve did set up a program to distribute boxes of the new State Quarters when they come out, no such program exists for the new nickels. So, it is totally luck of the draw as to whether or not the bank receives new or old nickels from the Fed.

 

Hi All,
As you know, I've been at this a long time. I have found that If I make a phone call to a bank before I show up, they are happy to help. They will be happy , in many cases, even if I don't have an account there.
Tellers have to fill out paperwork to move money from the vault to their station or from one teller to another. It takes a little time and they often don't have the time to do it on the spur of the moment when someone walks in.
I find it so much easier to call and ask to speak to the "vault teller" before I go to a bank. This doesnt matter if it's a big city bank or a small bank out in the "boonies" . It is a courtesy to the bank employees to call ahead so as not to catch them by surprise. Understanding the transaction from the bank's side has gotten me some fantastic help and has allowed some great coins to be added to my collection at face value

I hope this helps,
Have Fun,
Bill

 

TOLS196024-I see your point but, i've been told at least 4-5 times that they didn't have something when it turned out they did in fact have them and just couldn't be bothered to look. i ask (nicely) that they actually check before telling me no.
That's been my experiance at a handfull of local banks in the last year or so.
On the other hand some tellers have been very nice and helpfull,it's hit and miss.

 

Hi,
Some banks don't want their tellers getting involved with a transaction that will take time when it may be a busy part of the day. Some may even have, unwritten rules that don't allow tellers to make those transactions on the spur of the moment. It still works out better if you call ahead and work out a time when it is convenient for the bank employees to pick up coins. As a side note, I always find it better to return coins at my own bank as opposed to cashing them in where I picked them up. Some banks view that as an annoyance. I haven't found a bank yet that didnt love getting rid of halves, dollar coins or excess bags of cents.
Have Fun,
Bill

 

dealing with big banks

i think i am going to rob the bank for those hiding westward nickels. they keep it for themself.

 

i would really really love to get my hands on some uncirculated rolls of nickels. @ $2 per roll, they can come with FS, MFS, and in the high AU/MS ranking. I'll see if i can check my local banks to get some.

 

Well, if you don't mind me saying so - keep in mind you are visiting a bank, not a coin shop. These people deal, all day long, with people that want cash for currency not for collection. When you go in, you're the unusual one - not the other way around. They aren't used to your requests, and they see you as a weird problem customer, even if you're really nice.

For best results at a bank, just be a people person... take in examples of what you're looking for, and bring it up in short conversation. 'I got this at a bank a few years ago, and I carry it around with me now for luck... if you ever come across something like this, let me know. I would really appreciate it.'

I don't collect much stuff like this, but the tellers at my bank of america know me by name, and set aside occassional pieces that appear 'different' - regardless of what it is, I trade it for face value, and I thank them for the favor.

 

I hear what you’re saying and believe me when I say I’m as friendly and agreeable as possible with the tellers.
Never the less often times (even when the banks not busy) they just don't want to take the time to check for you.
Don't bank tellers get paid by the hour? So they burn 5 minutes going to the vault or whatever is this a big hassle?
And if it is they should just say so instead of flat out lying to me.
Sorry for the rant I’ll shut up now

 

Bank Tellers - especially in the larger multi-state banks job performance evaluations among other things are tied to number of transactions processed. Making change in most instances is not considered a processed transaction and in most cases makes it harder to count their drawer at the end of the day.

 

ME-Hello how are you, I would like 5 rolls of the new Nichols please.
NEW TELLER-we don't have any
ME-yes you do, I just got some yesterday from that lady.
NEW TELLER-oh ok I guess we do.

You can't blame the teller for that. Maybe the nickels had just come in the day before. I know that before each new State Quarter comes out, customers ask for weeks whether or not we have them. If I wasn't working the day that the quarters came in, I wouldn't know that they were there. In general, all the tellers know pretty well what they do and do not have both in the vault and at each others stations with the exception of shipments. Also, as several others have posted, its really unusal for someone to come and request items of numismatic interest.

 

Nor can you defend them....you were not there, the poster of the thread was. You CAN defend yourself, and your fellow bank employees...meaning at YOUR bank.

I've experienced both ends of the spectrum at both ends of the spectrum, meaning, I've had great friendly services at big corporate "mcdonalds" style banks, and I've had crappy unneccesarily rude service at small "home town" banks. Don't get emotionally blinded b/c someone else experienced crappy/sub par service at the banks in their area....unless you personally work at them and were part of the exchange quoted.

 

Every since I switched my safety deposit box to a new and closer branch it’s like I’m banking with McDonald’s. 20min waits to get in the safety deposit box vault. Tellers don’t carry rolls at the windows (per the supervisor). They won’t take rolls. I’m told to use the machine out front or go to the main branch in town. Tellers even have little machine under the desk that counts out the bills for them. Heaven forbid the machine ever makes a mistake. The extra 10min drive to the main branch is looking pretty good now.

Ps. I don’t care what kind of rolls I get as long as it will fit in the vending machines……

 

well, i went today to my local bank, and when i asked for half rolls, they looked at me like i were retarded. but, the lady kindly let me look through the pieces she had. I also bought 4 rolls of nickels just random nickels, and got 13 keelboats, 2 bison, 2 louisiana purchase, 0 ocean and 2 i believe are FS. They cheated and gave me a canadian too! :-x

 

Perhaps I can explain my point better with an analogy Lawdog. If you're anything like me, you know what kind of beer you have in the fridge. If a buddy comes over and asks if you have a Bud, and you usually only drink Miller, would you go to the fridge to check and see if a 6 pack of Bud ramdomly appeared? However, what if your significant other had bought some the night before and brought one out to your friend? Thats the same kind of situation. Tellers know pretty well what they do and don't have. Will they be wrong on occasion? Of course, but who doesn't make a mistake at work every now and then?


Don't get emotionally blinded b/c someone else experienced crappy/sub par service at the banks in their area....unless you personally work at them and were part of the exchange quoted.[/QUOTE]

Also, I wouldn't consider this to be sub par service. Rather, it was a simple mistake. From the way the exchange was presented it doesn't seem that the teller was rude, and when she realized that she was incorrect, she corrected the mistake.

I just think that we coin collectors need to remember that our requests are strange to people at the bank who just think money is money. If you get to know the people at your local bank, more likely than not, they will try to help you out by setting things aside for you. BTW, sorry if I offended anyone. I'm just trying to explain how things are viewed from the other side of the teller line. Best of luck!

 

No offence taken, it seems this topic provoked more debate than I anticipated.
Allow me to put my own spin on your refrigerator analogy.
A bank can have 10- 20 or more people working in it at any one time.
If someone had that number of spouses they wouldn’t know what their fridge contained, how could they? You gotta check.
Also in this city most of the bank teller jobs are filled by young kids, working part time, with a high turnover rate which means your dealing with a different person almost every time. Not much opportunity to cultivate relationships
But anyway, back to COINS

 

well, my teller that i went to yesterday offered me her halves to look through even though i didnt ask, and so i think they know i'm a numismatic. she also asked me if i knew anything about a penny with 2 heads and she said "off center" so i'm going to take a look at that aswell. tellers are nice you just have to know them and be respectful.