Wachovia Is Not BB&T: Know Your Banks

Just a short story of something stupid I did. I have done many dumb things, however this one came to mind today for some reason.

This was about 5 years ago. A big day for my wife and I. We were buying our first house. On this day we were signing all the papers and placing our deposit. I had to get a certified check of a large amount.

So off to the bank I went. I went into Wachovia with a smile on my face, and walked up to the teller. She smiled back, and asked how she could help. I explained why I was there, and she asked for my name. I told her Joel Hawkins. She looked, then asked if it was under another name. I gave her my wife's name. She said she could not find anyone under that name either. "We had just transferred a large amount of money, and now this bank has no record of me," I thought. I explained we have had a account there for years, and there should be some record of us. My blood was beginning to boil. She could tell I was getting nervous. She told me to hold on, and would get her manager. I was getting ready to let someone have it, but I remained calm. The manager called me back into his office. He said he would search for our account another way. He went over our old address, and asked question after question. I was thinking this would be the last business Wachovia ever did with me. I glanced at the man's name tag to make a mental note. I noticed under his name, it said BB&T. I slowly looked around and realized this was BB&T, not Wachovia. I felt like biggest idiot possible. I looked at the man who was nervously searching to find my information. I was trying to figure out how I could get out, without looking stupid. There was no way. I said,"I think I have the wrong bank." He immediately stopped typing and looked at me. I told him that this bank used to be a Wachovia . He agreed and reminded me it was not anymore. I apologized for the trouble and quickly walked out. Very Quick.

I'm sure I was the joke of the week. Maybe I still am. The only thing I am happy about, is that I did not yell or talk down to the teller or manager. I would have looked like a bigger dumb-ass than I already did.