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In 1978, I’d been working overseas for almost two years and banking most of my paycheck for almost five years. Finally got back to San Francisco, went into the Crocker Bank branch and found out my bank account didn’t exist. All my life savings - gone - POOF! The bank teller was uncooperative. Got the branch manager and he literally said “You probably bounced a check.” He was totally useless and hostile.

I went to the library, got the names of all the state banking commissioners and the top bank executives and wrote them all a letter. I went into the bank a few days later and the manager was profusely apologetic, addressed me as “Mr.” and “Sir” and worked with the teller to fix the problem on the spot. They couldn’t even calculate the interest I was owed, so I ran the calls and showed them how wrong they were. They used my calcs and gave me the back interest.

Morals of the story. 1. Banks are always fouled up. 2. Go straight to the top and get the government regulators involved.

When I was very young, and had purchased my first new car, with a bank loan at the local savings & loan... I paid it off early. I went to the bank, said I wanted my car title (this was back in the days, when the bank actually kept the loan and the title, etc.). They said they couldn’t find it. I said I would be coming back the next day to get my title. I was calm and businesslike at that point.

I came back the next day, and they gave me some runaround about it, apparently not too interested in my satisfaction, even though I also had savings and checking accounts there. I was sitting at the desk of the loan officer, and said very sternly that I was not leaving without the title, and I was willing to make a scene there in the lobby/desks area, if it didn’t seem like they were going to help me.

Some fluttering and whispering, a vice president got involved, and within about 15 minutes, I had my title.

Sad thing is that, in this day and age, I might have been arrested for standing my ground on that issue.