Today yours truly, went to the nearby RBC bank to withdraw money from his account. Unusual for a Saturday, there was a long lineup of people waiting to be served by the teller. Due to the recent CBC allegations into RBC-iGate-foreign worker scandal, the RBC staff was being too nice to many ‘pissed off’ customers for a change. Normal transactions that took minutes before, took forever to complete and the line kept growing.
After what seemed like an eternity in time coordinates, it was the turn of yours’ truly to be served. As I walked up to the counter, I tried to strike a conversation with the teller. After the customary introduction, without wasting any chance, I asked her “In the wake of the recent controversy, have you seen any increase in account closedowns, in this branch?” The lady looked at me sternly, following which she sheepishly said “no comments”. As my transaction went through, and after she handed me my money, she spoke “I am here to work, I have been paid to work and I try not to know anything!”. I nodded my appreciation.
As I walked out, I could see that the welcome teller post had been totally revamped with a multitude of self-help, touch screen computers where all your questions from house loans to mutual fund investments can be availed by clicking on the options displayed on the touch screens. I turned back at the teller posts, where there were three ‘human’ tellers working and wondered ‘how long before they too…?’.
Tenny Thomas 