Why Can't Banks In Trinidad and Tobago Have Normal Hours?

Submitted by Taran Rampersad on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 14:51

It drives me nuts. When I was abroad, I got used to being able to go to a bank during normal business hours. It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch for me to think that banks around the world would do something similar - but in Guyana I encountered the same thing. Clearly I lack the intellectual capital to comprehend that a business that holds my money and uses it for its profit would be available for me during regular business hours.

Clearly.

Granted, people have adapted over generations to banks deciding when they deign speak with their customers. That negotiation, started before I was born, has been an epic failure for subsequent generations of bank customers. And it will remain so until someone, somewhere has a bit of inductive kick in the abnormal nerve growth located above their sinus cavity.

I'm sorry, banks, I really am - but your hours just don't make sense to me when some branches close at 2 p.m., other branches close at 6 p.m., then on Fridays if you fight the traffic you can go to another branch or another branch or another branch...

Is it so hard to open during normal business hours for bank customers? Imagine how much service could be done within those hours.

Maybe that's the point...

Blog: 
Trinidad and Tobago
Caribbean
bank
finance
financial services
rant

Comments

Submitted by Edmund Gall on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 16:00.

... I find it an immense waste of time to have to visit banks.  Up here, I only had to visit my bank to open my account, to get a loan, collect my cards (they normally post them, but I hate that), or to get a last-minute bank letter (they normally do this online).  Everything else I do online, including paying bills.

When I was on vacation in T&T over Christmas, I spent 2 valuable hours picking cotton in one of the banks' car parks waiting for my family to finish pay a couple bills.  Madness.

For the amount of money they charge in fees, banks in T&T are commercial con-men compared to banks here.  And competition doesn't seem to have any influence.

Someone just said 'cartel' in passing behind me - I have no idea what they're talking about.

Submitted by From Foreign (not verified) on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 16:28.

It's not user friendly AT ALL.. and is geared towards the bank's needs.

Some examples:
1. Foreign cheques take days/weeks to clear.
2. A local TTD cheque needs to be cashed in the same branch it's drawn on or else it takes at least an hour in any other branch.
3. Conversion is just unfair. I can't take USD cash and hand it to them and get them to write me a USD Draft for the same amount even if I have an account there. They will take my USD cash, convert it at USD 6 - TTD 1... deposit it into my account, then ask me immediately to withdraw it from my account and convert the TTD to USD at TTD 6.34 - USD 1. (I lose).... Then they charge me USD 50 for preparing the draft for me. Um. WTF.

What was that little ditty about "pissing on the RBTT banking morons"?

*I don't bank with RBTT, but those billboards were awesome.

Submitted by From Foreign (not verified) on Thu, 06/03/2010 - 08:34.

That should be USD 1 - TTD 6...deposit it into my account, then ask me immediately to withdraw it from my account and convert the TTD to USD at TTD 6.34 - USD 1.

Submitted by Why Can&#03... (not verified) on Sat, 06/05/2010 - 18:28.

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