This is an older post from 2015 from an anonymous personal banker regarding their take on mystery shoppers and the banking industry in general. In reviewing it, I'm reminded that it is always best to keep in mind that we are responsible for shopping with integrity. The post is a bit long, but worth the read.
[www.angryretailbanker.com]

Thanks! Excellent article. And I agree with just about everything he said. It's more of a rant about the banks and their systems than mystery shoppers themselves. He's got a lot of valid points. Now I'm going to go collect my cow turds and pick up that soap that somebody dropped.

Fascinating.

The article is rather lengthy so I skimmed through much of it. But it does seem the banker is complaining about banking rules and procedures more than mystery shopping. I don't know how well the bankers are trained and I can agree that some of the some of the procedures mystery shoppers are required to use are just plain silly. But mentioning mystery shopping and the Holocaust in the same sentence is a huge reach.

They got a little extreme in spots but it's the first time I stumbled on an article written from a banker's point of view.

The extremes, I think, were for humor.

Post removed - Mod

I do agree with him about the "hospitality management" part of it. Nothing irks me more to be greeted at the door by someone who stands in the lobby doing nothing else when there is a line of customers in the teller queue and/or 3-5 people waiting for a platform banker. I think it angers customers to see that more than not being greeted upon entering. Really, who cares if you're greeted when entering the branch. Yes, it's nice, but I just want to get in and out.

Same thing at the USPS. The line is huge, but there's a clerk sitting at a booth greeting and asking if anyone is dropping off. NO, just get off your butt and open another window please.

Duplicate



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 01:15AM by MsJudi.

Interesting. I have never been in a USPS branch which had a greeter of any type in the lobby. Admittedly, most of the ones I visit are small (1 to 4 clerks). I suppose in very large city branches they might have many more clerks and a greeter to answer questions? I am curious how many of "us" have encountered USPS greeters.

Edit to add:
I agree that I have little value for a greeter in the large regional bank that I shop. Occasionally, they have had the answer to a question that I have heard asked or they tell a customer that they can use a teller instead of a CSR. But overall, I have little value for that role.

@MsJudi wrote:

Same thing at the USPS. The line is huge, but there's a clerk sitting at a booth greeting and asking if anyone is dropping off. NO, just get off your butt and open another window please.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 01:51AM by myst4au.

USPS greeters: In big post offices in big cities (like NYC), there will sometimes be a greeter at busy times, or during busy seasons (like Christmas holidays). It's more like triage, for example, getting the ten customers who just want stamps out of a long queue of 30 people and into a line for stations designated for stamps only. Or getting people who just want to drop of prepaid Priority or Express mail out of the queue and to the drop off station. Or giving forms that customers might need (customs forms, registered mail, insurance, etc.) to fill out in advance before they arrive at the station. They also show people how to use the self-service machines to order stamps and mail small packages. Most of the greeters I've seen have been managers. Lots of need for them in some areas when things are busy, but I agree, during down times there's no need for them.

Honestly, I don't agree with him. Two of the largest bank mystery shop programs, Chase and Wells Fargo, have only a small amount to do with customer service and a whole lot to do with unethical policies
and fraud--fraud that has cost them billions in settlements, legal fees, and court costs. Wells Fargo could still be shut down by the feds because the behavior of many of their employees was so egregious and illegal.

Between those two clients alone, I've done hundreds of mystery shops over the years. I can say that many bankers need to be shopped and some need to be reprimanded or fired. Most, however, have taken the reindoctrination to heart. I have had them give me wrong fee amounts and wrong info about how and when fees are charged. I can honestly say I have yet to have one pressure me to open an account. That is progress.

I went into Wells Fargo a few years ago to cash a client's check drawn on Wells Fargo. They refused to cash their own check for me unless I agreed to open an account. So I totally understand why they are shopped the way they are shopped, and I can see the difference since they got caught and started their mystery shopping program.

At least in the case of Chase and Wells Fargo, they brought this on themselves. They knew what they were doing, and they got caught. I have no sympathy.

All that being said, I try very hard to be totally accurate with any shop. If I just can't remember something that occurred, which is a rarity, I give the employee the benefit of the doubt.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 04:53AM by whiterosie.

I agree with whiterosie. Most of the shops I do are focused on compliance with laws and probably trying to safeguard against lawsuits.The author says everyone should pass those easily but I find many bankers struggle articulating all the info even if they know it well. It bothers me he never figures out that if a shopper were going to fake a report it would most likely be in his favor. Narratives are common requirements when mistakes are noted so it is easier to say everything went well. Negative reports are also more likely to be contested increasing the chance we won't get paid. There is no incentive to write a fake negative report that I can see.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 07:11AM by wwin.

I got the impression the writer was employed by smaller banks, not the bigger ones mentioned above. I have definitely been to a lot of smaller banks that fit in with what he's saying. Some have gone out of business. And the article is a little old, 2015. There is even a larger bank that I have been to many times where the bankers' answers to my questions differ at every single branch. They speak off the top of their heads and are not allowed to use the bank's internet website to answer questions. They also cannot provide anything as far as printed materials, yet they want to know what's in my wallet.

I think the article makes some valid points. Bank shops, in my mind, serve no real purpose. Perhaps if certain known issues were targeted, a better result could be seen. An example would be like putting that case of bottled water under the grocery cart to see if the cashier catches it. That is tangible.
When I walk into a bank and I am immediately accosted by the designated lobby person, I'm already p.o.'d. Get out of my way! Why do they think they need to run interference? The obvious answer is they want to try and sell you more products and services. Stop blaming the tellers for poor quarterly results. I can assure you that whether or not I am greeted by a 3 ring circus, is not going to make any difference in my doing more business at your bank.
And another thing....the blogger. seemed to make it a point to disparage shoppers several times. He states there is no way to know if the shop was done correctly and without falsification. What does he think, we're out here running around with the specific intent of lying in the reports? For me, my integrity is what I offer the MSC.

The problems that he lists aren't problems in mystery shopping, but in how the company uses the information. As pointed out, 10 points for using my name is ridiculous. But that is what the bank executive wanted. I like to think that the companies are using the information for improvement not for punishment. When I go to shop credit cards and you tell me about the rewards on a card I know doesn't offer rewards, the bank has a training issue.

I have 30 years working in restaurants and have seen a lot of shops from that side, and those companies I worked for used the reports as tools to get better. The banker might just want to work for a company that had the same values they do.

From what is in the article I surmise the bank is TD Bank...not a small bank at all. Scenario matches the TB Bank guidelines.

It could also have been Fulton Bank. I have done both of them. Some of it sounds like Investor's Bank shops of 2015. Fulton Bank stopped doing mystery shops, but I found a great bank that I continue to use.

@MsJudi wrote:

From what is in the article I surmise the bank is TD Bank...not a small bank at all. Scenario matches the TB Bank guidelines.

@whiterosie wrote:

...So I totally understand why they are shopped the way they are shopped, and I can see the difference since they got caught and started their mystery shopping program.....

Establishing a mystery shopping or other checks and balance mechanism might have been a requirement of their settlement agreement with the government to remain open. So they may not have established a mystery shopping program out of the goodness of their heart.

A lot of banks when under the microscope for compliance issues so I agree with @whiterosie also. Some of the jobs, like mortgage broker or investor representative are also sales jobs. People do shop around for a bank, a mortgage and other services where they have plenty of options. Teller and banker shops are partly about customer service but the main focus should be on compliance. Given the abuses that I keep reading about at Wells Fargo (opening accounts they shouldn't, etc.) there should always be an oversight program for banks and credit unions to prevent abuses that take place. @janalou, I agree that the banker does not like shoppers. It's worthwhile looking at why. He probably assumes that shoppers are not trained (mostly true) and might just phone it in, across multiple industries. The concerns are legitimate (his job hung in the balance) and there's no way we can reach out to reassure him that many of us do know what we're doing. Overall, even though I did not agree with him on a few issues, I was still interested to see what he was thinking.

There are a least two banks that I shop where the paperwork that I receive mentions attorney-client privilege. I believe that they are under court-ordered compliance orders or agreements.

Today I was in two Chase banks that have completely removed the teller area and replaced it with fancy ATM machines....wave of the future has arrived. Platform bankers were still there, but no more tellers. They called it a digital, express branch.

If you are in the banking industry, just know you will likely be shopped. The client is looking for all the proper procedures, asking about certain types of checking and banking services and making sure the employee asks about them. It is no different than a dine in shop where that client is looking for certain upsells, greets, add-ons, specials, after dinner dessert and coffee. They want to make sure (in both cases) that these bases are covered and being asked of the shopper.

Ummm yeah it's probably not a good idea to use Holocaust comparisons on ANYTHING EVER.

@greenwhite11 wrote:

Ummm yeah it's probably not a good idea to use Holocaust comparisons on ANYTHING EVER.

I agree.

I am not a "PC" mandatory person, but, one could draw a conclusion that the writer might not be totally aware of the offensiveness of the comparison. That by making that particular comparison may show a lack of understanding of "customer service" and how it may relate to an enterprise that depends upon attracting the public.

With regard to the point of the article, the writer seems to somewhat complain about Mystery or Secret Shoppers and their assignments: "Short version: Mystery shops are BS. And lies. All lies."

But, the reality is (as others have stated), the article's anger is actually directed at the bank's policies, its administration, its trainers and supervisors. No problem there - if anyone has been in any business, there always seems to be a disconnect between the employee and the boss.The employee sees one thing, the supervisory staff, another. The employee thinks the business should be doing things one way, the admin, has a different idea, both based upon their "perception".

Nevertheless, the Mystery Shopper should be the last to be blamed. If the shopper follows the guidelines set forth, reports accurately and objectively, it is not their fault of their findings.

I read through some comments. One posted on September 5th had this to say:


"I have come across some of these so-called ‘mystery shoppers’. I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them. And that ain’t far as they usually gorge themselves on free fast food from their fast food mystery shops.

Some of the mystery shoppers spend their time getting free booze at mystery shopping bar shops. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are drunk when they come into banks and then write their bile."


I, for one, pledge to visit banks earlier in the day when I am still sober!

I thought that the Holocaust references and disparaging comments about mystery shoppers were extreme myself. Also, I agree that the banker was probably mad at mystery shoppers rather than the bank, who is responsible for formulating the shop guidelines. We don't make the rules, we're just there to be the eyes and ears.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2019 03:34PM by ipotter.

@MsJudi wrote:

Today I was in two Chase banks that have completely removed the teller area and replaced it with fancy ATM machines....wave of the future has arrived. Platform bankers were still there, but no more tellers. They called it a digital, express branch.

KeyBank has now gone paperless. When I asked what that meant, they told me to swipe my debit card at the teller window and then the teller proceeded with the deposit.

To me, that's just a step away from not needing the teller also.

During a shop (or during a personal visit? It was awhile ago. ) I was instructed to swipe my newly issued card at the ATM machine on my way out and check my password. If it worked, I could be certain that all I would need to do in future was use the card and the machine and never enter the bank again. How hospitable! And, possibly an indication that the location was working toward a reduction of tellers (and/or customers, haha!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2019 03:51PM by Shop-et-al.

Two items: my bank that I've been with for maybe 10 years, has removed deposit slips from the counter. They are strongly encouraging mobile deposits.

Next: I did a bank shop yesterday and at the end, the employee gently suggested that I go visit a local CU for my assigned "scenario" issue. I didn't put that in the report because she hit on 80% or more of the required questions/responses/suggestions. She didn't know I was a shopper.