Inheritance Faux Pas

I did a bank shop and opted to go with the inheritance scenario. The banker said, "Wow, congratulations!" I was horrified that someone would say that. I didn't even have to play a part. My eyes just went big and I said that I didn't feel great about it. The banker apologized and followed up with, "I'm sorry for your loss."

In reality, that should cost them a client, right?

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I agree; that was gauche. I've always thought inheriting money was a sad thing, since someone had pass away.

My sister and I sold the house we grew up in when our Mother passed away at 96, we always knew we would get the house, but it wasn't a happy time, even though she had a long life, one can't live forever, that was a very insensitive thing to say.

Live consciously....

Gauche, tasteless -- but human.

But then, bankers are NOT supposed to be humans, right?

As to the report, I'm not sure how I would handle that. I think I would be gobsmacked.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2019 05:15AM by ceasesmith.

My oldest brother is a banker. I've never dealt with him on a professional level but I would think he would have handled it much differently.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Gauche, tasteless -- but human.

But then, bankers are NOT supposed to be humans, right?

I am not sure what you mean. They’re supposed to be professional.

Describing something as “human” is to excuse something reasonable. For example, a sneeze vs picking one’s nose. We should accept the former but not the latter. We’re living creatures, not wild animals.

1cent, "human" in the sense that all human beings screw up sometimes.

Thank G for the banker! I am not the only one who says the wrong thing at the wrong time. As long as it does not happen all the time, all is well. And as long as an actual customer has a little gallows humor or is just extremely polite, things should be okay for this banker.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

I find things like this happen all the time in real life unfortunately. In my professional life working in an NICU caring for the sickest babies often a specialist would declare a baby doing great after a treatment to take care of some issue that was wrong when the baby was actually not doing well after all due to a score of other issues. People find it hard to see the big picture sometimes and just focus on their one area. Parents would take this good news to heart and grab on to it even tho their child was very critical otherwise.
And an example closer to the topic...my friend and I both got bad news about our respective mother's while at the same party. Her mother had died and she rejoiced over the news. I had the opposite response to my mother's news. These personal feelings have no place in the professional work of the person affected but yes, humans sometimes have issues separating their professional lives from their personal lives and feelings.

I did a Bank of America to Merril referral shop using the inheritance scenario. The banker reacted properly and said, "Sorry for your loss" and gave an empathetic/puppy-dog eye look at me. I'm pretty sure I didn't react properly. I blanked out and didn't know how to react. I gave him a weird half-smirk and didn't know what to say. There was a long awkward moment of silence before I steered it back to set up an appointment.

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Inheritance Faux Pas

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