The KeyBank Saga Part 3

Read part 1 here.

Read part 2 here.

I’ve simplified my accounts with KeyBank so that now, all I need to remember is that I have one checking account and one savings account. Normally, when I drive up to the ATM to withdraw or deposit money, I can select either “Primary Checking” or “Primary Savings” and have the transaction go smoothly and effortlessly.

One morning, I wanted to withdraw some cash from my savings account. So I did what I normally do and went through the motions choosing “Primary Savings” to get my cash. The machine spit my card out and gave me an error message indicating that the transaction could not be processed at that time. I almost drove away, but I really needed cash, so I went through the same motions and took the money from my checking account. Luckily, there were sufficient funds to cover the transaction.

When I arrived home, I called the national customer service number on my card. The young man I spoke with was very nice and indicated that many people had been calling because of the same issue. He explained that, the previous week, KeyBank had changed the designation of that particular type of savings account to a checking account in the ATM system.

My head was spinning.

The solution he suggested was to select “Secondary Checking” when I want to access my savings account. I repeated the solution to him so that he understood the irony of needing to selecting “checking” when you want to access a savings account. He came up with an alternative solution of sending me a separate ATM card for the savings account, and I quickly made him understand that needing to manage two cards for two separate accounts is not a suitable solution for this silly issue. The young man was helpful and meant well.

Two things about this frustrate me. First, I shouldn’t have to keep track of how the ATM acknowledges my accounts. If I have a checking and a savings account, I should be able to select either at the ATM and do what I need to do. Second, if KeyBank made the brilliant decision to change how the ATM is going to acknowledge my savings account, don’t you think I should be made aware of that? I get junk mail and other disclosures from KeyBank all the time. Shouldn’t something as important as a change in how to access my accounts be communicated to me?

I know it seems trivial, but this little annoyance is just enough to send me elsewhere after the little things that have added up over the years.