Banks are Weird!

**daughter of pearl** · 05-26-2010, 12:54 PM

I went to a bank this morning (not my bank) to get some $20's changed into $10's and $5's for use at work. I also took three rolls of quarters ($30) to be changed into bills.

When I give the rolls of quarters to the teller, she asks if I have an account there.

I say no.

She says do I want one.

I say no.

She says she needs my phone number in order to change the quarters to bills.

I say no. I tell her to give them back to me if it's going to be such a hassle.

She says never mind and gives me $30.

HUH?!

**frugalwarrior2** · 05-26-2010, 01:02 PM

You think it's weird because you are an honest woman. When I worked retail people would take roll of quarters and put an U.S. quarter on each end and the rest Canadian. At that time of 40% exchange diff. I could lose $4. per roll. Also some people couldn't count. So my C.U. requires my acct. # on it. Otherwise theres going to be some counting going on.kwim?
She was breaking the rules by recinding but prob. thought-Do I need a hassle?? I remember Mi National wouldn't give you rollers w/o a fee and no change for a business if you didn't have an acct. there. I hating dealing w/ them for deposits after a long day of not so pleasant customers.

**monkeywrangler71** · 05-26-2010, 01:08 PM

She should have opened them and counted if you didn't have an account there, unless they were in the clear plastic roll. They have no way of getting back to you if there weren't really any quarters inside.

**ladytoysdream** · 05-26-2010, 01:09 PM

Translation......
that bank needs new customers.

And banks around here require a phone number on rolled up coins. Pretty standard procedure.

**Lady_V** · 05-26-2010, 01:14 PM

Our banks are technically like that... you can buy change, but if you want to sell change, you need an account.

I say technically because I know the tellers at my 'now' bank and they would buy my rolled coins because I was a 'preferred' account holder there at one time and they wanted me back (little did they know that I divorced the 'preferred'

) If I was just someone off the street, they wouldn't have bought it.

**frugalfranny** · 05-26-2010, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by ladytoysdream

And banks around here require a phone number on rolled up coins. Pretty standard procedure.

Many of the banks around here have quit taking coins.......EVEN if you are a customer........without charging a fee. It is slightly less than the almost 9% that the coin machines charge!!

**shoiji** · 05-26-2010, 03:42 PM

I am always complaining about the customer service level at my bank. They have great hours and fair rates which keeps e there. But I have had problems getting quarters. Same thing happened. They wanted to know if I had an account with them. Which I did. Personally I think the tellers are just plain to lazy. Mine does have a coin machine also.

Have been to stores that do not accept rolls of quarters. How I think I have enough guts to just stand there and unroll the quarters and hand them to the cashier. I get my rolls of quarters from the bank so I know they are good. Can understand stores unwilling to take them since they may not be real.

**mek42** · 05-26-2010, 04:06 PM

Stop rolling them and just take in a big ziploc bag full next time.

If not a customer of the bank, I really can understand a fee for a transaction that takes more than a couple mins.

**baxjul** · 05-26-2010, 04:18 PM

I used to work in a bank, for many years. We wouldn't take change, unwrapped, at all. If we did, it was up to our discretion to count it while the customer was standing there. If she were to open your roll of change, while she was working, to use in her drawer, and it was off then it would go against her.

**2ndGenGranola** · 05-26-2010, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

You think it's weird because you are an honest woman. When I worked retail people would take roll of quarters and put an U.S. quarter on each end and the rest Canadian. At that time of 40% exchange diff. I could lose $4. per roll.

Oh yes. The retail experience. I think everyone needs to spend at least a summer working in the mall or discount store. You can find foreigns coins, as you mentioned, dowel rods, marbles (not all rolls are the flexible paper), pebbles...you name it. I was so shocked about what I learned about people and what they will try that summer.

**daughter of pearl** · 05-26-2010, 04:31 PM

Wow! I had no idea coins were so controversial. I guess in future I will take them to the bank where my account is. I thought by rolling them, I'd be saving the money from the coin machine, but if they normally charge at the banks, maybe not!

**ladytoysdream** · 05-26-2010, 05:46 PM

My bank likes it when people bring their change in a container of some kind so they can put it down through the change machine. No charge last I knew if you are a customer. Not sure if you are not a customer there.

Last rolls of change I *sold* was at the post office. And the clerk was glad to get them. I am a regular there. And the time before that I *sold* them at the gas station, and one of the dollar stores. Again, I am a regular customer at each of them.

I try to use my change when I shop, so I don't have to roll it. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.

**HandyMom** · 05-26-2010, 11:12 PM

My credit union suddenly quit taking all change no matter rolled or not. They installed a change machine outside on the side of the building that charges extra. Since that time, I opened a new account at the bank across the street where they gladly will take rolled coin and will provide the rollers for free. So far, since March, I now have $120 in that account - built solely on rolled change that I empty out of my purse regularly. Oh and I forgot to add that the account was free and I got a $25 deposit as a gift for opening up the free account!

**happymomof4** · 05-27-2010, 06:31 AM

Our bank has a machine to count change. So we just take the change in coffee cans and they dump it in the machine and minutes later they give you the cash. They don't charge you and you don't have to have an account with them. I love local banks!!

I think the tellers get a kick out of guessing how much change you have. My husband says they keep a mental note of what the highest $ was that week for change.

**pita1213** · 05-27-2010, 08:38 AM

We have a small local credit union. The tellers know me by name. I can take them rolled coins and they have no issues with it. THey will give out rollers for free and they will even give me checkbook registers for free. They will take unrolled coins as well as long as I'm not bringing in tons of them. I think it would be great if they put in a change machine with no fees since I wouldn't have to roll anything, but since they are easy going about the coins, I'm not too worried about it.