Getting the attention of big corporations or even governmental agencies can be futile, perplexing and frustrating. Huffington Post has such a story today.
Darren Bryant of Pensacola, Fla. spent hours in what he calls Bank of America’s “phone maze,” getting bounced from person to person, never reaching somebody who could address his situation.
Finally, in one last desperate attempt to get someone’s attention, he uploaded a five-minute video to YouTube in which he explains his predicament and gives his phone number and email address.
“The reason I’m making this video is to get in contact with somebody from Bank of America that can make a decision,” Bryant says in the video, which he uploaded on Monday. He then emailed a link to over a dozen Bank of America email addresses he said he found online.
Within four hours of posting the rant, Bryant got a phone call. It was somebody from the office of David Darnell, president of Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
“She says, ‘We received your video and I’m calling you to see what the deal is and to go over the situation with you,’” Bryant said. The woman asked for his account number and said the bank would investigate.
“She said, ‘We take this very seriously when somebody posts a video.’”
[Source: Huffington Post]
Bryant’s effort to get some assistance isn’t the only time someone has resorted to YouTube to get B of A’s attention.
Bank of America has proven responsive to other videos from its customers. Ann Minch of Red Bluff, Calif., made a huge splash in September when she declared via YouTube that she wouldn’t pay off her credit card debt unless the “evil, thieving bastards” at Bank of America lowered her interest rate. The video went viral, and within a week of its posting an executive got in touch with Minch and agreed to her demand.
(Bank of America announced Wednesday that Ken Lewis would be stepping down.) [Wikipedia] Lewis doesn’t have the problems that Bryant or Minch have. “While CEO of Bank of America in 2007, Kenneth D. Lewis earned a total compensation of $20,404,009, which included a base salary of $1,500,000, a cash bonus of $4,250,000, stocks granted of $11,065,798, and options granted of $3,376,000. In 2008, he earned a total compensation of $9,003,467, which included a base salary of $1,500,000, stocks granted of $4,255,012, and options granted of $2,973,330. (See also Ken Lewis is no dummy.)
It isn’t just banks either. Government agencies with the duty of helping collect child support can be nonresponsive as well. Last month I posted Nevada: Child Support Collection “abysmal.” Karen left this comment to that post:
My child is owed over $35, 000 and I can’t even get a caseworker to return my call after not receiving a single payment in almost a year. I’m just at an absolute loss.
I suggested to Karen that she go public with the problem because government agencies don’t like a light shown on them publicly for failure to exercise their duties. I didn’t think of YouTube at the time else I would have suggested using it.
So, the lesson is, I suppose, that when you get the runaround go YouTube and tell the world.
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