Why I Hate Banks...

...along with a wide assortment of other entities, such as the post office, and the UPS store where I rent a mailbox for business mail, and clients who can't pay in a timely manner.

Friday was the last day I checked the mail. I expected at least one check and there were none. Saturday afternoon we were in the area but I didn't bother to check because the bank was closed anyway until Tuesday.

Granted, we had unusual weather this week. It was cold. It was wet. And there was ice. But I went out anyway to check the mail yesterday because I desperately needed to get a check to the bank. The roads in our neighborhood were icy in spots but once I got a mile out to the highway it was fine. Lots of slush but I could comfortably drive at least 45 mph for the 3 mile trip to the mailbox.

Lo and behold, the UPS store was closed due to weather. I still had a check to deposit which had come to our house instead of the business mailbox so I journeyed on to the bank which is about 9 miles from our house. The trip from the UPS store to the bank in Austin was a breeze. Some slush here and there, and the roads were wet but not at all icy. I got to the bank and they were closed. Again, due to weather. I used the night deposit for my check and wondered to myself why no employees could make it to work when I obviously made it there with no problems. And I would guess they have many employees who live in town where the roads were in better condition than in the outlying areas.

What's funny odd is that the people who do the nightly check processing were obviously working because I had 11 checks bounce overnight. That probably pisses me off more than the UPS store being closed. I can't make a deposit to cover outstanding checks because the bank is closed, and yet they process checks overnight and ding me for $264 in NSF fees. Nice fuckers folks those banking people!

This afternoon I drove back to the UPS store only to find them still closed. There's a part of me that seriously wanted to smash their windows, go in and get my mail, and leave. But the last thing I need right now is to be arrested. Honestly, many people were out and about today. With the temperature hovering around 30, the roads were not going to be that bad, especially the high traffic areas. I'm wondering how many more NSF fees I'll be hit with tonight because the assholes can't be bothered to go mind the friggin' store.

By the time I actually get my hands on those checks -- hopefully tomorrow (the temps should be in the 40s so there are NO excuses this time)-- I'm afraid all they're going to cover are the NSF fees and I'll be right back at square one. Such is life.

Oh, I should mention that I also hate winter. That fine day yesterday was capped with a power outage at our house just as I was assembling ingredients for dinner. So we sat in candlelight drinking tequila & beer and playing cards.