Bank Refunds Money to Irate Senator (Gregg Robbery)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43389-2003Oct17.html

The day after his wife was abducted and forced to withdraw cash from a McLean bank, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) called the branch manager and chastised her for the bank's "stupid" actions during the robbery and soon was refunded the $4,000 that was stolen, three Wachovia employees said.

The branch manager, Parisa Davoudian, said Gregg hung up on her after demanding to speak to a higher-ranking Wachovia Bank official. Davoudian and two of her employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that a customer who was robbed of her own money, as Gregg's wife was, typically would not be entitled to a refund. They also said that Wachovia officials had decided before the senator's inquiry that the robbery was a customer loss and not a bank loss.

Gregg declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the senator, Erin Rath, said, "We understand the situation has been satisfactorily resolved between the Greggs and the bank."

Wachovia corporate officials would not discuss an individual customer's situation, citing privacy concerns. Of robbery victims in general, Wachovia spokeswoman Sarah Greene said, "We would treat each situation on a case-by-case basis. . . . It wouldn't have anything to do with a customer's status or position in the community."

[jiacinto]

1. Stupid cusomter service

If I were the manager I would fire the employee who did that. I work in retail and I would never treat a customer like that.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Does it depend where the robbery occurs?

They don't want to create precedence. Someone withdraws $50,000.00 and is "robbed" outside the bank....is the bank liable? Maybe in this case, as the robbery happened inside the bank, the bank is insured and liable.

OTOH, what coverage does a person have if he's robbed outside his home?

[jiacinto]

3. I see your point

But frankly this was a crime. And doing this to the Senator's wife is an insult to injury.

Again that person who refused to give the money deserves to be fired. Then agian I am speaking from my retial mindset.

[Jim Sagle]

4. A Democratic Senator would've been told to fuck off,

by the bank AND the media for demanding special treatment. It would've been at least a week-long media scandal.

[benfranklin1776]

9. Yes he would have, plus what a compassionate conservative this guy is, eh?

No thanking the bank employees for taking care of his wife. Nosirree. The very first thing on his mind was the preservation of the greenbacks.

From the article:

"The next morning, five minutes after the bank opened, Judd Gregg called and asked for the branch manager, the manager
said."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Then he exhibits such warmth and tact so typical of the attitudes of the ruling class towards we the lowly citizenry who are "the hired help":
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You guys are so stupid," {the manager} Davoudian said Gregg told her, "to give money to this guy who brings my wife into the bank with a knife." Davoudian said she was shocked by Gregg's comments. She thought he was calling to thank the bank. "I was shaking," she said.

Gregg then asked her, "What is the bank's policy about giving us the money back?" Davoudian said. She said she told the
senator she would have to speak to her boss.

"He said, 'I want somebody calling me back with an intellectual answer,' and he hung up the phone," Davoudian said.

[sandnsea]

5. Somebody on DU was robbed....

I forget who. They called to stop the ATM card that was stolen and the bank didn't do it. I recall a huge mess, days and days of arguing, maybe more. I don't know if they ever did get their money back. And this Senator gets his in a day and it's not status?? Yeah right.

[benfranklin1776]

8. Exactly

The article itself indicates that the Senator was treated in a manner different than that an ordinary customer such as you or I would have been treated in similar circumstances had we suffered such a "customer loss." I have no problem with refunding the money to a customer who loses it in this fashion but that should be the rule which applies uniformly to all people whether they have senatorial status or not.

From the article:

"Three bank employees said that within the hour, the bank had credited the Greggs' account with $4,000. All three said that was unusual, especially after a robbery is classified a "customer loss."

"Why would we have known that this guy was a robber?" asked a Wachovia worker. "You are going and asking for your
money. Why should the bank be responsible?"

A teller said, "The lady gave us her check, the teller gave the lady the money, not the robber. . . . If the teller had hesitated
to give the money, she would have put everybody in even more danger."

A spokesman for the comptroller of the currency, the government agency that regulates banks, said Wachovia probably did
not have to refund the money. "If the bank is following their normal procedures, in all probability there would be no liability"
for Wachovia, spokesman Kevin Mukri said."

[SpiralHawk]

6. Don't shed any tears for JuggHedd, the Granite-brained

Senator from NH. A few years ago -- before being elected to the Senate -- he revealed his character by evicted an elderly, poor and sick widow from one of his NH properties. He was about as cold and money-grubbing in that as a Republican can be. And that's pretty bad.

What goes around, comes around.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Don't shed any tears for JuggHedd, the Granite-brained

Senator from NH. A few years ago -- before being elected to the Senate -- he revealed his character by evicting an elderly, poor and sick widow from one of his NH properties. He was about as cold and money-grubbing in that as a Republican can be. And that's pretty bad.

What goes around, comes around.