LETTER TO THE EDITOR: More of the Truist story

Pine Knoll Shores

Feb. 16, 2023

TO THE EDITOR:

For perspective, let me start this note with accolades for the old BB&T! I had many years of good, competent service. I miss those people. I do not know how many are still employees of Truist, but I did note most seemed to be gone shortly after Truist showed up. Along the way, I did hear a rumor that SunTrust was turning into Truist to hide a lousy reputation and “use” BB&T's good reputation!

Tuesday morning, Feb. 14th, 2023, I was surprised when I got a phone call from Truist's Client Advocacy office in Whiteville. They knew about the letter to the News-Times Editor I wrote even before it was published by the paper. When Wednesday's New-Times came, I learned about the editor’s note. That was appropriate fact checking on the part of this paper, but it also showed my reported problems were real.

My phone conversation with Truist's Client Advocacy was professional. No angry words were uttered by either party. Interestingly it was supposedly a recorded call. After some time, the Truist person wanted to know if I would like a $5.00 cash card for my troubles. I was stunned. As I wrote in my published letter, I had spent 15 hours as of Friday, February10th, trying to get my on-line account back operational! This offer indicated that Trust valued MY TIME at 33 CENTS an HOUR as I tried to cope with their mistakes! I asked for, and after checking with a supervisor, I was given an address in Richmond VA. I sent an invoice to that address. Let's see what happens to that!

I responded that such an offer was an insult for all the heartache and disruptions Truist had caused many people, not just me. Truist quoted comments to the paper claimed, “a small group of deposit accounts.” That is not what I had been told by a corporate person I called in the On-Line Banking department. They said thousands of trust, estate, and other accounts had been impacted. I did not put this in my first letter, but it is now needed to distill “truth.” In the course of my calls to Truist corporate numbers, I was told by TWO Truist employees that the only way I could get my on-line account operational quickly would be to take my money out of Truist and go to another bank!

This week I turn 82 years old. My experiences in life include my grandfather, Otto Nilsen, who was a skilled carpenter and my years in Procter and Gamble management. I said to Truist in the phone call and in my note to Richmond, the following:

1. Obey the Carpenter's Rule: Measure three times and cut once!

2. Communicate with your employees and customers, honestly and timely.

3. The P&G guiding motto in my time there was: Manage by Objectives, But Judge By Results.

To end the call, I suggested Truist test the words of its advertising campaign (objectives) against how the realities of this past week's fiasco were defined by real results!

After checking several times over the weekend, and then Monday morning, it was 10 a.m. Monday morning, with NO contact from Truist, my On-Line Checking became visible. At that time I was walking out the door to go to Truist and take my money out of Truist. By Monday afternoon I was back functioning at a different bank! Oh yes, during the phone call, Truist said they had been “in a hurry.” I guess it is reasonable to remind Truist of the old saying, “Haste Makes Waste.!” Nuff said!

RICHARD SEALE

Editor's note: The original letter to the editor was printed in the Wednesday, Feb. 15 News-Times