fast service

I got a text message from Shinhan Bank today, telling me that the bank was sending me my new ATM check card. A warning klaxon went off in my head: I hadn't updated my home address with the bank since 2014, and I had moved at least twice since then. It was 3:40 p.m.; the local Shinhan up the street would close at 4. I lumbered out of the office and made my way to my bank, getting in about five minutes before closing. The guy who seems to be the bank's official greeter recognized me and asked whether I was there to do my usual international wire transfer. I said no; this was an account-related matter. He obligingly punched the correct "take a number" ticket on the ticket dispenser's touch screen and handed me a slip of paper with a big "127" on it. The number being currently served was 124. I had a few minutes to wait.

It wasn't long before I got called to Desk 2, where I sat across from a female teller I'd never seen before. (The female staffers in white-collar jobs never seem to last long; they rotate out fairly quickly, probably after realizing they can do better.) I explained to the teller that I'd gotten a text message saying that a new ATM check card was being sent to me, and that I hadn't updated my residential address with the bank since 2014. The teller took my current ATM card and asked me for my ID, so I gave her my alien-registration card as well. She ended up having to call a few different people, and in the end, the shipped card was cancelled, and the teller printed/stamped out a new bank card for me right there on the spot—a move I hadn't expected. Koreans can be surprisingly efficient when they want to be, and this was one of those times. The teller presented me with my spanking-new ATM card and told me I could scissor up the old card and throw it out.

I thanked the lady for all her efforts on my behalf and left the bank, but not before testing out the new card in one of the bank's ATMs. Everything worked fine, and an hour later, I had the chance to use the new card to make a purchase at the building where I work. Still no hitches. All is well. The card is good through January of 2025. It's nice to be able to write a blog entry about something going right; I normally waste my time bitching and moaning about this or that snafu. I'm happy not to do that this time, and I consider this a good omen for the new year. 2020 might have some hitches in store, but it's starting out right.