Can I use your restroom?

Egay Uy .

I FULLY understand that banks must exercise extraordinary diligence in safeguarding their clients’ and depositors’ money that somehow a basic ingredient of providing service is deliberately omitted or just neglected.

I posted on Facebook a few days ago about the bad experience of my wife Juliet Uy had at BDO-Divisoria.  My post reads: “Shouldn’t a bank branch provide for a comfort room for its clients, especially the seniors? My wife, Juliet Uy, went to BDO Divisoria just this afternoon (June 25) to withdraw some amount of money and while she was waiting for her turn to be called, she felt the need to relieve herself and asked a security guard for the comfort room.

“Lo and behold, she was referred to the comfort room of Jollibee on the other side of Divisoria. She asked a teller who replied, ‘Dili man gyud na ipagamit sa clients, Ma’am.

“Although it does not necessarily follow that Juliet is a senior because I am, but yes, she is. When I was told about this incident, I could not imagine a senior citizen — client of a bank that finds ways (daw) – being told to use the comfort room of another establishment ACROSS TWO STREETS.

“This is the bank that consistently causes congestion in Abejuela corner Velez streets because it has appropriated, illegally, the sidewalk as its own commercial parking area.

“BDO’s tag line is We Find Ways. Yes, you do find ways to make your clients’ lives difficult.”

I need not reproduce here the comments generated by this post.  I just hope the management of BDO-Divisoria, or other BDO branches for that matter, will find ways to make the life of their clients INSIDE their banks more convenient.

While I understand that banks are probably the most security-conscious firms among business establishments around, it is never a good practice to refer one’s clients to the restroom of another establishment two streets away.  They can reconfigure their office layout in such a way that access to their comfort rooms by clients, or by anybody else from the lobby, is limited.  And they have guards to ensure this.

At any rate, one reason I transferred my account from one bank (not BDO) to Metrobank in Corrales Avenue fronting the XU Gym is Metrobank’s spacious parking area unlike that of BDO that uses the sidewalk, Metrobank’s personalized and accommodating service, and yes, I can use the restroom.