TD values profits over people
Editor:
By now, even those many in our community who do not have internet access, will have learned that some nameless person in TD Canada Trust made a decision to betray the customer commitment they have had to the Creemore community for over 100 years by closing our Creemore branch in a few months time.
That someone probably has little idea of how important the branch is to the businesses and individual customers in Creemore and has even less understanding of the travel challenges for many customers who do not drive and of how often the roads between Creemore and Stayner are closed during severe winter weather.
We all got a nice letter telling us the branch is “moving” and that the bank wants to ensure we all have a “comfortable banking experience”, either by driving to Stayner or using electronic access to get to our accounts.
Of course, there is no thoughtful advice to those customers who have no cars, no mobile phone and no tablet. In other words, tough luck for those particular customers!
Yes, TD says they “value our business” but clearly not a lot when it comes to profits over people.
The loyal customers of the Creemore TD branch have become small items on the bank’s balance sheet and tiny elements of its profits – and nothing more.
The person in TD Management who chose to drive a stake into the heart of our village by closing our branch gave scant thought to its importance to the village and the surrounding community.
TD has been a part of our vibrant culture for at least three generations and its presence has been larger than a simple number of customers who make a contribution to the bank’s overall profits.
It is sad to think that the bank decided to abandon this community and many of its customers, probably because the branch was not generating sufficient profits and is tiny in the total scheme of top management thinking. They might even get a bigger bonus because our branch was closed!
It is also a shame that the bank did not think a commitment to keep an operating ATM in the village might have helped to ease the shock felt across the community when news of the branch closure was announced. I suspect that our ATM may go north to Stayner along with everything else in the branch.
I carefully read the “nice” letter from Tara Clarke and failed to find any reference to how she might be contacted.
It is suggested we try phoning a 1-800 number if we have questions or, if we wish, we can contact the Financial Consumer Agency at a 1-866 number.
I am not holding my breath in the hope that either number would produce a reversal of the sense of betrayal felt by most of the bank’s customers.
Perhaps a Credit Union is our best hope once the dust is settled. They offer great service and seem to really care about their customers and the communities they serve.
Rowlie Fleming,
Creemore.
