or the time it takes the bank to get permanent checks to them. This, by definition, is not quality customer service.

Bankers are not the only ones that make questionable business decisions.

Last January, my very elderly parents finally had the decision about whether to move into assisted care taken from their hands. My stepfather fell down the basement stairs… he did not take proper care of his Type II diabetes and his blood glucose level was 600 when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) got there. He had double pneumonia, a high fever, and the fall caused a mild heart attack. He was taken to the ICU for several days, then to a rehabilitation center.

My parent had been living in the place they wanted to stay until death for about 40 years. We had been trying to get them into assisted care for years. But home was home. The house had not been properly cared for. We all made trips to Denver to try a

In 1996, my brother and sister-in-law decided to retire… leave the Chicago area. They chose to move to the Colorado desert-mountain city where I live.

As a banker, I’ve heard so many excuses about why businesses fail. However, during this move, I saw at least a dozen, sound reasons that cause either failure or lost profits.

Bob and Lea opened a bank account with a major local bank and wire transferred close to $200,000 from their prior bank. They were given about eight temporary checks. They were told it might take two-weeks to get new checks and they needed to buy new furniture, appliances, a home, draperies, etc. Plus, they had daily living expenses. A banker thought eight checks were enough?

When Bob and Lea retired, they sold everything -- house, furniture, appliances -- and decided to buy all new stuff, from coffee pot to mixer-blender and toaster.

Bob and Lea went to a large furniture store and purchased close to $4,000 in new merchandise (which wasn’t going to be delivered for over two-weeks). When Bob wanted to pay for the merchandise by writing a check, they were told the store did not accept temporary bank checks.

My brother tried to explain in pretty basic terms that the check would have 14-days to clear the bank before the furniture would be delivered, but the young woman had her instructions. It was only because of a sharp salesman who overheard the conversation that the store didn’t lose the entire sale. I can understand why stores don’t accept temporary checks on purchases a person carries out of the store with them. But to not take a temporary check that will clear the bank ten days before the customer has any of the store’s goods in his/her possession is insane.

This is a good example of poor application of a too rigid policy. When Bob and Lea opened their bank account, they were given a debit card. It looks and feels like a credit card, but instead takes money directly from your checking account.

When they purchased two new televisions sets (one 35" and one 25"), a new refrigerator and a new washer/dryer, they gave the salesman their debit card. After all, they had a medium-low six-figure amount in the bank. The amount was denied by the bank. The bank had forgotten to tell my brother that there was a daily $3,000 withdrawal limit on the card and his purchases exceeded that amount.

The branch manager was wonderful... she called the store and explained it was a bank error. But it shouldn’t have happened. It was embarrassing. Not only that, it just isn’t a good way to tell a new customer that his/her banking needs are in good, reliable hands.

There has for years been an inexpensive software program for banks to use which imprints people’s names on temporary checks.

Banks like to talk about how hard they try to improve customer service. They do expensive research... they do focus groups. It might help if they used a little common sense. It might help to go out in the marketplace and try to use your own products to see if merchants accept them. It might help to think of the needs of people new to the community. They require more than eight temporary checks.

It doesn’t take a terribly bright person to figure out that one of the most basic needs people have when they establish a new checking account is access to the money being placed in that account.

It also doesn’t take much research to find out that merchants often don’t accept temporary checks with no name, address, or check number on them. And, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if merchants don’t take the checks a bank is giving customers as “temporary,” new customers are going to be very inconvenienced for the time it takes the bank to get permanent checks to them. This, by definition, is not quality customer service.

Bankers are not the only ones that make questionable business decisions.

Last January, my very elderly parents finally had the decision about whether to move into assisted care taken from their hands. My stepfather fell down the basement stairs… he did not take proper care of his Type II diabetes and his blood glucose level was 600 when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) got there. He had double pneumonia, a high fever, and the fall caused a mild heart attack. He was taken to the ICU for several days, then to a rehabilitation center.

My parent had been living in the place they wanted to stay until death for about 40 years. We had been trying to get them into assisted care for years. But home was home. The house had not been properly cared for. We all made trips to Denver to try an

re and purchased close to $4,000 in new merchandise (which wasn’t going to be delivered for over two-weeks). When Bob wanted to pay for the merchandise by writing a check, they were told the store did not accept temporary bank checks.

My brother tried to explain in pretty basic terms that the check would have 14-days to clear the bank before the furniture would be delivered, but the young woman had her instructions. It was only because of a sharp salesman who overheard the conversation that the store didn’t lose the entire sale. I can understand why stores don’t accept temporary checks on purchases a person carries out of the store with them. But to not take a temporary check that will clear the bank ten days before the customer has any of the store’s goods in his/her possession is insane.

This is a good example of poor application of a too rigid policy. When Bob and Lea opened their bank account, they were given a debit card. It looks and feels like a credit card, but instead takes money directly from your checking account.

When they purchased two new televisions sets (one 35" and one 25"), a new refrigerator and a new washer/dryer, they gave the salesman their debit card. After all, they had a medium-low six-figure amount in the bank. The amount was denied by the bank. The bank had forgotten to tell my brother that there was a daily $3,000 withdrawal limit on the card and his purchases exceeded that amount.

The branch manager was wonderful... she called the store and explained it was a bank error. But it shouldn’t have happened. It was embarrassing. Not only that, it just isn’t a good way to tell a new customer that his/her banking needs are in good, reliable hands.

There has for years been an inexpensive software program for banks to use which imprints people’s names on temporary checks.

Banks like to talk about how hard they try to improve customer service. They do expensive research... they do focus groups. It might help if they used a little common sense. It might help to go out in the marketplace and try to use your own products to see if merchants accept them. It might help to think of the needs of people new to the community. They require more than eight temporary checks.

It doesn’t take a terribly bright person to figure out that one of the most basic needs people have when they establish a new checking account is access to the money being placed in that account.

It also doesn’t take much research to find out that merchants often don’t accept temporary checks with no name, address, or check number on them. And, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if merchants don’t take the checks a bank is giving customers as “temporary,” new customers are going to be very inconvenienced for the time it takes the bank to get permanent checks to them. This, by definition, is not quality customer service.

Bankers are not the only ones that make questionable business decisions.

Last January, my very elderly parents finally had the decision about whether to move into assisted care taken from their hands. My stepfather fell down the basement stairs… he did not take proper care of his Type II diabetes and his blood glucose level was 600 when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) got there. He had double pneumonia, a high fever, and the fall caused a mild heart attack. He was taken to the ICU for several days, then to a rehabilitation center.

My parent had been living in the place they wanted to stay until death for about 40 years. We had been trying to get them into assisted care for years. But home was home. The house had not been properly cared for. We all made trips to Denver to try a

e given a debit card. It looks and feels like a credit card, but instead takes money directly from your checking account.

When they purchased two new televisions sets (one 35" and one 25"), a new refrigerator and a new washer/dryer, they gave the salesman their debit card. After all, they had a medium-low six-figure amount in the bank. The amount was denied by the bank. The bank had forgotten to tell my brother that there was a daily $3,000 withdrawal limit on the card and his purchases exceeded that amount.

The branch manager was wonderful... she called the store and explained it was a bank error. But it shouldn’t have happened. It was embarrassing. Not only that, it just isn’t a good way to tell a new customer that his/her banking needs are in good, reliable hands.

There has for years been an inexpensive software program for banks to use which imprints people’s names on temporary checks.

Banks like to talk about how hard they try to improve customer service. They do expensive research... they do focus groups. It might help if they used a little common sense. It might help to go out in the marketplace and try to use your own products to see if merchants accept them. It might help to think of the needs of people new to the community. They require more than eight temporary checks.

It doesn’t take a terribly bright person to figure out that one of the most basic needs people have when they establish a new checking account is access to the money being placed in that account.

It also doesn’t take much research to find out that merchants often don’t accept temporary checks with no name, address, or check number on them. And, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if merchants don’t take the checks a bank is giving customers as “temporary,” new customers are going to be very inconvenienced for the time it takes the bank to get permanent checks to them. This, by definition, is not quality customer service.

Bankers are not the only ones that make questionable business decisions.

Last January, my very elderly parents finally had the decision about whether to move into assisted care taken from their hands. My stepfather fell down the basement stairs… he did not take proper care of his Type II diabetes and his blood glucose level was 600 when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) got there. He had double pneumonia, a high fever, and the fall caused a mild heart attack. He was taken to the ICU for several days, then to a rehabilitation center.

My parent had been living in the place they wanted to stay until death for about 40 years. We had been trying to get them into assisted care for years. But home was home. The house had not been properly cared for. We all made trips to Denver to try a

s like to talk about how hard they try to improve customer service. They do expensive research... they do focus groups. It might help if they used a little common sense. It might help to go out in the marketplace and try to use your own products to see if merchants accept them. It might help to think of the needs of people new to the community. They require more than eight temporary checks.

It doesn’t take a terribly bright person to figure out that one of the most basic needs people have when they establish a new checking account is access to the money being placed in that account.

It also doesn’t take much research to find out that merchants often don’t accept temporary checks with no name, address, or check number on them. And, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if merchants don’t take the checks a bank is giving customers as “temporary,” new customers are going to be very inconvenienced for the time it takes the bank to get permanent checks to them. This, by definition, is not quality customer service.

Bankers are not the only ones that make questionable business decisions.

Last January, my very elderly parents finally had the decision about whether to move into assisted care taken from their hands. My stepfather fell down the basement stairs… he did not take proper care of his Type II diabetes and his blood glucose level was 600 when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) got there. He had double pneumonia, a high fever, and the fall caused a mild heart attack. He was taken to the ICU for several days, then to a rehabilitation center.

My parent had been living in the place they wanted to stay until death for about 40 years. We had been trying to get them into assisted care for years. But home was home. The house had not been properly cared for. We all made trips to Denver to try a

or the time it takes the bank to get permanent checks to them. This, by definition, is not quality customer service.

Bankers are not the only ones that make questionable business decisions.

Last January, my very elderly parents finally had the decision about whether to move into assisted care taken from their hands. My stepfather fell down the basement stairs… he did not take proper care of his Type II diabetes and his blood glucose level was 600 when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) got there. He had double pneumonia, a high fever, and the fall caused a mild heart attack. He was taken to the ICU for several days, then to a rehabilitation center.

My parent had been living in the place they wanted to stay until death for about 40 years. We had been trying to get them into assisted care for years. But home was home. The house had not been properly cared for. We all made trips to Denver to try and help, but I’m the baby of the family and I’m 69. Bob had to have five by-passes last June. To make a very long story short, my stepfather had ignored water in the basement and mold was now living there. He made a dumb waiter to increase kitchen closet space and left 220 wiring exposed. There were numerous problems caused because of the age of the residents… there were things they just could not do. And the entire house needed to be updated if we were going to sell it for the going market price in that area of Denver.

After an initial meeting with a contractor who could not get it through his head that we did not want to build a new home, just update this one, Bob went to Home Depot. They explained they could replace the kitchen cabinets for about $3,500 and would be glad to do a layout design that would be based on exact measurements. They gave him a time schedule and he paid the fee – about $250 – for the design work.

Bob offered to put $30,000 in a deposit account with Home Depot so my handyman of six years, Myron, could buy whatever he needed to get the house painted, the floors finished, etc. No. They could not do that. Instead, they insisted Bob get a credit card with them.

Maybe that makes sense to you, but it sure did not make sense to me. When someone offers to pay you in advance for your products and work, take the money and let them draw against it. There will be no credit problems or unpaid items. We couldn’t use a credit card because my brother was a five hour drive to the west of Denver and Myron, who was doing the work, couldn’t sign his card (and no one expected him to use his own). Again, an inflexible policy by a big company was working to the company’s detriment.

As things worked out, it was a good thing the credit was extended and the deposit rejected.

Home Depot did not get to the house when they said to measure the kitchen for new tile and cabinets. The drawings – also late -- did not accurately reflect the size of the room, the cabinet space available, and somehow the cost of the cabinets went from $3,500 to almost double the amount quoted.

Myron was living in my parents' empty house as he worked. He coordinated what other workmen did – electricians, tilers, plumbers, etc. We were totally remodeling the entire house. During that process, he heard about four guys who had just started a new business and were very much in demand. The tile guy told him “Every time I do someone’s house, it seems these guys are doing the design, planning, and implementation. Everyone seems to be very happy with them.”

Using computer software they had themselves designed, within forty minutes this small company had the total layout of the kitchen to be remodeled done. They were able to get the cabinets for $3,500. They saved my brother quite a bit of money in other areas of the house, too. Myron says it looks gorgeous!

Big companies – banks or home repair, in this example – just don’t seem to get it. They want customers to fit into their organizational structure, rather than adapting their businesses to fit customer needs. In the good old days, it was pounded into our heads: “The Customer is Always Right.”

The problem in doing business with large companies is their inability to proactively adapt business policies to customer needs. Organizational structure requiring restrictive policies is a major problem for all big companies.

The bigger they are, the greater their inability to adapt business policies to customer needs.

As Adam Smith, the father of capitalism once said: When a company becomes so large it cannot react quickly to customer needs, such a company will eventually fail.

Good