[archived] Do NOT bother with Tangerine Bank...

Tangerine bank would't activate my account because the name needs to match exact on my tax return as on my photo ID but my photo ID has my middle name and my tax return only has my middle initial so they said I need to get the government to use the same exact name spelling for everything or they absolutely will not activate the account.

Here's the thing: the account is open and for their paperwork and for purposes of counting their customers and inflating their own numbers with the CSA - it is already a real and valid account, they indeed verified my documents, they told me the account is open, they just will not activate it and I can't use it for anything at all because of this nonsense. 

I told them I legitimately cannot change how the different government departments label me and the documents submitted were fully legal and were all documents their system had specifically asked for but he said my middle initial doesn't necessarily stand for the middle name that's on my ID that starts with the same letter so they can't verify it's me even though my social security number matches?! 

Then he asked what was the name on my passport so I said I didn't have one and he says, in a seriously snippy tone: "well you could go get one, I'm sure that would work" and I snapped a little and said, "If I could afford one, I'm not sure I'd need this no-fee account and probably the tax return your looking at right now would say more than $🤣k?" (Passports are $160CAD - it was literally a huge expense to buy my required photo ID for $53 )

So Tangerine is owned by Scotiabank I find out. SURPRISE! Let me tell you a story sometime about those assholes... Why does Scotiabank have it out for me so bad?! 🤬

I actually asked CRA about the middle name thing and the lady there said that's petty nonsense, it's not legally necessary, and it's just Scotiabank and Tangerine being morons. She even thought I was pranking her or had maybe misheard.

My thought was perhaps it would be just as easy to get CRA to use my actual middle name instead of just the initial but when even the tax agent said that was just stupid I was like ... you're right. And so I sent a closure request stating that basically even the CRA was laughing at them.

I said to the bank agent: "I literally cannot force the government to change my name to suit your system , I have submitted the exact forms your system claims you require"

I said "but if my account just said my first and last name we'd be fine?" He says yes, so I go "OK remove the middle name then. " And he said "you'll need to submit proof of legal name change" ??? I literally think he's trying to tell me that since the CRA won't change their records to please Tangerine, I should legally remove my middle name so it stops being a problem for his bank? 

I didn't even tell the guy to fuck off directly, I just told him I wanted to speak to someone who actually knew what the hell he was talking about. He said " I can bump you to a supervisor but he's just going to tell you the same thing" and so I calmly said "then he can bump me to *his* supervisor who maybe isn't ridiculous"

He said he'd put me on hold for a supervisor, he then came back to check on me twice, and I hadn't hung up so he said he was having trouble finding a supervisor and that he could put in a ticket for a callback and I said that would be fine and that I'd hold the line for email confirmation. He stuttered and said "ohh, okay" and put me on hold again, then after a few minutes I got the email that my complaint had actually been logged and he came back and I said "I received confirmation, goodbye" and I hung up. 

 I'm now expecting a call and an email apologizing for the shit service and I plan to tell them that not only do I *not* accept any apology: I wouldn't use them if they paid me, would absolutely not recommend them to anyone, and if I meet anyone in the future who does use them - I will tell them this story and recommend they switch institutions asap.

I hope they play back the recording of that agent and either teach him how to read or fire him.

I'm so fucking mad at all of them. It wasn't even a big deal but he was just such a fucking dick about it. It didn't need to be this big thing... 

I got another email that there was a message in the app, it was the same garbage reply as yesterday but I told them to just close it and delete my info, I don't even want to talk to them again.