To the Editor —
Mi name not important. Mi just a old woman from Spanish Town who work hard, save mi likkle money, and now ah seventy-three years old and trying fi find out if mi have a bank account.
Mi been going to di bank six times since February. Six times. Six different lines, six different forms, six different young people behind di counter wid dem matching shirt and dem patient smile, telling mi to come back wid one more piece of paper.
First time, dem seh mi need a TRN. Mi have a TRN. Mi bring it. Second time, dem seh dem need to verify mi address. Mi bring di light bill. Third time, dem seh di light bill have mi son name pon it because him pay it for mi, so dem need a different bill. Mi bring di water bill. Fourth time, dem seh di water bill more dan three months old. Mi go pay anodda water bill in advance just so mi can have a current one. Fifth time, dem seh di system update overnight and mi profile cyaan find. Come back tomorrow. Sixth time, di branch close early because of staff training.
Now mi reach back today and di young lady behind di counter — God bless her, she try her best — she tell mi seh mi account ah show “active but unverified” and dem cyaan release any funds until di verification clear. Mi ask her how long verification take. She seh she don’t know. Mi ask her who do verification. She seh it process at head office. Mi ask her if mi can call head office. She seh head office don’t take public calls.
So mi sit down inna di branch lobby. Mi nah leaving. Mi seventy-three. Mi work as a cleaner at di hospital for thirty-eight years. Mi pay tax. Mi pay duty. Mi pay every fee dem ever ask mi pay. And now mi cyaan even confirm if mi have a JMD$284,000 dat mi save up for mi grandson schooling.
Di young lady offer mi a chair. She offer mi water. She really sweet. None of dis ah her fault.
But somebody tell mi who fault it is. Because mi tired. Mi really tired.
— A Concerned Citizen, Spanish Town
Letters edited for length. Original spelling preserved where appropriate. The Tradewinds Brief Newsroom does not verify identity of correspondents but does verify that the experience described is consistent with publicly reported customer service delays at multiple Jamaican commercial banks during Q1 2026.