La Caixa staff admits to first and second-class banking tiers
A La Caixa employee allegedly told a mortgage holder that second-tier clients have no right to personal service, sparking debate on Spanish bank treatment.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
La Caixa staff admits to first and second-class banking tiers
A La Caixa employee reportedly told a customer with a mortgage and two accounts that the bank distinguishes between first and second-class clients, stating that the latter are not entitled to personal service. This account, shared by the customer's partner in a forum, highlights an unmasked degradation: waiting three days for human contact only to be categorized. The bank has neither confirmed nor denied these claims.
What being a second-tier client means in Spanish banking
According to multiple testimonies, this classification is not just one disgruntled employee's invention. Industry insiders describe a tonalidad-coded panel on screens ranging from red to green based on client profitability. Savers with €100,000 appear yellow, while migrants with minimal balances are dark red. Calls to 'red' clients are strictly limited to one minute, serving only to meet contractual contact minimums.
The metric is not balance, but FIRE: the profitability each client generates for the entity, according to a branch manager cited in the thread. What matters is not what you have, but what the bank earns from you. Thus, a mortgaged customer with two accounts can be second-tier: high workload, low margin. Conversely, those with linked products, insurance, and funds rise in the hierarchy.
Personal service as a privilege, not a right
Access to a human relationship manager has become scarce. In La Caixa, as in other physical banks, branches are reorganized to filter traffic: staff intercept entrants and redirect them to ATMs; reaching desk areas requires appointments. New branches are designed so inconvenient customers do not disturb operations.
Critics argue this is not exclusive to La Caixa. Poor treatment is seen across BBVA, Santander, and Kutxabank. The difference is degree, not kind. Banking is business: if you generate no margin, you generate no time.
Customer response: flee or threaten
The most common reaction is leaving. After years of fees, loss-making investment funds, and unreachable managers, customers switch entities. Openbank, Pichincha, and other digital alternatives are popular destinations. The core grievance is that traditional banks charge for everything and offer little in return.
Another strategy is pressure. Threatening to withdraw all funds works because employees antiestéticar losing their metrics. It is the only lever left when the tonalidad system has already labeled you.
The complaining customer vs. the resigned one
Some take complaints further. A Sabadell customer reported being charged 1% for full mortgage cancellation, which they deemed illegal under the 2023 Royal Decree-Law. Despite written warnings, the bank dismissed it. The customer proceeded with the sale and filed a formal complaint citing the decree. The case outcome is not detailed here.
The advice is simple: demand written confirmation of tiered status and where the contract excludes second-tier clients from personal service. Prioritizing clients is one thing; lying to them is another.
The tonalidad system does not distinguish between a homeowner and a millionaire. It distinguishes between profit and burden. As long as the bank profits from the burden, the burden keeps its account. Just without a manager, an appointment, or the right to complain.
A La Caixa employee reportedly told a customer with a mortgage and two accounts that the bank distinguishes between first and second-class clients, stating that the latter are not entitled to personal service. This account, shared by the customer's partner in a forum, highlights an unmasked degradation: waiting three days for human contact only to be categorized. The bank has neither confirmed nor denied these claims.
What being a second-tier client means in Spanish banking
According to multiple testimonies, this classification is not just one disgruntled employee's invention. Industry insiders describe a tonalidad-coded panel on screens ranging from red to green based on client profitability. Savers with €100,000 appear yellow, while migrants with minimal balances are dark red. Calls to 'red' clients are strictly limited to one minute, serving only to meet contractual contact minimums.
The metric is not balance, but FIRE: the profitability each client generates for the entity, according to a branch manager cited in the thread. What matters is not what you have, but what the bank earns from you. Thus, a mortgaged customer with two accounts can be second-tier: high workload, low margin. Conversely, those with linked products, insurance, and funds rise in the hierarchy.
Personal service as a privilege, not a right
Access to a human relationship manager has become scarce. In La Caixa, as in other physical banks, branches are reorganized to filter traffic: staff intercept entrants and redirect them to ATMs; reaching desk areas requires appointments. New branches are designed so inconvenient customers do not disturb operations.
Critics argue this is not exclusive to La Caixa. Poor treatment is seen across BBVA, Santander, and Kutxabank. The difference is degree, not kind. Banking is business: if you generate no margin, you generate no time.
Customer response: flee or threaten
The most common reaction is leaving. After years of fees, loss-making investment funds, and unreachable managers, customers switch entities. Openbank, Pichincha, and other digital alternatives are popular destinations. The core grievance is that traditional banks charge for everything and offer little in return.
Another strategy is pressure. Threatening to withdraw all funds works because employees antiestéticar losing their metrics. It is the only lever left when the tonalidad system has already labeled you.
The complaining customer vs. the resigned one
Some take complaints further. A Sabadell customer reported being charged 1% for full mortgage cancellation, which they deemed illegal under the 2023 Royal Decree-Law. Despite written warnings, the bank dismissed it. The customer proceeded with the sale and filed a formal complaint citing the decree. The case outcome is not detailed here.
The advice is simple: demand written confirmation of tiered status and where the contract excludes second-tier clients from personal service. Prioritizing clients is one thing; lying to them is another.
The tonalidad system does not distinguish between a homeowner and a millionaire. It distinguishes between profit and burden. As long as the bank profits from the burden, the burden keeps its account. Just without a manager, an appointment, or the right to complain.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (127 replies).
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