Just a short rant on the ATM system in this country. I recently went to dinner with my friend, Brooke. The restaurant only takes cash so Brooke paid as I had only plastic and then we stopped at an ATM so I could pay her back. The ATM itself charged me $2.50 and then my own bank charged me another $2. (There aren’t any branches of my bank in the neighborhood where we were eating.)
I found this extremely annoying. This is my money and I’m being charged to withdraw it by my own bank. (I’m fine with the ATM at a bank I don’t bank at charging me a fee – I’m using a service they’re providing and they get no benefit otherwise because they don’t house my money.) Worse than that, my minimum balance is very high so a good chunk of my money is always tied up to keep from paying a monthly fee. I wonder when a bank will finally get that customers deserve to be treated with a higher level of concern.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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Christa Avampato 
“I wonder when a bank will finally get that customers deserve to be treated with a higher level of concern.”probably when they reach the end of the line and realize that there are no more customers. in other words.. probably never. I do have the fees for ATM usage. I would like to see a report of how much money banks make just from those fees alone. I’ll let you know if I find one, as I’m sure it will be interesting.
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