Boo to bureaucratic banks

I've just made two phone calls about paying for aunty's new sheltered housing, one to a county housing office about rent, and one to a bank about paying things.

1. The county officer was helpful. :-) Despite already owing rent, she's going to send me forms, and will let the rent officer know, so they won't hassle aunty.
   
2. The bank phone call was automated. :-( It took two tries to get a human. He said he knew what Legal Power of Attorney was, but then told me to go into aunty's branch with a letter of authorisation from aunty, some id for me and some id of hers. I explained I couldn't go into her branch as I live a long way away. He didn't know where the two towns were. (How can you sound gormless? I always thought it was the way someone looked.) So tomorrow I'll go into the local branch armed with all the documentation and ask for what I want to run her account.
   

So which organisation was efficient and helpful? The public sector one or the private one? People malign the public sector, but it was the public organisation that was efficient, human, friendly and understood my problem, not the bank.

Boo to banks.