The old story of an American millionaire who crafted a quiet tale of comeuppance is going viral online again. The story dates back to 1988, when John Barrier fired his bank after being snubbed for his appearance. Although the incident is decades old, it resurfaced online recently and has since sparked a conversation about the folly of judging people by their appearances.
The snubbed millionaire
The story goes that in 1988, a man named John Barrier walked into Old National Bank (now US Bank) in Spokane, Washington. He had been doing business with the bank for almost 30 years.
That day in October 1988, Barrier went to the bank straight from a construction site. He was still dressed in his shabby work clothes.
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At the bank, he cashed a cheque for $100 and asked the teller to validate his parking. The teller refused to do so.
According to fact-checking website Snopes, a news story at the time reported Barrier as saying that the teller and her supervisor both refused to validate his parking.
Read an excerpt from the news article below:
{{/usCountry}}According to fact-checking website Snopes, a news story at the time reported Barrier as saying that the teller and her supervisor both refused to validate his parking.
Read an excerpt from the news article below:
{{/usCountry}}“She told me the bank only validated parking tickets when a customer made a transaction and that cashing a check wasn't a transaction," said Barrier. The millionaire said he asked the teller to call a bank manager, who also refused his request.
"He looked me up and down and stood back and gave me one of those kinds of looks," said Barrier, turning up his nose to imitate the manager.
"I said, 'Fine, you don't need me and I don't need you.'"
Barrier withdrew all his money and took it down the street to Seafirst Bank.
"The first check he brought me was for $1 million," said Dennis Veter, vice president of Seafirst's main Spokane branch. "You'd never know by looking at him, but you or I should be so lucky."
Millionaire changes banks
Snubbed over his appearance, an insulted John Barrier withdrew his money from Old National Bank and took it to Seafirst Bank.
Barrier had made a small fortune in the construction industry, but Old National lost his account due to their staff’s behaviour.
His story is now going viral again, with internet users calling it a cautionary tale and a “million dollar lesson”.
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