The phrase "il faut patienter" needs to die

Recently my dad noted how the tone of this blog has changed pretty drastically since I started it in July 2010 when I headed off to Niger with zero expectations and a lot of naivete.  As much as it hurts me to admit it, it's true.  Don't get me wrong: as emotionally and physically difficult as it's been to spend the last 2 1/2 years in West Africa, it's been an absolute privilege.  But there are still things I probably should have accepted a long time ago that still leave me either scratching my head or wanting to tear my hair out.  One of these things is how the concept of customer services does. not. exist.  Why?  There's no real competition, so really, there's no need.  In my town of 30,000 people, we have one bank.  The next nearest one is 3 hours away by bush taxi or bus.  So here's what inevitably happens: you walk into the bank and see about 20 people in line ahead of you, waiting for one cashier.  Of course it's your responsibility to magically determine who the last person in line is, because that person may be sitting in one of the chairs to the side. soaking up the air conditioning (the only comforting aspect of this errand).  There's no taking a number.  Then, you'll wait in line up to an hour for the one cashier, who tells you that no, even though you have expressly written it on the withdrawal slip, you may NOT have petite monnaie/small change because he doesn't have it right there in front of him and/or doesn't feel like counting it when there is such a long line of people.  You try to explain, calmly at first, that you are in fact the client but really, no one cares.  You then say, "would you prefer that I talk to the bank president instead?"  He ignores you, calling the next person in line and leaving you hanging.  You ask for his name, and he refuses.  Heading over the to bank president himself, you explain the situation.  He's sort of sympathetic, even though he acknowledges that counting out all that petite monnaie would have taken the cashier a lot of time.  "Why," you ask, "don't you put another cashier up there (there are multiple windows) if you see the line has 20 people in it?"  "Il faut patienter."  (Be patient, he says).  "Being patient doesn't solve the problem, does it?" you retort.  And again, no one cares.  Incidentally, he asks why you didn't use the ATM outside.  You tried, but a giant Microsoft error message blocked a majority of the screen.  He insists it's still usable.  You ask if the technician was called and he responds, "multiple times."  You wonder if God is good at fixing ATMs, because, well, that's who solves everything.  You'll undoubtedly find out next month.