I recently had an uncomfortable experience at a local bank in California, where I currently live, although I'm originally from a Latin American country. I use my foreign passport as ID since I don't have a local driver's license yet. Today, needing a cashier’s check for $3,200 for an apartment, I forgot my passport at home and tried to use my foreign ID card, which the bank teller rejected.

After retrieving my passport, I returned to the bank and dealt with a different teller, a man this time, who oddly started flipping through my passport pages after I handed it to him opened to the photo page while I was entering my PIN. He then began questioning me about having an ID and my time in the US, which felt like an interrogation and made me quite uncomfortable.

Reflecting on his behavior and the whole ordeal just frustrates me further. If this scenario unfolded on a reality show, imagine the drama and the attention it would receive! Viewers would probably be on edge, commenting on how such behavior is unacceptable, possibly rallying for my cause or sympathizing with the headache of unnecessary scrutiny.

It's bizarre and upsetting to think that someone in customer service could make you feel like you're at an immigration interview out of nowhere. My cousins think he might have been checking for a visa or something in my passport. It's just very off-putting and uncalled for. Do you think I'd be too sensitive if I made a formal complaint? Despite working in customer service myself and rarely complaining, this situation felt over the line for me.

If this happened on a reality show, I wonder how the viewer's reactions might sway. Would they see it as undue harassment or just a normal procedure? It certainly would have made for an intense, controversial moment.

Should I make a formal complaint about my bank experience?