Oh dear, what can the matter be?

So the day i gave birth to my first child i worked all day, including running the swimming program for our entire school, then came home and made dinner, then went to an aerobics class (low impact, pregnancy aerobics) and then came home and felt miserable. Actually, I'd felt perfectly miserable all day. But no one knew it. Cuz i didn't complain. Then when I went in to full on labor, I was home alone. So, it sort of seemed like labor, so I called the hospital. They said not to worry and to relax. So I tried. But then I felt worse and worse r, so I called back. They again told me it would be hours, if not the next day. So, I was compliant and waited Til my husband came home and simultaneously, I started bleeding and he just called them and told them we were on our way. We barely made it. But we did. And all was well. But later, when i asked them why they didn't believe me when I said I thought I was in labor- they said it was because i was so calm on the phone. They said, anyone going through that stage of labor should have been way more agitated. I couldn't believe it. I said, "but I was TRYING my heart out to be calm, so you wouldn't think i was hysterical. and i didn't call earlier because I assumed you'd tell me it was too soon, then. I waited to call til I was completely sure I needed to call. i guess I'd hoped you'd take me seriously instead of assuming I didn't know what I was talking about.

So the reason I tell you this story is to illustrate a flaw i seem to have. I keep pretty quiet about things that concern me until I reach the state of overload. I wait too long to react and then when I do, sometimes people think I must not be all that serious because I never spoke up before. And they underestimate me I think. Because for the most part, I'm nice and I don't complain until I feel it's absolutely necessary.

So a about two weeks ago, I switched banks. the day i recieved my debit card and checks in the mail, i also got a promotion in the mail about a cash reward when you opened the account. So i took the little card and I went to my new bank and said I'd like my reward, please. The manager told me no. Said I would have had to have had that card the day I opened the account. So I was nice. But i Quietly with a smile, pleaded my case. And he said there was nothing he could do. he didn't take me seriously.
He rather "politely" ushered me out, figuring that this quiet, little old lady in his doorway would leave it at that.

Well, he was wrong. I was quiet, but I was mad. it didn't seem like they should treat people like this and i quietly stewed for an afternoon and evening And then, i decided that if they treated me this way, they'd treat other people this way and so, i consulted higher authorities and lo and behold, I got my reward. And I'm going to guess that the branch manager is now getting demoted, if not losing his job. not that I asked for that, but i made it quite clear that this was not a good customer experience and they shouldn't want those kinds of interactions in their banks.

And the point to me isn't that i should or shouldn't have been upset, but that i wonder if when I am upset, I should say so more immediately instead of thinking that people will take me seriously just because I've said something.

I mean, I don't want to be a scary, pushy, forceful person all the time. I'm actually pretty laid back and easygoing until something stands out To me as concerning. I'd guess I'd just prefer that people take me seriously and/or do the right thing, just because they should.