The meaning of bank fairness

(We can't do that because....)

'To be fair to all our customers we'd have to do the same for everyone.'

Said the man from the bank's credit card collection service, when I asked him to reduce my interest charge so that more than 50% of my payment each month would go towards reducing my debt rather than into their pockets. (Only what other credit cards have agreed to)

I laughed out loud and asked him to think about what he'd just said.

So you admit then, that being fair to your customers, would mean doing this for all of us?

No no no.

He of course meant the kind of 'fair' that is treating everyone the same.
Which includes, it seems, treating everyone equally badly.

(He had no sense of humour about this, just scrabbled to define what he meant)

Dictionary definitions I've just consulted say that absence of bias, is indeed the first meaning of 'fair'. But closely followed by the idea of 'justice'. The OED adds 'appropriate in the circumstances'. Dictionary. com  adds 'free from dishonesty'.

Mr credit card collection man.
It may be 'fair', as in non-biased, to treat all your debtridden customers equally unhelpfully.
However. That doesn't make it just, honest, or appropriate given the circumstances.

(Luckily, after writing this last night I didn't post it which has given me a chance to delete a whole section about why my experience with banks does not show them to be just, honest or acting appropriately. However 'of the moment' this topic is, it's hard for me to separate my subjective anger from the objective analytical anger I'd need to write well... so I should probably give it more time than I normally give my blog posts. It's a whole can of worms I'm going to leave for another time.)