I'll be there - oh yeah?

When in the early years of marriage I was struggling to pay the mortgage, keep my children safe and warm, put food on the table, and pay all the bills, like everyone else, I found the Banks were more of an enemy than a friend. Whenever I strayed into an overdraft the Bank would make it worse by sending me a letter to tell me I was overdrawn, as if I didn't know already!, and charge me £25 for the letter........which is kicking a man when he's down. Having got to the stage of life where I am now I am reasonably comfortably off, but it was a hard struggle and you tend to remember who treated you with a generous heart, and those who did not. Which is why I feel sickened by the hypocritical adverts now appearing on the TV with choirs singing "I'll be there", Banks assuring you they the Friendly Bank, and others presenting the image of being your partner to take you through Life. After all the financial disasters that has happened to the world in the last few years caused by the Banks, they have the unashamed gall and temerity to turn around and tell us they are there for You and for me, or have I got it wrong:D

 

When I was in the RAF I was posted to Aden for two years and my Bank was Lloyds Bank in Suffolk. I been with the bank for around 7 years without any problems, but at that time I was only a Corporal Technician and not all that well paid. Anyway, while out there, in the troubles that were going on, I got a letter from my "friendly" Bank Manager to tell me that I was overdrawn to the princely sum of 1/6d, which in present day money is 2 and a half pence, and would I take steps to pay it back immediately. The postage for that letter cost more than what I owed!! Plus, he informed me that the charge for the letter was £5 and he wanted that paying immediately:gaagh:. I "think" that's when I realised how "friendly" a Friendly Bank was.:D

 

Thy have much to learn, Hydro....................and Life can be painful, but I hope not in your case.:D

 

If only life were that simple!!!!!!!

 

That's OK until the house burns down!

 

Like ARMANDII, I've gone through the stages of having nothing in the bank and the bank charging me to tell me that fact (who hasn't).

Also, when I was running my business they decided to move money from my business current account to the loan account without my permission. Their answer - they were concerned that the business may not be doing well enough to pay the loan! I solved that problem by keeping the loan and opening a current account with another bank - which I got easily enough by hinting that I would move my loan to them . I always counted my fingers after shaking hands with the bank manager :D

Now, also like ARMANDII, I am OK and I can get stroppy with my bank when I feel like it.

On a slightly different point - but still with banks.

I do internet banking and my bank have come up with a 'much more secure' way of doing it. Instead of being able to do my transactions (I love that word ) once I have put in my password they have told me they are doing away with passwords as they can be unsafe. Their more secure way is that I get to that stage and then I press a button on the screen that gets their computer to send me a 'one time' code to use. They send this code, immediately, as a text message to my mobile phone. I then uses that code and it then is no longer usable. Sounds OK!

On their website, and on the letter they sent me about it, they say there will be no other way to do the transactions apart from going into a branch or by telephone banking. For an 'internet' account!!!

I phoned them to point out how ridiculous it was that I can't operate my 'internet only' account without a mobile telephone or using the other two options that they, originally, specifically said couldn't be used for internet banking.

As they weren't able to answer my questions I had great fun insisting on being passed up the chain of command to someone who could. Funnily enough, I ended up with one of their directors of marketing and pointed out how stupid they would appear to be in the media if they insisted that someone who hasn't got a mobile phone can only operate their internet account using the methods they specifically say you can't use.

The next day I was able to use my internet banking using my old method of passwords etc. :yess: