I'll be there - oh yeah?

Ziggy, sadly, nowadays, that doesn't mean what it says either :(. They weaseled out of that one as well.

 

Hi Daisees,

Unfortunately, the co-op is one I haven't dealt with in the past and have not been able to get their email address. When you phoned up and complained was it to the branch or to the central complaints dept? If it was the branch then you should phone their central complaints dept on 0845 212 212.

When I deal with central complaints of any large organisation I remain polite and point out that the person I am complaining about has treated the complainant like a second class citizen because they are elderly, or disabled or any number of reasons that may be socially unacceptable . It seems to get a much better and quicker response. I uusally say that I don't want to push the disadvantaged side of the complaint but just want to get the problem sorted out quickly.

good luck, if you decide to push it further.

 

I think I have told these Bank incidents before, so excuse me if you already remember them

When I had come out of the RAF I discovered that for 22 years I hadn't really existed to the Banking world. I also discovered I was an "innocent" amongst the Wolves when it came to the Banks. I managed to get a mortgage fairly easily, I must admit, but then in those days they were nearly begging you to get one. However, after several tries of trying to buy a pre-owned house and getting a thumbs down on some really nice properties I tried going for a new property.................and straight away got a thumbs up! So in those days they were pushing first time owners into new houses as a policy to help the building industry.

However, I digress, as this is what I wanted to tell, after a couple of years in the house my wife and I wanted to some improvements and so I went to the Bank. Now if you take into consideration that I had been with that particular Bank nearly 25 years I was fairly confident of getting a loan. So I had to stand in the counter area, explain my needs with every one around listening. I was then given an application form to fill out and the member of staff insisted that I do that then and there. So I did, questions about everything they knew already, which I pointed out, but was told to do it anyway/ So after 20 minutes I'd filled it out and given back to the Assistant, who then vanished into the rear office. After close to half an hour of being left standing at the counter the Assistant returned to tell me that my loan application had been refused on the grounds that I had no real financial debt history, I pointed out that I'd got a mortgage and would therefore be in debt for the next 20 or so years. "Oh No, Sir, we know that, but you haven't got a credit card, you've never had a Hire Purchase account or any other debt. So you don't score enough points as you've got no debt" I furious over the nonsensical logical so I immediately closed my account with that Bank, walked across the street and opened up an account with the Bank I'm with now.
When I explained to the new Bank my reasons for closing my account with the previous one I had a loan within two weeks.

Looking back I don't thin the Bank I'm with now is any "friendlier" or customer orientated. The Banks seem to have got more ruthless and less sympathetic over the years, even though they used your money and my money to invest in complicated deals that were never going to make a profit but only guarantee a fat bonus for them.

 

Well, I used to have a Credit Card, Jack. But a couple of years ago I received a letter from the Credit Card Company saying that they'd changed the rules of paying back. I had a arrangement with the Company that they'd take the full amount of what ever was owed out of my account every month. The letter said that the new rule was that they would only take out the minimum amount and not the full amount. When I rang them to ask them to go back to the original arrangement they told me they couldn't do that as it was now company policy only to take the minimum amount. They also told me that if I wanted to pay off the full amount every month I would have to go to my bank and do it personally. I paid off the full amount, closed the credit card account and binned that little piece of plastic.............best thing I've ever done in a long while.:D

 

ARMANDII, that puzzles me My credit cards are paid off in full each month, by Direct Debit. I never have to bother to go to a bank.

 

I realise I could have gone on the internet to pay the full amount, Daisee, but why should I have done?? The original arrangement was ideal but the Bank changed it's policy for one reason, and one reason only, to catch those people who couldn't be bothered to go to the Bank or make other arrangements and therefore go deeper into debt.

I was surprised to get the letter, Shiney. I had to read the letter a couple of times to get through the Gobbly Gook and realise what they were saying. They'd phrased the letter so that the reversion to minimum payment was almost in passing and very secondary. That's why I rang them and asked if I had interpreted the letter correctly and the Lady on the other end of the phone confirmed that I had. Then, like I said, I asked to go back to the old arrangement and was told they couldn't due to the new company policy but that I could pay off the full amount by making separate arrangements. The letter is somewhere in one of my files and I must dig it out to refresh my memory just to make me angry again.:gaagh::gaagh:

To me it was a sneaky move to catch some regular payers by changing the ability to pay in full every month. I've spent most of my civilian life in a job specifically tasked to deal with Management Bullies, Liars, and plain downright devious, cowardly, greedy people who were bringing a company or organisation down due to their actions. So I hate such devious moves by Banks or Credit card companies................which is the main reason I closed my account, and like I said, it was one of the best things I have done.:yess:

 

Now, ARMANDII, if I were you I wouldn't beat around the bush and say nice things about them . I'd say what I really thought!!!!