Banks ... and now HSBC are mumbling about charging to use a cashpoint.
Banks! They take your money then charge you for you to get at it while they invest it for themselves. Then they start up a call centre and tell you it’s for your own good – all in the name of improved customer service. Last week I rang a bank I don’t even deal with just to find out their credit card rate and I couldn’t get it because the machine wouldn’t let me pass without me giving my birthday! What the hell do they need that for? Why so intrusive?
I remember when cashpoints were put into walls. the banks made a load of people redundant becuase they didn't need them any more now that the hole in the walls were so easy and accessible and they guaranteed they would be free. Sheer greed, HSBC. Sheer greed.
You ring up and a machine wants your account number, your telephone number or your birthday and puts you through to another voice and more options, who then put you through to more options and then on hold. When a person answers, they ask you for the same information that you’ve already given and if you want to speak to another department they ask for it too. When does the consumer start being taken seriously?
A bank has to make money, and it’s crucial that they do - that in itself is fair enough. If the banks start to struggle, the economy will lose confidence and that’s bad for us all. And if banks start to go under, we’re all in deep shit! It’s about being realistic and the consumer getting a fair deal.
I remember when cashpoints were put into walls. the banks made a load of people redundant becuase they didn't need them any more now that the hole in the walls were so easy and accessible and they guaranteed they would be free. Sheer greed, HSBC. Sheer greed.
You ring up and a machine wants your account number, your telephone number or your birthday and puts you through to another voice and more options, who then put you through to more options and then on hold. When a person answers, they ask you for the same information that you’ve already given and if you want to speak to another department they ask for it too. When does the consumer start being taken seriously?
A bank has to make money, and it’s crucial that they do - that in itself is fair enough. If the banks start to struggle, the economy will lose confidence and that’s bad for us all. And if banks start to go under, we’re all in deep shit! It’s about being realistic and the consumer getting a fair deal.
posted by puppetshadow @ 10:36 pm
4 Comments:
At 17/8/06 6:34 pm,
Anonymous said…
i wanted to buy some euro yesterday from my bank (nationwide) so i went into the branch and asked for the exchange rate. they couldn't tell me because it was all done centrally. i rang up today and after speaking to the fifth person, finally got the rate. Of course, i bought them from the post office yesterday when i left my branch but i just wanted to make sure i wasn't being ripped off, and i wasn't. i guess they weren't so keen on the business.
At 17/8/06 6:42 pm,
puppetshadow said…
if they make it that hard, they can't want the business. they have the ad that says 'dunno what the rate is' and the fat guy laughs so i guess its appropriate.
At 17/8/06 9:27 pm,
Anonymous said…
i went to a local bank, got back to work and realised I'd lost my keys. I phoned the bank - a central number, but they couldn't put me through to the branch as I didn't have an account there. However, I could phone my own bank (First Direct) and request clearance to be put through to the branch! I could only stop laughing long enough to tell the woman that the world had gone "procedure mad" - I just needed to check if they had my keys! When asked if she thought that made sense she could only answer that they were the rules she had to follow. Obviously no scope for dealing with scatty punters! Woe betide anyone with human failings :-)
Luckily the humans at the branch (when I walked back there!) tried to be more helpful.
At 18/8/06 6:54 pm,
puppetshadow said…
someone makes up these rules. be great to find out who wouldn't it. problem is, the people who do these things are ourselves - we screw each other in the name of the man! and then go home and moan at someone else doing it.
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