British Banking
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- normal
British banks suck ass in the ass, sorry I'm a foreigner and the banking system here is still medieval.
Went to the supermarket last night had a cart full of shopping go to pay, my card was declined. That's strange I KNOW i've got money in my account. Everyone says that right, but it's not nice to be standing there in line like an asshole with your shopping and a declined card is it? There was nothing I could do so I left called my bank and told them what happened. They said that I had been issued a new card, which I hadn't received so they cancelled my old card. But the thing is in this country a fairly high percentages of cards are "lost" in the post, it's happened to everyone I know at least once. So now I've got a cancelled card no access to money, and the nearest branch is 4 miles away.
They are going to get sent a bill. Someone is going to pay for my inconvenience. Now it's going to take another 10 days to get a another new card that might not come. It's all fucked up.
But seriously banking in this country is a joke. You aren't treated like a customer you're treated like a liability. 3-5 days to clear a check and transfer money to a different bank?! What is up with that shit? So they can make more record profits off the float? No cashpoint deposits. No deposit slips available to customers in the branch so you have to wait in fucking line to deposit money. Because of fraud. I love how they punish 99% of the population because of the 1%. Inefficient time wasters.
end rant.
- vespa0
i can't disagree with any of that. british banking sucks. have you been stuck on a half hour automated "your call matters to us, please wait in line" call yet? or tried to make an international transfer to the tune of £25 - £45? i've lost my will to fight after 6 years, but it fucken bites.
- pixelbreaker0
who cares, it's only money
and we spell it "cheque"
- patnoodle0
Can't disagree with you at all. I've had 29 years of this shit, now I want out.
- Nairn0
I believe it probably depends on the bank - mine's never cause me any significant problems over the past 14 years. In fact, it if it weren't for their lenience and trust I could have been in a lot of trouble.
And trust me when I say, I am utterly useless with money.
But then, it is a Scottish bank.
- Bottlerocket0
Get used to it. The flipside is nearly fee free banking, a robust and stable baking economy and accounts that stay open almost indefinately..I know when I move back to Oz, i'll be able to keep my accounts here open for virtually free.
Had to shut downall my australian ones when I moved out here.
- JazX0
ship it elsewhere. Offshore, Bermuda, Sri Lanka. Switzerland even.
- _smk0
it really does depend on the bank.
I myself have the shitest of shit british banks, the Clydesdale - where when they fuck up your account and you have to increase your overdraft to cover their charges they go on and charge you £40 just to change your OD limit.logic?
nae chance.bastards.
- normal0
Yeah, but I'm used to cheap, efficient, friendly, black and white american banking.
You can do things like go to the cash point put a cheque in an envelope put your card in the machine tell it how much the cheque is for, it even asks if you would like to take money out against what you're putting in the machine, slip the envelope into the machine and your cheque is in your account by midnight that night.
I mean being a member of a modern economy it matters how fast you can move money around. 3 days to clear a check and 3 days to transfer the money is 6 working days for money to change hands. That is ridiculous.
I'm still waiting since this morning for a call back from my bank. Why is it that everytime they say they are going to call you back they never do?
But I know what's going to happen, they are going to cancel the card that I never got, issue a new one and I'll have to wait for 10 working days because of their fuckup. What am I going to get, a bunch of flowers?
Sorry, most of you are used to this having lived with it for most of your life and don't know any different. For me in 4 years I still haven't adjusted.
- normal0
don't even get me into charges...
You do realise that all bank charges for going over your limit or whatever are technically illegal? They get away with it because people allow them to get away with it.
If you write a letter to them contesting the charge they will refund the money. Everytime.
- clint0
i had to wait about half a year for my new pin code:
got sent to my old address, got sent to my branch on the other side of town, got lost in the post, finaly they managed to send me a new card but still no pin code.
after a few personal appearances at their branch with their chronic queues and countless phonecalls in waiting loops i finaly got there...and yeah, sending money abroad is a nightmare.
banks seriously suck in the uk.
i think the robust uk banking system only applies to big money and corporations. they give a shit about personal accounts.
by the way, the newish natwest red logo looks like something out of a seedy club or so... i prefered the old clean white one.
- ribit0
I was able to keep my free bank accounts in Oz...
Germany has one of the best bank system I've used, base account fees are a bit high, but all the electronic stuff works really well... paying anyone in Germany or continental Europe for almost free with just their account number and sort code (via ATM or online) and they had some of the best internet banking systems (good design and usability) years ago. Most businesses in Germany that we have worked with wont accept cheques, and just send us their account/sort/IBAN number and thats it... seems most streamilined/modern system anywhere.
US banks seem the worst, with antiquated online banking systems that can't do very much, and over-reliance on 'paper trails ' and cheques.
British banks seem to have fairly amateur-ish design/usability for their internet banking... but worst is the outrageous penalty charges for going over overdraft limits (there have been some calls for these to be reviewed?)
- normal0
That's what I mean about the penalty charges. UK banks are taking the piss with customers as I mentioned if you write a letter the charges are dropped everytime because technically it's illegal. Not "illegal" persay but something against EU banking code, there is a loophole that they exploit. Trying to find a link.