Sorry, I thought this was a forum for grown-ups who had some clue as to how business operates. Obviously not, when even the "moderator" cannot reply without being personal! If you want treated wih respect, then try at least to treat others in the way you wish to be treated. Your brainwashed, chablis drinking, over-paid, soul-selling ex-forum member - not that you'll miss me BTW It takes two to settle - obviously the lure of ££££ has been too great!

Cheques: So, you'll trust the Post Office to deliver your envelope with your £250 cash to an address at the other end of the country? Good Luck! Granny tried the shoebox and got burgled! Shoeboxes cannot refund customers where a legitimate claim exists - ever had your credit/debit card cloned? Or had someone misuse your card details on the Internet? Once you proved the transactions weren't yours, did the Bank refund your cash? It all has to be paid for! Fraud costs the Banks over £400 Million a year. And next time you need cash at 11pm when in town, don't bother with the convenient ATM around the corner, just drive home to make a wihdrawal from the shoebox. When was the last time you heard of an armed robbery on a wages delivery truck? If you prefer cash, just lift it all out of the account on the day you get paid, obviously leaving a penny or a pound in (whatever your particular bank requires to keep the account open) and you won't attract any charges - or interest. Did you have the cash to buy your house? (If you did you were lucky). You could always try a Finance Company if you don't like Banks...... £35 for bouncing a cheque? Better than jail. The customer is always right until he/she breaks the law. Writing a cheque without the funds to back it up in your account is against the law, would you prefer a court appearance?! There is more to Banking than automated charges. Charges: Banks generally make these when you don't operate the account in line with the T's and C's, i.e. UNAUTHORISED overdraft, so if you read them, you should have known to keep in line with them to avoid charges. ATM's etc. Different totals on the same day is not entirely unexpected. Despite technology, things don't always happen instantly - sorry. Glad you enjoy having a Banker to have a go at, but you can't have the advantages of a modern banking system with it's attendant security and services that you use daily and expect us not to charge, particularly when you break the contract.

Pity you don't have much comment from those who actually work in Banks. All I've read so far is "a friend of mine used to work in ....." or " I USED to....." I do currently work for a Bank, albeit not your regular High Street Bank. I know you'll have heard this before but did you read what you were signing up for? No, I thought not. The consumer never does, then cries "foul" when it all goes pear- shaped. Whether the terms and conditions are/were unfair or not, you are all grown-ups and can legally enter into a contract. If you signed without reading, and I'll bet this applies to 99% of you, what can I say? At the end of the day, the Banks have a responsibility to their shareholders to return a profit - a fact of life of any large PLC. How it is made, from the shareholders perspective, is irrelevant, so if "fair" charges are implemented, and this impacts on the bottom line, profits will have to be made elsewhere. Whether this is by reduced returns on customer investments or the end of "free" banking - how does a £100 annual charge for your credit/debit card or a £0.50 charge for every cheque written sound?( Cheques: out-dated and another source of customer complaint, although customers seem happy enough with 3 day clearing when paying for groceries by cheque in Tescos a couple of days before payday!) The Public has no idea what Banks have to do in terms of providing a service, fraud prevention, etc, etc. Try a couple of Google searches: Basel II, Sarbanes-Oxley, Corporate Governance, Anti-Money Laundering, Data Protection, Banking Anti-fraud and have a look at the FSA web site, not to mention the IT issues. The Good Fairy doesn't pay for it all! All this and "treating the customer fairly". Have you ever worked with the public?? If you have then you know how hard it can be, a good few of them make a hobby out of complaining and, of course, are ALWAYS right!