Dont take things out on bank staff

[tabit]

i understand where you guys are coming from. but you have got to get one thing clear, your understanding of banks organisational structure. charges are generated automatically and not by the branch where your account is domicilled, so going in and shouting at the staff is not going to do you any favors. the staff have no control to answer to your demands of "give me back my money now or i will take you to court" doing this simply intimidates them, they are just doing a job and will pass on your complaint to the departments that have been set up to handle them. if you are asked if you want to deal directly with these departments do so, it will make things quicker.

 

when in a short time free banking ends in this country, don't complain about it. you sowed the seed for it and fed it well.

 

one morething, in other parts of the world if you go overdrawn without authority... unauthorised borrowing, it is an offense, on the same level as theft, and you will go to jail. here you just charged. don't think for one moment that companies that pay collectively £25 to £30 billion in tax to the state will not get something in return. society seems very short sighted these days, that will come back to bite us all.

 

but please dont take it out on the staff.

[Guest louis wu]

I think there is something that YOU need to understand, the type of behaviour you seem to be alluding to IS AND NEVER HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY THIS SITE.

 

You show a complete lack of understanding of what is being done here, and quite frankly your comments are quite insulting.

 

I suggest that unless you have an ulterior motive for making this post, you refrain from posting misinformation and learn what we are all about.

[mauritius]

Good point tabit but isnt it true that staff do have the power to refund charges? Ive heard lots of cases where challenging bank staff has produced refunds. You have a valid point about them just doing their jobs though, its easy to shout at people on the front line, even though its not them that decide these charges!

 

Why on earth should we be charged a fee for having a bank account though? our money has to go somewhere!

[mauritius]

I was trying to stay on the line! good on you louis wu!

[kippy2]

obvious from your post that you work for a bank....if this is the case then have you told admin/mods this as all bank workers have to before they can start posting i will alert them to this post

[tabit]

no staff don't have that sort of authority, not on the front line anyways, bank control cost so tightly now they don't give those powers to the people at the very bottom, which is where the frontline staff are. banks will start charging for things like get a new card if you lose yours etc, this will happen. what happens in the US, they have to buy their cheques...

 

louis wu wheres the insult or do you enjoy SHOUTING at people.....

[kippy2]

. you sowed the seed for it and fed it well.

 

 

ummmmmm no the banks did not the consumers only have to look at their profits

[tabit]

i no longer work for a bank but a local council. i left due to the sales culture no longer the industry it once was.

[tabit]

only have to look at their profits

 

would you put you money in a bank that made a loss.......

[kippy2]

i certainly dont bank with the ones that rip me off with these unlawful charges. and i have closed down three accounts coz of it.

 

why are you posting on here in clearly what you are doing is defending the banks

[Guest louis wu]

charges are generated automatically and not by the branch where your account is domicilled, so going in and shouting at the staff is not going to do you any favors.

 

Your own words. Where on this site have you seen that type of behaviour encouraged?

 

Also, 'charges are generated automatically'. Do you conceded then that these are penalty charges? If so then

 

'when in a short time free banking ends in this country, don't complain about it. you sowed the seed for it and fed it well'

 

seems a contradiction. If we are being charged a penalty, where is the FREE banking?

 

Which brings me onto this, why are you here? You must know what this site is for, and if you disagree with it, then why register and post? Obviously, its your time and you can spend it anyway you want, just seems odd to me.

 

Finally, please dont start the, 'if you go overdrawn you deserve the charge....' line, we get them from CURRENT bank employees, and dont need it from a (?) ex one.

 

PS if you made the misconception that by using CAPS I was shouting directly at you, then accept my apology. It was not my intention to cause offence with CAPS, I just dont know how to highlight/make bold a statement. Hope that clarifies that point and make you feel less unloved.

 

Louis

[mauritius]

i certainly dont bank with the ones that rip me off with these unlawful charges. and i have closed down three accounts coz of it.

 

why are you posting on here in clearly what you are doing is defending the banks

 

 

Kimmy, whats your secret? do you use a bank that doesnt rip you off? ;-)

[blazing-badger]

Strange, the line about unathorised borrowing being a crime in some countries seems to be the banks latest defence. How long is it since you left the industry, Tabit

[katesage]

OK calm down people!

 

Welcome Tabit, you make some good points about treatment of bank staff. We do not encourage our members to be confrontational towards branch staff, as I understand it, branch staff do not have the authority to refund more than £50 approx and we encourage people to be polite in their dealings with bank staff.

However,

'when in a short time free banking ends in this country, don't complain about it. you sowed the seed for it and fed it well.'

 

is a statement likely to offend our users, because these charges are unlawful and should never have been taken in the first place, let alone prop up free banking for the UK population at the expense of the more vulnerable in society.

 

I assume Tabit that you are here to reclaim bank charges? If so you too will be part of the Consumer Revolution to end unlawful charges and you are very welcome, if for any reason you are not here to reclaim charges and wish to pass comment on the end of free banking, then it is likely this will create alot of hostility and antagonism, so I would ask you politely, not to do so.

 

Can you please now start a thread in the forum of the bank you are claiming against?

 

Please no further arguments on this thread from any users please.

[kippy2]

Kimmy, whats your secret? do you use a bank that doesnt rip you off? ;-)

 

no...keep it all under my mattress like grandma used to do

 

anyway might be a good idea to close this thread as its getting nowhere

[Guest louis wu]

Thank you for some calming words Kate.

 

Yes I was wound up, and reacted instintively, not reflectively.

 

I am now relaxed, and if my words/conduct caused offence I apologise.

 

I do not apologise for my passion regarding this site, but that is another story.

 

Louis

[mrsfoot]

"One morething, in other parts of the world if you go overdrawn without authority... unauthorised borrowing, it is an offense, on the same level as theft, and you will go to jail"

Can you give an example of this please?

 

"charges are generated automatically" Nice of you to admit this! "and not by the branch where your account is domicilled, so going in and shouting at the staff is not going to do you any favors. the staff have no control to answer to your demands of "give me back my money now or i will take you to court" doing this simply intimidates them"

I agree, no one should be made to feel intimidated for doing their job. This behaviour is not condoned on this site, we advise all complaints be sent to complaints section at head office and not local branches.

 

"when in a short time free banking ends in this country, don't complain about it. you sowed the seed for it and fed it well"

 

Free banking will do one thing, take money from the poor. To openly tell the public that account which have less than £1500 per month put into them will incur a charge shows that yet again the average consumer will be hit and hit hard. Homes which have income of less than £21k per year will pay this fee, yet those with higher income will not? This will be the downfall of British banking. Each household will combine accounts in order NOT to pay the fee, meaning half the amount of accounts are in jeopardy. Those vulnerable (pensioners, benefits, adults with health issues) will pay.....and yet it was the Government who decided that the money these vulnerable people get should be paid into an account, so bring on the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and the right of appropriation, as this will be the next fight that i, with others, will personally take for vulnerable people.

 

I really understand you thread title, and agree no one should take out their frustrations on staff, but please dont try and justify penalties by using the tax the banks pay to the Gvnmnt. Smokers pay huge amounts of tax to the Gvnmnt but that doesnt mean they can start asking for non smokers to pay penalties for wanting clean air!

[mrsfoot]

Sorry Kate, just saw your post after i posted mine!

[MARTIN3030]

No apologies should be needed......only maybe to over 110k members of cag who have had to come here in order to claim back charges..........The ones who should be apologising are the ones who took customers money threatened to close accounts and in some cases registered defaults on account of the customer not being able to pay unlawful charges !!

 

Lets not forget why we dont need to feel we have reasons to feel sorry for our threats of court action.......in every case that has meant refunds.......who is the guilty party here ?

[mochamoo]

"One morething, in other parts of the world if you go overdrawn without authority... unauthorised borrowing, it is an offense, on the same level as theft, and you will go to jail"

Can you give an example of this please?

!

 

 

I am not joining this discussion other than to answer the above

 

 

In Dubai (United Arab Emirates) It is illegal to go over your overdraft and if you bounce a cheque it is classed as theft and you are liable to face jail time.

 

I lived there for 10 years.

 

Other than my pennys worth I am off this thread is a little hairy for me, I like claiming bank charges but I strongly dislike shouting and arguing. So ta raa from me

[MARTIN3030]

Posts moved from Welcome.

I think everyone has had their say there !!

[Guest NATTIE]

I normally spot these threads quicker but missed it for some reason.

I think i have posted this already in the bear garden but not in the same context. I wish to ask that people responding do not throw about Bank Worker as an insult. I am a current bank worker and am aware of others who are on here and are helping. Agreed, to begin with, many bank workers did come onto the consumer action group and have been forthright in their support of charges at its existing level. However, there are many who are NOW on here helping people claim charges back. As the OP stated albeit at the end "Don't take it out on staff" who are at the bottom of the chain.

[crfx250]

I also think enough has been said to tabi but I think the point she raised about shooting at the front line is an interesting one.

 

Although I 'm no saint when it comes to complaining, mouthing off at a fragile 18 year old behind the counter is as pointless as it is distasteful.

I prefer to bypass even the department responsible and aim at the top as I believe complaining to the big honchos who are used to being cosseted from the direct wrath of their disgruntled customers gives you more bang for your buck.

 

As sure as I am that CAGers are not dumb enough to involve themselves in a pointless slanging match with a teller, I'm sure front line staff are often abused by irate customers demanding thier charges back.

 

But I do'nt think it would be unfair to suggest that that ALL personel in

the general retail sector as a whole have made a concious desicion to

work on the front (perhaps becuase they like meeting people ect) and they therefore should be prepared to take the rough with the smooth because like it or not, thats the way the world works.

 

And retail bank workers shouldnt really expect to be treated any differently simply becuase they work in a bank. The term 'front line staff' is an adaptation of 'front line

soldiers' of the first world war, and those guys expected to get shot at and didnt complain about.

[Guest louis wu]

Dont take it out on the staff was the only point that everyone on this post agrees with, it was the other bits that wound me (and probably everyone else) up.

 

I honestly can't see one post on this thread that degenerates bank staff, although personally, I believe a burly 35 year old deserves the same level of respect as a fragile 18 year old. Nobody, regardless of age/sex etc deserve to have threats and insults directed at them in their place of work. (By the same token, bank staff should not tell me that charges are all my fault and I'm getting what I deserve!)

 

Louis

[Guest NATTIE]

I should add a little bit more because it is something needed to be said. Anger misplaced at staff with no influence is wasted anger.