Safe Speed Forums

has anyone noticed the quality in customer service dropping, i visited my local high street bank this morning and waited nearly 5 mins to be served no queues, the cashiers were in a back room, i did start to think they were avoiding me

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now retired

Branch customers are expensive to service for little return, go use the machine.

Bad press is about the only thing stopping "high street" banks going internet/phone only.

And have you noticed how, in the OLD days....when they used to have to send the cheques to a clearing house to clear, and it took three days....NOW, when each cheque is scanned......it takes five days to clear one ?
If I pay cash in it isn't credited for a few days....
Back to the cash economy I think....

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

No, it still takes 3 days (any more and your bank are taking the pi$$. Building societies take longer because there are extra layers of process since they have to do their banking via a bank and can't give you the money until they have the money themselves). The details are still sent to the same clearing house who still only accept transactions for 3 days in the future.

Don't think BACS will allow cheque payments to go through the faster payments system. If they did that would speed things up for the payee at the expense of security and piece of mind for the payer.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

My bank charges me less than £10 a year - the interest that my average balance of a few hundred pounds could earn elsewhere. For that paltry sum - the cost of a few minutes of most other professional's time - they look after my money, provide me with a cheque book, facilitate payment of my bills, allow me to draw cash 24/7...
Personal banking is one of the best bargains anywhere , second only to the interest free loans given by credit card companys, and at that price it is quite unreasonable to expect top class service at branches. It is a curious modern obsession to expect both the lowest price and the highest quality of service from businesses or utility companys

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Yes if used correctly, which most don't and on which they rely otherwise I’m sure they wouldn’t offer it. And of course there's the arrangement fee, so even if you are a good boy they still get their £ of flesh.

No such thing as a free lunch an' all that

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I have never paid an arrangement fee for a credit card. ????

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

I may have dropped a clanger dcb but I'm sure when I did the 'transfer all card problems to another new card with zero interest for 6 months' thing they charged a transfer or admin fee or something? I recall it being ~£30ish but you've got me wondering what I did now..

It was some time ago, in my defence.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Certainly shopping around is good to ensure that you are getting the best value for service.
The business accounts can cost for too much IMHO !
Of course if you take a cheque to the issuing bank and ask for 'verified paid' they will take the cheque but withdraw the sums from that bank straight away, so you can be sure that the monies are on their 'guaranteed' way !

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

It's not for the card, but most make a charge for balance transfers. Still cheaper than the interest over however many months though.

The main problem with credit card tarting is you eventually run out of companies.

Indeed Homer.

Which is why I am in a very small minority these days, or so it feels.

I try to live as my dear mum lived her life, (DOB 1920): Not spending beyond your means and paying your dues instead of thinking you can get a free ride by being indolent or getting knocked-up with all the BENEFITS that being a lazy greedy 'scatter free seed and I'll eat it' affords these f n' days.

I think young knocked-up kids, (which is what 'we' created), are going to get their comeuppance soon at long last.


If you don't have it, or can't afford it, or you f--ked up you don't buy it or you lie on the bed you made!!! Anyone remeber that concept?

If you are irresponsible you pay the price - like I did!!! I wasn't given fish after fish, I was taught to fish for myself and provide and be responsible!!!! AND IT WAS HARD WORK.

Get it? Got it? GOOD!

Who was it that said "you have never had it so good"....

(Soz for the digression)

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I always get so frustrated with banks (and insurance companies), they are my sworn enemies. I queue in the bank, out of 12 desks there is only 1 working and they don't even care to speed up - I mean, I know employees don't have to go out of their way, but I've worked in the customer servicing field and I've always given more damn that I've been treated with. When you call them on the phone, it takes forever, and transferring money and stuff like that still takes so long! Lately, I've been busy sorting out different bank accounts and dealing with German banks is even more frustrating, as my German is nowhere near good enough and the bank is so far from my house in Berlin. Anyway, I had to find the best way to urgently send currency, as one of the banks was going to charge me 30 pounds just commission! So I went for the free version and now have to wait 3 days for the money to arrive into Lloyds.

Oh, yeah, with checks was fun. I got paid with one, but had to wait three days, so I just signed a check for the guy I was supposed to pay and told him not to cash it for like a week. Good thing he accepted it lol

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"Just got back from a pleasure trip: I took my mother-in-law to the airport."
Henny Youngman

I find online transactions far easier these days and in many ways quicker, but depositing money (better in England & Wales than Scotland though) the bigger problem. It used to take 5 days in Scotland especially if it was an English cheque in spite of sometimes it being only the English version of the same bank ! Talk about greedy. Verified paid is the only way I know (cheques) to ensure the money has left their bank and is 100% on it's way to your account.
For Barclays I need to drive 35 miles just to deposit a cheque which is mad and they have no plans to change this ! Once I arrived at 4pm only to find the bank closed ! With the opening times claiming that 4:30 was when they shut it was utterly frustrating and such a waste of fuel and time ! Before I left the next time it took 15 minutes on the phone on a ridiculous costly phone call just to be sure they were open ! Why do I have to ring a call centre just to find out if and when the branch is open !?
I was told their closure was due to a training day and they were very apologetic, although I still think that that I should have sent them a bill for the fuel and a letter of complaint (cc to Watchdog so they pay it greater attention!).
I like BACs for payments in and out as it is much more under my control and off the personal account is all free bar the monthly cost, which comes with other benefits (although less than they were !).

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

Indeed. Personal banking is free and, like all other aspects of business, you get what you pay for. Actually it isn't free, since they have your money to lend on, but it is very cheap unless you are foolish enough to keep your millions in a current account/

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Instead of BACS, the use of payment cards seems to be gaining in popularity online. For example, NSI use this when you go to buy their products.

Payment cards also have another advantage over BACS. Most BACS transactions have a maximum value limit and the transaction does not go through if you exceed it. The first you know of this is when you check your bank statement and see the returned payment. I have had a payment "bounce" when paying for a car. I went to the bank and asked what the limit was and they said they could not tell me as it varied according to the activity on your account. Daft, as you cannot be sure that a payment has been made.

The card system allows you to pay any amount in your account.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

never look for that Xtra help now

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now retired

I was quite chuffed recently to find that transfers made online between my hight street bank account and my account with the country's largest building society now happen literally instantly; I finish making the arrangement on the one website, flick tabs to the other account and there is the cash, ready to dispose of as I see fit. A refreshing change from less than a year ago when I was talking my way out of charges from said building society simply because their prolonged clearance process, in which public holidays didn't 'count', delayed funds required for direct debits, a pitfall of relying on automated banking processes whilst deployed to the armpit of the world.

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Regulation without education merely creates more criminals.

Debit cards seem to be the preferred method of buying cars from dealers now.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I didn't know so many people kept £5K or £10K in their account, or that a debit card could be used for that amount Peter.

I have about £1100 in mine at the moment, and I've only just been paid this month

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.