Anyone else ready to tell the banks where they can go?
TV ClubHouse: Archive: Anyone else ready to tell the banks where they can go?
Nutsy | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 07:08 am     I am sooooooo tired of dealing with banks. I am on hold right now, and I'm just seething. I do most of my banking over the internet these days, which for the most part works fine. EXCEPT when the bank makes a mistake - like they have this week. I had arranged a funds transfer to another bank (grrrr) and the transaction went so well they decided to do it again the next day. Luckily I had funds to cover this, but now there are other pre-authorized payments that will bounce bounce bounce. Each bank tells me the other bank is responsible. They go around in circles, I listen to muzak and just get angrier. Is there a better way? Should I just start stuffing my mattress? |
Dahli | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 08:10 am     Oh Nutsy - isn't it enough to make you (nuts ;-)) scream!?? plus the fact that somehow even when it's their mistake WE pay to cover it in increased costs decreased service and time wasted!? The attitude sucks and every time I walk into the bank, (which I never do unless I have to deal with foreign currency) the smug self serving arrogance I feel all around me gets my hackles up. I feel for you and wish somehow there could be a huge revolution to shake them all to their selfish rafters!! |
Nutsy | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 08:30 am     Thanks Dahli ... would you believe that two weeks ago on a Saturday I had to drive to another city to find a branch of my bank that was open Saturdays, only to find out when I arrived that they don't do "Canadian" transactions on the weekend - just foreign exchange. A bank that doesn't want to take cash ... The worst part is there's virtually nothing you can do, short of putting all your money in a credit union, which isn't a heck of a lot better anyway! |
Cablejockey | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 10:32 am     Where else do you have to line up like cattle led to the slaughter? Except they use a little rope and pole set-up instead of a chute, but the end result is about the same. I hate having to deal with banks and I wish there was an alternative. I have heard there are internet banks that dont have buildings tellers or ropes. Has anyone else heard of this? |
Rissa | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 10:38 am     My hubby has a major distrust of banks. We keep credit cards for emergencies and use cash 90% of the time. We like knowing that when we pay a bill, it's PAID.. not like a cheque or transfer which can get lost or delayed, etc. I find an incredibly high level of outright hostility at the banks when paying bills with cash. If we have a thousand dollar VISA bill then hubby takes 1000 out of an account, gives it to me and I head down and pay it off. Not a month goes by that I am not *educated* that I could write a cheque to pay off a bill instead. I always reply with "we prefer to use cash" to which I have been outright told that we are courting an audit then. I just shrug, could care less if we get audited, besides the inconvience we have nothing to hide. But the veiled threat makes me livid!! |
Aria | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 10:43 am     Nutsy, I totally agree. I live outside a small community in BC, and we don't have many choices for banks. My husband & I both had accounts with CIBC that had the no fees for keeping a minimum balance savings/chequing account for more than 15 years. About 2 years ago the bank decided that they would start charging fees for transactions regardless of the balance in the accounts. So I got a different account at a different bank & kept my CIBC account open but only used it once a month for a direct deposit & transfer. CIBC closed my account without informing me because the account wasn't active enough. Now they have brought back the min balance/fee thing but in order for us to have it we have to open a new account. GRRR! I am so mad, that I now pay for all my bills and anything else I can on my credit cards. Credit cards that I switched from Bank ones to retail ones so I could collect points & dollars and I write one cheque to the credit card co's every month. I am collecting Canadian Tire $$$ at such a rapid rate now that I am afraid they'll cut me off. My girlfriend puts everything on her Airmiles Visa including groceries etc. I am now thinking of doing the same. Except I sent back the Airmiles Visa cuz it was a bank card. By doing this, it has saved me almost $20 a month in banking fees. |
Aria | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 10:48 am     Rissa, we too never used to use our credit cards until the past 6 months but now I use them instead of that darn bank card. Also, most places around here will not take cash for your bills! Imagine!???! BTW, don't worry about getting audited unless you are trying to write off a whole pile of expenses. Also, as long as you have the receipts for what you bought there is no problem using cash. |
Dahli | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 11:58 am     I hear definite rumbling here... a very good sign and hopefully the start of change - love your analogy Cablejockey LOL!! |
Nutsy | Friday, August 23, 2002 - 12:22 pm     Rissa - I have friends that use cash all the time too. I'm starting to think they have a point! Aria - the user fees at the banks are just SO annoying! I remember that when I went to close my Canada Trust account, they said I had to pay a "closing fee". I said "oh, really? Then I'll just withdraw the full amount." What could they do? I work at Manulife, cablejockey, and we have one of those "internet banks" here. No tellers, no ropes .. best of all, employees don't pay service fees (yay!) ... I'm slowly trying to close down my account at the Royal Bank - but it's SUCH a pain in the patoot to switch those darn Pre-authorized payments. Plus, Manulife Bank is the one that made the double transfer I was referring to ... not a perfect system I guess! |
Gentoo | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 09:28 pm     What I find most disturbing is the difference in treatment I get between going in workboots and shorts, and going in a suit and tie. Its amazing. I've never seen anything like it before. When I go in my workboots and shorts (I volunteer with habitat for humanity), I am virtually ignored and levied with all kinds of extra "fees". But when I go in there wearing my suit after work, I get called "sir" and all those extra "fees" suddenly vanish for me. And the girl at the counter smiles at me. It really aint fair. |
|