That
would be true if I saved the money in cash, but generally when there's enough I buy *things* -- usually certs, property or things like classic guitars that won't devalue.

I'm not sure about here, before I bought this house I did have a bank account, but in France when I bought my holiday home, they were more than happy to take cash (which also saved me a packet on *transfer* fees etc...).

It's going to sound like a Honda Accord moment, but I simply sold things, saved and did deals to get the cash together to buy that house...they were a little suprised when I turned up with the cash but they were more than willing to count it out and accept it! Of course, the trouble started here, when, despite giving Scabby their required two weeks notice that I wanted to change a large amount of sterling for Euros, they didn't have it when I turned up to collect - resulting in me charging them - which they paid without question.

You'll be suprised to hear no doubt, that when firms do fuck up and you charge them, as they charge us, that 9 times out of 10 they simply pay up.

When my GF moved in here, she duly filled in all the forms at the bank for change of address - of course when her cash card expired they sent it to her old address (some 9 months later), I worked out that if we saw that as 'insufficient funds' as it would be the other way around, they would have charged her a total of 105 quid. I wrote on her behalf saying that they should deposit that amount within 14 days, and...£105 quid appeared in her account about a week later.

My colleage has lots of trouble with his bank too, now when they fuck up he charges them £35 - not once has it been refused.

The *secret* is that consumer contracts have to be *fair* - meaning that they cannot be one sided, so if they charge you for a cock up, then it has to work the other way around to be legal in English contract law. If hey charge you, then there is an implied term in the contract that you can do the same. If they claim that it's not a penalty (as penalties are not allowed), then you can use that to your advantage.

Incidently, it's not a 'little crusade' against the banks, I simply can't see any merit in using them. Sit back and look at what they actually do for you, and you'll find it's not a lot - I'd just rather not use firms that are not very good. I don't buy from Asda for the same reason - not a crusade, I just don't like their products. I find banks are the least competent of any industry that I've ever had to deal with - so I simply don't do it any more.
(dchurch bah, Mon 8 Mar 2010, 7:49, Reply)