As some of you may know....
I founded the Consumer Action Group.

Way back when it was still the Bank Action Group, we decided we would protest about the lack of, well, anything from the OFT - the people supposedly in place to ensure we get fair trade in our country, and to stop big, bad businesses from ripping us off from their monopolistic positions.
We told a few people about it, engaged other, similar websites, and generally figured we'd get a load of people up in London protesting about OFT inactivity.
After a few weeks, it was quite apparent that despite starting out disturbing a hornet's nest, people were as nonchalant as ever.
We quietly decided to drop the idea through lack of interest.
However, we'd already informed newspapers and TV news networks and as the planned date approached they started to report on it.
Word got about, and obviously we had to go through with it or we'd look like a bunch of amateurs - which, in fact, was exactly what we were.
The police got hold of it, and unknown to us, arranged a large police presence in the area, on horseback. With batons.
A few weeks later, the day arrived, so i get up early, get on a train and get to the meeting place outside the OFT.
There was, I think, around 12 of us.
12 of us, and about 70 coppers on horseback, and about 30 reporters.
We walked up to the doors of the OFT. About 10 massive bouncers (who presumably had been hired for the day) wouldn't let us in.
We went home.
We couldn't have looked sillier if we'd tried.
Well, apart from the one bloke who dressed up as Robin Hood. Looked more like the green goblin.
(dchurch bah, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 18:08, 22 replies)

Am I to take it
that at some point you did, in fact, have a bank account then?
( greedyostrich Cheese is evil! Cheddar is VOODOO!, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 18:29, closed)

Yes
...I haven't had one for about 6-7 years now though, and I didn't have one at the time this 'protest' took place.
(dchurch bah, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 18:30, closed)

Did you have one
when you founded the Bank Action Group?
( greedyostrich Cheese is evil! Cheddar is VOODOO!, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 18:33, closed)

Nope.
I'd got rid before I started that. It would have been a bit naive to have a bank account whilst simultaneously attacking them.
(dchurch bah, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 18:34, closed)

I doubt
they'd have sabotaged you out of spite, but fair enough. Did/do you plan to ever get an account again if your campaign worked?
( greedyostrich Cheese is evil! Cheddar is VOODOO!, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 19:29, closed)

I
mean this in the nicest possible way, but to think banks are not spiteful is somewhat naive.
The other chap I started the site with was fucked over in a big way, simply because of his association.
I sued Abbey some months before, and yep, they *made mistakes* with my credit score which took me nearly a year to get corrected, I was bombarded with Abbey junk mail - sometimes more than 10 a day all in names like "Mr. T.H. Eath" and such like, demanded an overdraft back from my (then) girlfriend with one weeks notice. My father had a serious amount of money go missing from his account - he got it back eventually with no apology or exlanation. That took 22 weeks.
Do I think that this would have happened had I not started that site?
Possibly, after all they are for the most part incompetent, but no, when coupled with accounts of similar things from others involved in that site, and other spin-off sites, I do believe that they are that petty and spiteful.
I did not intend to get another account - I didn't really give it much thought to be honest, I figured that they were all alike, and that I didn't really want to deal with any of them. Still don't.
If all butchers sold manky sausages, I wouldn't buy sausages any more either.
I don't really need credit for anything, I certainly don't need a credit card at 19%+ interest, so I've lost nothing, and gained time and peace of mind.
The campaign did work, most banks now either have charges in the regiion of 2-3 quid, and the ones that don't, halved them.
(dchurch bah, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 23:43, closed)

I preferred the old way
I'm glad the banks won, I quite like having my bank account subsidised by stupid people.
( Halk, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 23:54, closed)

Ha
Ignorance is bliss!
A couple of points:
The banks didn't WIN anything, only the gullible believe their spin on a case that was to determine the OFT's 'Locus standi', quite rightly, the court decided that they didn't - because, from the outset it was obvious that they didn't and anyone with half a brain would have seen that. Sadly, it seems that either there is no-one at the OFT with a brain, or the incorrect law was chosen deliberately.
Secondly, have a look at the T&Cs of your account. Anything changed recently? Like the amount they charge for bounced direct debits? Yes, that's right, you'll notice that it's less than 10% of what it used to be a few months ago.
The aim of the campaign was exactly that, so who won what?
Thirdly, do you pay tax? If you do, then you too are one of the stupid people who are subsidising them. Even more so if you have an account with any of them. Most pay way, way under the rate of inflation, so in effect, you're subsidising yourself.
Fourthly, you advocating the practice of theft from those that can least afford it, for instance, one woman in Scotland was in a car accident. It left her paralyzed from the waist down. She'd paid tax all her life, and was now in a position where she needed benefit. The payment went in late, her direct debits bounced (meaning she hadn't borrowed a penny from the bank) she was charged all but 4 quid of her benefits, leaving her and her child to eat dry cornflakes for a fortnight. In my (slightly less dramatic) case, I was lied to by an employer and was paid two weeks after the date I had changed all my direct debits to, I tried to move money from another account to cover it, but was told that would take 3 days. They took 400 quid in charges through no fault of my own. My employer wasn't culpable as penalties in contracts are unlawful, and even if they were, to sue my employer would have meant I wouldn't be working there for very long would I?
I'm unsure how that makes either of us stupid. I have several thousand cases similar, if not worse, than those, but you don't want to hear that.
So, by 'having your account subsidised by stupid people' you advocate, nah, actively endorse this kind of behaviour in a supposedly grown-up country.
You sir, are a Daily Mail reader, and I claim my five pounds.
(dchurch bah, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 8:01, closed)

This reads like someone drunk.
Are you saying I read the Daily Mail and am stupid because I pay tax?

It's just that I'm happy to pay tax, as I like, live in society and stuff.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 10:40, closed)

I'm
saying that anyone who wants to be subsidised by those less fortunate than themselves are Daily Mail readers.
...and that all tax payers are subsidising banks.
(dchurch bah, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 13:35, closed)

That all tax payers are subsidising banks isn't news, and it's a good thing we are - now they're turning a profit again the nation is reaping that.
That one is subsidised by those less fortunate - what does "subsidised" and "fortunate" mean in this case?

Only, those less well off than me who also pay tax subsidise the services available to me (emergency etc).

As for fortune - well - I earn more than some, and I work bloody hard for it. I wouldn't call that fortune, I'd call it bloody hard work.

So if I have more disposable than someone with a lower paid job - well - good for me.

I don't see how any of this affects my choice of newspaper.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 9:33, closed)

I'm certain you've said before, so apologies...
But where exactly do you keep your money if not with the banks?
(Captain Skippy pooed in a bag and left it on your doorstep, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 5:34, closed)

In
a safe.
(dchurch bah, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 8:01, closed)

Does that not mean
its value will continuously fall with inflation?
( greedyostrich Cheese is evil! Cheddar is VOODOO!, Sun 14 Nov 2010, 12:11, closed)

As
it would in some current account earning about 0.1%.
It's offset by the fact that I don't have to spend time sorting out their cockups at a rate of about 6 times a year.
I never have to phone them when they take money they shouldn't, or sort out companies who take too much via direct debit (I had BT take 411 quid once, when it should have been 41.10 etc...). I used to have to queue up in the bank on Saturday mornings to sort out crap that they created.
To be honest, if it costs me 100 quid a year in inflationary losses, I'm more than happy to pay that than to have to deal with a bank. Although, by my (very loose) calculations, it's a lot less than that.
Plus, I have irons in other fires that increase at a higher rate than even our inflation rate at the moment.
(dchurch bah, Mon 15 Nov 2010, 7:54, closed)

ounc end
(Falstaff's Spiritual Successor, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 19:12, closed)

??

(dchurch bah, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 19:20, closed)

Mahaha it's a secret.

(Falstaff's Spiritual Successor, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 19:26, closed)

I'm guessing:
"10 massive bouncers".

(You got to love Ctrl+F...)
(The Incredible Sulk Finally remembered his password on, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 19:50, closed)

Click for office smile.

( SigmaX0 Dear Die Hard. You rock!, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 8:05, closed)

you're still
my hero
(jennymnemonic, Fri 12 Nov 2010, 10:32, closed)

So it's all your fault
That I got my £1200 back from Barclays in 2006, then spent an age fiddling with spreadsheets so that my monthly budget balanced (it still does).

Just wanted to say, Thanks!

GL
(GoodLord doesn't have time for sigs., Mon 15 Nov 2010, 17:56, closed)

I work next to the OFT offices....
... sometimes, at lunchtime, I steal their WiFi.

Sounds like that's at likely to bring them to their knees as your protest was!

*click*
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 17:17, closed)