Category: General

Retail Banking

Whatever happened to the retail banks in which the manager was available to the customer, and in which staff knew the rules and were able to advise people about their accounts? For some years now, my local branch has resembled a shop selling a variety of financial ‘products’. Staff are called advisers or counsellors, but haven’t a clue beyond the blurb in their package.

This weekend, I found the remains of a ten euro note that my young dog had somehow got his teeth on. The serial number was clear, so my wife telephoned the bank, not our branch, we don’t have the telephone number for that, but the regional offices. She explained the situation and asked if the damaged note could be exchanged for one that had not been chewed. ‘I don’t think so.’ came the reply. My wife is not one to be fobbed off. ‘Is that what you think so, or what you know?’ she asked. The ‘counsellor’ then asked my wife to hold on while she consulted a colleague. After several minutes of waiting she was told to consult the branch.

Oh, for the old bank manager.

Chickens, ducks, whatever – don’t count them too soon!

I expect this should really be up on Bearsy’s own blog, but I’ve forgotten its web address. Husband is just reading out the statistics for the first Ashes test. How did England manage that? Might there be some red Aussie faces round Brisbane?  Perhaps it was the wrong LBW decision in the first Aussie innings that got England’s dander up. Even though I’m not English and don’t really follow cricket, I can’t wait for the next test.