Preparedness for when

mardatha wrote: »

That's my bank and my monthly money is due in today... off up to the branch this morning to see if I can get it over the counter. Although I think I'm ok for food:D:D

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Yeah, I imagine famine in the Mardy household was narrowly avoided.

I wonder if this latest RBS blip will cause customers to say S*d this for a bunch of soldiers, I'm off to another bank.

Or to carry and transact in cash, and always keep a good float in your wallet? Who knows? I think I shall extract some more spondulicks from my bank today, so's I'm holding the majority of my money myself.

Not that I'm an RBS or NatWest customer, but they're a bunch of crims, the whole lot of them.

:j I've got the day off work and am being taken out for lunch by a pal. Will have to Dress Up and Look Respectable, so will be needing to spend some time and effort digging out my smart duds, but it's a small price to pay.

Hollyberry wrote: »

For info, I've just been into natwest on line, and it appears to be working this am. I have a second bank account elsewhere which I can use if not, but am mightly miffed at all the problems its causing for people.

Let's hope it stays up and good on ya for having a second account.

Makes me realise that cash-users like myself a probably a small minority by now and how vulnerable this leaves people. Imagine being stranded at a fuel station, either not being allowed to refuel, or not having the means to pay for what you have put in your tank? It's not like leaving a trolley of groceries behind, it's theft if you drive off without paying, but what do you do, otherwise? Sit on the forecourt until the bank gets its act together? Hours? Days?

Be interested if anyone who has personally knowledge of the fuel-selling business could advise what the contingency plan is in such a case, or if it's so uncommon that no one has lined up a plan.

Stories like this are like an unwelcome chilly breeze to us who think in the preptastic way, as we can imagine what would happen in a financial crisis which causes a "Bank Holiday" extended close-down.

Keep food and essentials in, keep those fuel tanks topped and hold cash.......... we don't want to be the ones caught out.

Thanks, krustylouise.

I guess the fuel station would be in a difficult position; imagine you have a 12-pump forecourt and 10 of them are occupied by fuelled cars with no means to pay for their fuel. Some of the customers queueing to get onto the forecourt might have cash waiting, but meanwhile, your business is stalled (pun intended).

When I worked as a shorthaul delivery driver, we had a company card to fuel up at a certain designated fuel station in town, but if that had been declined, we would have been stuffed, and so would the customers waiting for what we were delivering.

A small part of my job involves taking debit and credit card payments over the phone and I'm noticing more and more "declines" in the past few weeks. We enter the customer's card details into our computer program and then submit them to the big banking servers on the web. Takes about 5 seconds and it is accepted or declined.

Doesn't give us any reason for a decline so all we can do is ask the customer to contact their bank. Several times, I've had a "declined" customer back again a few mins later and the reason that their bank gave was that the activity looked suspicious. So they blocked it.

So, if you're planning to make a couple of retail purchases/ hotel bookings and then pay your council tax, please be aware that your trigger-happy bank may consider this to be a suspicious activity and decline it.

Hollyberry wrote: »

For info, I've just been into natwest on line, and it appears to be working this am. I have a second bank account elsewhere which I can use if not, but am mightly miffed at all the problems its causing for people.

I can't get in - tried again just now. Annoyed with myself - I always had a big cash float until recently when I let it run down and haven't topped it up. Lesson learned. Although I do have alternative means of getting cash and don't need to go out.

However DD1 is hoping to buy her first flat soon and will possibly get a mortgage with RBS. It would be a right palaver if this happened when she was due to complete - not sure what one could do about that

Wyre wrote: »

I was a little shocked today as it was brought home to me just how far the compensation culture has come. When someone states they are due compensation for the driver leaving the bus for 3 minutes at the bus station as it is cold, then really there is no hope for us!

Not so much a stiff upper lip, more a nation of great big crybabies, hey?

I always observe that those with the most suffering are those least likely to moan and whinge, it's the crybabies with nothing much to complain about who are always banging on about their rights, compensation and their mahoosive sense of entitlement.

I encounter some doozies of this nature in my working life - no names, no packdrill, but I'm often left flabberghasted. Trouble is, this culture doesn't come for free, we all pay for these whining ninnies one way or the other.

Just wish we could send a transnational memo; Stuff Happens, inc Bad Stuff. You Will Probably Fall over if You Don't Pick up Your Feet, Look Both Ways before Crossing the Road and, last but not least, Grow UP!