Taka's MFW journey

taka

DD update... :rolleyes:

• Life assurance - probably gone out - either that or a charity donation I make monthly has come out early (due on 5th but that doesn't even seem to have made it onto my DD list yet)
• credit cards - still no signs - only 1 has anything due and it says on the CC end that its due to come out today
• bus pass - not taken yet either and pass still working as of this morning :rolleyes:

On the better news... My mortgage and home/contents insurance have come out :j Only thing is it hasn't made it to my mortgage account yet - normally it shows on the 1st. I want to update my spreadsheets :rotfl:

I'm not sure what will happen yet re Canada. I only found out I could go yesterday so I'm not sure whats happening yet. I would quite like to see a bit of the area while I'm there as it seems a shame to go that far without having a look around. Its being held very close to ski areas so may be able to do few days of skiing (badly ) but as to anything else it'll depend on where we fly from and into etc and timings of it all. I'm also supposed to be co-supervising an undergrad student then too so may not be able to take much time off. That probably depends on what some of my collegues (who are also going) plan to do. :rolleyes:

The 4k challenge is good though I'm going to be including some luxury stuff (eg going out) in it that maybe shouldn't be counted but it gets too confusing for me otherwise. I kept losing track of whether something was included or not this year so I'm simplifying it for me for 2009. It really has helped me not to spend on random stuff that seems to sneak into my basket that I really don't need but adds up to a fair amount over a year. I can hear them all going :eek: in my head when I think of buying something silly. :rotfl:

gallygirl

Taka, I sympathise re DD's - I too have just changed bank accounts and some DD's have gone walkabout . I had to pay mortgage by debit card over the phone - I'm sure my boss thinks I have big money problems now . Hope you got CC sorted in time - could you pay by phone to avoid charges?

Oooohhh, Canada.... I travel quite a bit for work and have gone overseas a few time in the past - it's not as glamorous as people think - but better than working for a living . My next trip will be to Hull - want to swap .

taka

yet another DD update...

• Life assurance and bus pass - definitely gone out :j
• My mortgage payment has finally hit my mortgage account as of today Why'd it take so long? It normally shows up on the 1st if its not a weekend or holiday then! Spreadsheets will be tweeked once I get home today!
• I give up on the CC front... today the CC account shows payment arrived yesterday but it does not appear to have left my Current account yet according to Nationwide. Its not showing up as a dd either on the list of those set up It hasn't come out of my old account either :wall: I've sent the cc co a secure message but they've not replied yet. I think I'll pay the amount outstanding (£6.99 lol) tonight again anyway just to be sure...

Gallygirl - Hull or Canada... Hull or Canada... emmmmmm... hard decision but Canada I think (sorry anyone from Hull :rolleyes: ). No, glamorous it will not be... Not sure Scientific meetings are ever glamorous! The 2 don't really mix :rotfl:

taka

:mad: Bank of Scotland are yet again reminding me why I am switching my current account AWAY from them. :mad: I opened a (halifax) regular saver yesterday via online banking (to save for Xmas 09 and future flat renovations) as it is a decent rate and easy to open online as I already have accounts with them and I wanted to do so before any possible interest changes (this month or future months) further decimate any interest paid to savings. I tried to fund it this morning online but it would not allow this despite the account being set up online. I went into a branch this morning to try and fund it and managed to do so. I just checked my online banking (as the money was coming from the money left in my old current account with them just incase the direct debits didn't get changed over in time) and they have taken the money out twice. :mad: This was why I wanted to do it online - everytime I do something in branch they !!!! it up. Oh joy! :wall: I bet they !!!! up the other thing I asked the to do this morning too! Arghhhhhhh!!! They will be getting a very disgruntled taka outside their branch 1st thing tomorrow and another letter of complaint sent if its not sorted immediately :mad: Actually given their !!!! ups in the last 2 months I might write it anyway...

PS I don't normally rant about finantial institutions so much... I just seem to have started this diary at a bad time I'm normally a very nice and calm person

SmlSave

I think a saint would rant after whats happened!

Fingers crossed it all gets sorted before Christmas and you can go back to being calm.

Have you any plans for Christmas? Or did I miss that post?

taka

Rant alert... rant alert... you may want to skip most of this post - I know I wish I could... :rotfl:

Hmmmmm BoS as helpful as ever this morning :mad: but they have now sorted it out. Their teller mucked up, putting through part of the transfer twice. :mad: I will be making a formal complaint... They have mucked me around so much in the last few months (hence why I've moved current accounts) and this is the last straw. I've moved all money out of their accounts save for my regular saver (@ 7% till Dec 08 ) and ISA (fixed @ 5% til Dec 08 ) and the £1 I need to have in an associated savings account for the regular saver to mature too. Once these accounts mature I will be out of there completely. Its kinda sad - I've banked with them for 20 odd years, since I was a child.

DD saga continued... :rolleyes:
Egg (CC co) are pants... I phoned them this morning as they reversed out the £6.99 they listed as received the other day. :mad:

Numpty 1 stated they had no record of a new direct debit being set up, I was breaking their T+Cs and would be charged a £16 late fee. We went round in circles me stating you were informed by Nationwide over 3 weeks ago of the new details, you had till the 27th to change them and there was no way on this earth they would be getting £16 out of me for eggs mistake :mad:

I was finally put through to person 2 when I stated I had sent them a secure message on the 2nd concerning my worries about the lack of DD which they had not replied to and started stating that they were breaking the banking code. Bod 2 then told me numpty 1 got it wrong :wall: (ok not those exact words :rotfl: ) that my details had been amended, that there was no reason for the dd to not have gone through but it hadn't. I will not be charged £16 and reset up the DD :wall: The money I transferred yesterday independantly of their DD to cover the amount would be fine to cover this months payment and should show up in a couple of days time (despite being transfered from an egg savings account).

Me-thinks they were talking out of their posterior and had cocked up and just wouldn't admit it. :mad: I will be keeping a close eye on their account and woe betide them if they dare to try to charge me interest, a late fee or show on my credit file that the payment was late. I will be checking! I might just read up on the banking code in preparation as I have 0% faith in them now and fully expect them to get something else wrong.

rant over.... :rolleyes:

Mortgage/Savings update... As of the 3rd Dec Mortgage is £46408.71 and ISA savings at £1463.94. :j I just need to find ... ermmm ... £2136.06 before the end of this tax year! :eek: This is going to be an "interesting" challenge :eek: :rotfl:

SmlSave - Xmas is at my flat this year for the 1st time! :eek: We all bring bits for the meal so that part is not too scary. I'm more worried about the piles of stuff that need to be sorted/thrown out/hidden before then! There is rather a lot of it! That and the fact there is not enough room to sit that many people round a table in my flat either (ummmm and I only own 2 dining chairs :rolleyes: ). :rotfl: Oh well... it'll be different... thats for sure... :rotfl:

gallygirl

taka wrote: »

DD saga continued... :rolleyes:
Egg (CC co) are pants... I phoned them this morning as they reversed out the £6.99 they listed as received the other day. :mad:

taka I too had problems with Egg (2 mortgage accounts with them) when I changed bank - all other co's seemed to be able to sort out (mostly :rolleyes:), and Egg sorted out my additional £200 monthly payment but not my main DD's. I paid by debit card this month and am awaiting new DD forms from them. However, as of lunchtime today my mortgage rates are 2.74% and 2.99% so I am prepared to swallow my pride :j:j:j:j:j. Hope all is sorted out soon, it's horrible being at the mercy of others :mad:.

taka

gallygirl wrote: »

taka I too had problems with Egg (2 mortgage accounts with them) when I changed bank - all other co's seemed to be able to sort out (mostly :rolleyes:), and Egg sorted out my additional £200 monthly payment but not my main DD's. I paid by debit card this month and am awaiting new DD forms from them. However, as of lunchtime today my mortgage rates are 1.74% and 1.99% so I am prepared to swallow my pride :j:j:j:j:j. Hope all is sorted out soon, it's horrible being at the mercy of others :mad:.

Wow :eek: Mortgage rates of 1.74 and 1.99% Again wow!! :eek: Thats mighty low rates... I wish mine were anywhere near that... I'm fixed at 5.78% for the next 3.5 yrs :wall: Ooooops Are you going to continue to overpay or switch to saving - surely even now you can get higher rates in ISAs and savings accounts (even after tax)?

Egg are utterly clueless... Good luck - I hope they get it right next month! :eek: You would think they would work on getting payments correct - especially with people struggling in these chaotic times but no... :rolleyes: I have absolutely no faith in them getting mine right...

taka

Ohhhh you edited your rates Gallygirl... still good rates though!!

StuartGMC

Taka
I very much hope you resolve the situation with Egg; the experiences you and Gallygirl have reported makes me a bit cautious about using them for savings in future.

I'll try not to mention interest rates to you in future, but, recall the reason you went for the fix originally as no one could have predicted these present rates. Our rates in the mid 1990s were around 8.5-9% if that makes you feel better.

Christmas a your place sounds like it will be a "close" affair and I'm sure all will pitch in and bring the odd folding chair or similar if asked.