No Running Balance

societys_child

Hmm, this buffoon somehow manages to cope with a number of bank accounts and know the totals in each one at any given time. {Edited by Forum Team} I'm not going to put you on ignore, I think you're entertaining . .


Edit: My Tesco accounts and paypal all show running totals. No idea what your problems are.

Consumer66

ok - I should not have used the phrase "bunch of buffoons"
bunch of "negative comments" would have been better - and would not have got me reported?

BUT

I do not consider that it was me who started all this and made things "Unfriendly" to start with. .
I perceive that I was given a lot of unwarranted hassle that I tried to deal with patiently a couple of times before I resorted to using the word "buffoons" because I was being called - or it was implied - I was lying or incompetent and I felt quite upset by that.
Hoped for a higher level of debate on here about what I consider a serious issue that has caused me a lot of hassle and wasted a lot of my time, For example, having to go back and work out what my totals were after every transaction to spot when.where I went "over limit"..
Also, as with My Argos Card (where little information about ltransactions is given e.g. Order or Item Numbers,it can be difficult to keep track of transactions and would be much better to have "Running Balances / Totals".
If all / most of you who replied in this thread still have "Running Balances / Totals" displayed on your on-line or paper statement AFTER EACH TRANSACTION, then you are lucky and will not have encountered the inconveniences caused by this practice, which in my experience is becoming more widespread.
Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to have left this Thread to those who DO have this issue?
Personally I would not reply to a Thread on - for example "How to Cook a Chicken?" by saying something like
"I am vegetarian so I have no idea and don't think others should eat chicken either!".
I would consider such a reply judgemental and unconstructive, but perhaps others feel the need to make such posts for reasons of their own, and I suppose I will just have to be the bigger person and put up with that n the name of "free speech" (even though my own post was moderated!)

AnotherJoe

How does "have "Running Balances / Totals" displayed on your on-line or paper statement AFTER EACH TRANSACTION, " achieve the aim you set out initially "Not knowing your balance probably allows people to spend more - just take a chance that there are enough funds available" ?

If the balance you get when you look is current* that achieves what you wanted regard overspending. Getting a paper statement with a running balance intermingled with each transaction after you've spent the money does not achieve your aims at all because it's historical and irrelevant to helping you control spending, since by the time you see it on an paper statement you've spent it !
,
*of course there are technical reasons why even the current balance may be out of date

masonic

Oh dear, I never intended to incite a bunch of post reporting to go on. I was merely highlighting the absurdity of making a rule-breaking post ending in an appeal to a moderator to take action against other forum members.

Consumer66, I hope you don't mind me distilling out the essence of your last post...

Consumer66 wrote: »

<snip>
My Argos Card (where little information about ltransactions is given e.g. Order or Item Numbers,it can be difficult to keep track of transactions and would be much better to have "Running Balances / Totals".
<snip>

Now, if that was the content of your original post, rather than a sweeping generalisation (which many others have rushed to point out is false), then I suspect it would have been much better received. So we have Argos as an example. Is that the only one you've encountered, or are there others? I'll not ask why a running balance would make it easier to "keep track of transactions" as you don't seem to be of a temperament to engage in any discussion around the topic.

Personally I would not reply to a Thread on - for example "How to Cook a Chicken?" by saying something like
"I am vegetarian so I have no idea and don't think others should eat chicken either!".

That analogy is nothing like what is going on in this thread. A more analogous analogy would be...

Thread topic: "How to Cook a Chicken?"
First post: "Can anyone explain how I'm supposed to cook a chicken when the supermarkets no longer put any weights on the packaging"

Reply1: "All the supermarkets I use put the weights on the packaging, where are you shopping that doesn't list the weight? BTW, here are 6 examples of supermarkets that DO list the weight"
Reply2: "The weight isn't really needed on the packaging, just use a meat thermometer to check it's cooked through, or the old fashioned skewer test, or weigh it at home"

Original poster: "Thanks for the unhelpful replies, I'm actually not interested in hearing from people who have found places to shop where I wouldn't have this problem, or who have a workaround I could use. I just want to hear from other people who have the same problem as me."

BooJewels

AnotherJoe wrote: »

*of course there are technical reasons why even the current balance may be out of date

And is only useful if also used in conjunction with the available balance figure (all the financial places I use supply these two pieces of information together - on ATM receipts, on-line banking etc. - along with running totals alongside transactions), as there is always going to be some lag between spending the money (debit card, cheque, contactless etc) and it clearing and being removed from your active balance - but it's still spent, even if it hasn't cleared yet.

And as I said on page 1 before being insulted - these are useful pieces of data/tools supplied by the bank (mine now supply a list of the DDs it believes are scheduled over the next month) - but only truly useful when used in conjunction with other recording methods of your own - as the bank can't possible foresee all the other things you've committed to that are going to take a few days to filter through to a cleared balance.

The bank has certain responsibilities to customers, but it isn't your mother.

Consumer66

“Personally I would not reply to a Thread on - for example "How to Cook a Chicken?" by saying something like
"I am vegetarian so I have no idea and don't think others should eat chicken either!".


To Masonic in particular
No.
I stand by my original analogy, which was

THREAD TOPIC "How to Cook a Chicken?" by saying something like

POST ONE "I am vegetarian so I have no idea and don't think others should eat chicken either!"

and would add that other responses in that vein might be:

"I am strict vegan not because I care about animals but because I think it makes me ethically superior and I like to reply to posts like this in order to demonstrate my perceived superiority to myself and others."
"I think you are pretending to not know how to cook a chicken because I know how to cook a chicken!" believe that you do not know how to cook a chicken!"
"My Mother taught me to cook chicken. How can a grown adult not know this! Are you stupid!"
"Heat it in an oven, duh!"
"What does "cook" mean? I have never found the need to do it. I buy ready made sandwiches. Surely that is what everyone does as it means I never have a messy kitchen. You must have a very messy kitchen!""
"I cook steak using the following method and recipe .... "
"I think you actually mean "How does one roast a chicken!"
"Why on earth would you need to cook a chicken. I buy mine ready cooked!"

mgdavid

Consumer66 wrote: »

..........
I do not consider that it was me who started all this .........

That's odd, because you have the same username as the author of Post #1.

BoGoF

OP - if you only wanted replies from posters who did have this issue there would only be one post. Perhaps this suggests you are the problem?

As for your statement "I will just have to be the bigger person"..........most amusing based on your comments.

Consumer66

BoGoF wrote: »

OP - if you only wanted replies from posters who did have this issue there would only be one post. Perhaps this suggests you are the problem?
.

I notice that many of the replies I received have been edited to make them seem more reasonable.I did not receive "good advice" although some posters seem to think I should be grateful for their posts. I will leave it to the Reader to decide.

I also note that two other threads on a similar topic have been killed over the years by comments similar to the ones I received... with the person who brought the issue up being attacked by having it implied that they lying or stupid.

Perhaps I should have posted something like the following:

"I am a well off middle class person with too much time on my hand. I like to pedantically correct the posts of others who do not uphold my view and imply they are lying or stupid or unreasonable, while attempting to show my great knowledge and superiority by pointing out that I am a wizard at juggling my finances, know all the terms and conditions lesser mortals and of course never go overdrawn. I believe in the financial institutions and companies of our great realm and will not have them criticised. I would like to work with a group of like-minded OPs and verbally demean and bully and thus drive out any Poster who who criticise them or point out flaws and/or potential problems with those institutions that might impact negatively on the Consumer.!"

And them I might have got supportive replies?.
As it is I do not plan to post on this Forum again.-so you have all "won" - you have driven me away.

masonic

Consumer66 wrote: »

I notice that many of the replies I received have been edited to make them seem more reasonable.I did not receive "good advice" although some posters seem to think I should be grateful for their posts. I will leave it to the Reader to decide.

That's another extraordinary claim you've made there, that ranks right up there with the claim that many organisations are exploiting customers by hiding vital details they need to keep a budget of their finances. I wonder if the facts will bear it out...

...apparently not. There have been several posts that have been edited within minutes of having been made, which is very common. I highly doubt they have been edited to "seem more reasonable" judging by what remains in the posts. Most likely, people have just corrected typos, adjusted grammar and sharpened up points that were not very clear at the time they hit the submit button.

Several of the posts have been edited by the forum team but these have been clearly marked, and quite frankly I'm surprised at what got left alone in those posts that were edited. I never got to see those posts pre-edit, so have no idea what was removed.

{Edited by Forum Team} That probably explains your observation below that...

I also note that two other threads on a similar topic have been killed over the years by comments similar to the ones I received... with the person who brought the issue up being attacked by having it implied that they lying or stupid.

People should always keep their disagreements focused on the arguments, not the personalities. But those "attacks" I have seen in these parts only go on while posters stubbornly argue positions that are untenable, or have started out attacking others, or made unreasonable demands of them.

Perhaps I should have posted something like the following:

"I am a well off middle class person with too much time on my hand. I like to pedantically correct the posts of others who do not uphold my view and imply they are lying or stupid or unreasonable, while attempting to show my great knowledge and superiority by pointing out that I am a wizard at juggling my finances, know all the terms and conditions lesser mortals and of course never go overdrawn. I believe in the financial institutions and companies of our great realm and will not have them criticised. I would like to work with a group of like-minded OPs and verbally demean and bully and thus drive out any Poster who who criticise them or point out flaws and/or potential problems with those institutions that might impact negatively on the Consumer.!"

And them I might have got supportive replies?.
As it is I do not plan to post on this Forum again.-so you have all "won" - you have driven me away.

I doubt that would have done you any more favours. Perhaps try us again if you feel you can interact with a more straightforward disposition.