Elite 11+ shopping and chat thread part 2½

It's just frustrating when other people get things wrong:(. Especially given all my attempts to try to make sure they are checking things properly so that they give me correct information. I've had a new direct debit set up as one of my deals is ending. The person at the company told me they would be taking a specific amount today and that it would be the same amount every month afterwards. Being specific and exact, I therefore transferred the precise amount over on Friday. Only to find the company has taken five pence more than the amount the staff member gave me over the phone and sent my account into debit:(. Despite me specifically, precisely and expressly asking them to confirm and reconfirm the precise amount that would be taken and that it was indeed the very same amount every month. "Are you sure?" I asked them. Yes, they said, the first payment is the same as the rest. Except that, as probably half-predicted, it is not. I bet it will now turn out to be five pence more.

It may have made a huge difference as my account has gone into debit, due to me transferring the amount they claimed would be taken, despite me not fully believing them because, as predicted, a non-autistic person on nearly every occasion gets it wrong, even when you ask them to check it and make sure they are correct they still, it seems, are incapable of doing so (maybe it's just this one person on this occasion - but, even so, it's frustrating when I've directed their attention - or had hoped that I had directed their attention - to checking the detail and they still got it wrong). It looks like, only fortunately and no thanks to the inaccurate person I spoke to at the utility company, it will work out alright. I've just checked - glad I decided even to log into my bank account due to me never fully trusting them to be right - my lack of trust proving to be totally justified and well-placed sadly (and I entirely expected whatever they said to turn out to be incorrect despite me adopting my usual approach of "believe it when I see it" but relying on them to be correct that, really, I knew they would never manage to be) - and the M&S account it seems does not require me to remain in credit (just fortunate it happens to be this one) and doesn't seem to impact on the 5% saver (if I can believe the information that I see online and trust that that might be correct) as I only needed to use the switch service and maintain two active DDs. There is an overdraft of minimum £500, the first £100 of which is interest-free.

Indeed, I'm now wondering whether, as the current account gives no interest itself, I ought to maintain a balance of in debit by £100 and put the £100 in an interest-bearing account (fwiw, of the few percent I can get having already gone up to the limit allowed in my other accounts, beyond which no interest is paid). That's if I could rely on people at utility companies to ensure their company took not a penny more than the amount the staff member said - I wouldn't even say it was an error as it's beyond a mere mistake - it's something given to me despite me specifically asking on the matter, more than once, during my phone call with them and doing all I possibly could to try to get them to be correct but still failing to achieve that from them - really, it's inexcusable at that stage: I specifically asked and, yes, I did remember the exact amount they gave me and took that down fully correctly - the mistake, as ever, is never mine. I would not have transferred the amount plus 5 pence when they told me that it was the plain amount - I transferred exactly what they claimed it would be but even then not fully convinced that they would have got it right (and sure enough they got it wrong - as usual with almost everyone else as well). Are people generally really incapable of doing a job properly or getting it accurate and correct? It seems they are.

Of course, the answer is for me not to be so precise next time and to transfer a little bit more money over just in case, as sadly expected (my expectations so low, but justfied and entirely well-founded again:rotfl:), they are wrong. However: (1) I ought to be able to rely on people being correct especially when asked on the specific point more than once*; (2) I transferred the precise amount hoping it would just be paid out along with another payment (my transfer covering the full amount of both according to the figures I have been given) and not having to go back and transfer an excess back later. Clearly next time I will need that excess as, whatever I was told before or even if I were to ring them now and ask, it could not be relied upon to be correct as it will almost inevitably be wrong (unless I happened to have the low chance of being put through to a member of staff who is autistic, in which case it would almost inevitably be right - clearly I, being autistic, am wrong on this and everyone else is right:huh: - wrongness and inaccuracy is right and accurate in this seemingly 'upside-down' world) and, as I do every time I am unsure precisely what amount will be taken, I will now transfer a little more next time so it will cover for (maybe I ought to let my account go up to £100 in debit at all times though - any views folks?) and then have to take time to transfer an excess back after the bill has been paid (really I ought to charge them for my extra time needed to cater for their impreciseness:rotfl:). I would have been annoyed and would have been making a complaint about them causing my account to go into debit despite assuring me (which failed to provide any assurance) what amount would be taken only for that to turn out, half-expected, not to be the case - it's clearly their wrong so they should put it right - except that, having now checked and it seems it won't affect anything, won't have me losing interest or seeing me being charge overdraft fees and then fees on fees when they cause my account to run into debit, it's just merely a little frustrating that people just seemingly can't get much at all right:(.

The Daily Mail or Mirror might call this sort of stuff "shocking". It's not - it fails to shock due to being entirely expected.


*they properly got bored of me doing so, and me being so repetitive on the matter: but it was for this precise reason that I knew whatever they said first time would be wrong. I already these days know from experience previously that people generally are almost always wrong. So I asked them to double-check and, even after allegedly looking at the computer again, they were still wrong. (Just can't get the staff or get them to be right can I?)

Good Morning :hello:

Good morning. Has anyone got the kettle on. I am desperate for a nice cup of tea but have no milk apart from those horrid little sachets.

Morning all

Hope fourp is ok

Off to the swimming pool shortly. This will probably be the one time the water isn't on the chilly side

Stay cool everyone and make sure your pets do too.