[blazey]

I had two calls in ten minutes from the same bank yesterday. The first person rang, a man, spoke to me so slowly and monotonously I thought he may be about to pass out. I had to go through security check:

Him: 'Can I have your address please?'
Me: 'This is a student account, will that be term time address or home time?'
Him: 'I can't tell you that'
Me: '[recites both addresses]'
Him: 'Postcode...'
Me: '[Recites both postcodes]'

Then he asks other security questions...

Then he tells me which address it would be for future reference.

He then goes through the fact that I have charges on my account for going over my overdraft. I ask him for a break down of the charges and he says I've been over my overdraft for a few months (which I know to be a lie) and he then goes on to say that I have been over since December (which is a lie because my student loan goes into that account) so I went mad and said I don't want to be told about irrelevant previous charges to justify current ones, and that I would not be continuing the phone call with someone who is incompetent at their job. I wouldn't mind but I'd already been in about these charges the week before because they had told me to go into the branch to see what they could do for me, and they couldn't do anything! Well, couldn't or wouldn't.

5 minutes later a woman rang. I said 'I've just got off the phone with this bank. I'm not going through it again.'

She then has the nerve to say 'We have no record of this on our database so I will have to take you through the security check.'

Finally losing my temper, something which is a rarity, I said 'I don't think so, I've said this once and I'll say it again, I'll go into the branch and speak to someone there.'

I'm earning a nice amount of money in the Summer. It isn't going into that account. They can wait until October when I get my student loan.

I hate banks, mostly because they're simply unwilling to help because they can get more money out of you if they refuse to. I hate their incompetent staff. I hate their false 'happy to help' themed advertising. Happy to help you put your money in perhaps, but not so happy to help you out when you need it most.

*breathe in, breathe out*