The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

Sir Mervyn King has said what we all knew, that banks treat their customers shoddily. He calls for a review of the financial structure and an injection of honesty in their dealings. I suspect that it's not just the financial sector that needs the latter.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

Whats the old saying ---------------- let he who is without sin, cast the first stone ---------

All of us, and I mean ALL of us have fiddled something or other in our lives, I certainly have, whether it be a biro from work, that bit of wood that would have chucked away anyway, it is all a fiddle.

The banks always have been a law unto themselves, with the easy threat to governments that if they don't get this, or get that , they will move out of the "city", so the governents, of ALL political persuasions, look the other way.

And it's only in the relatively recent past few years that stories like this have come to light, simply because these days, if you can't get on the bandwagon with them --- you whistle blow to the press, then as they say --- the mire hits the fan --- and everyone is blaming everyone else.

I daresay these things have been going on since time began, and knowing human nature as I do, they will continue evermore.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

With due respect Jonsey, comparing stealing a biro with all that the banks have been up to is patently absurd. Yes, I have taken paper from work but I wouldn't dream of defrauding thousands of people out of thousands of pounds.......nor would you I imagine.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

I have a gripe with Banks HSBC , they have closed the Bank in Haltwhistle which I use and now you have to go to Hexham which is no use to me because its a no cars zone and I cant walk that far, so am having to change my bank. Bugger.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

Stealing / fiddling/etc is a crime, no matter how small the item, its a crime, what determines the seriousness of a crime is the punishment levied out, and of course if your'e caught or not.

I am not suggesting any ONE person would steal money from another as you said you wouldn't do and nor would I, but what you have to remember is, these traders / bankers etc are not dealing in money, they are trading bits of paper, a product that isn't visible, they are not dealing with any ONE persons money they are trading paper, which can only show a profit after the event, they get it wrong and they are accused of "insider trading" -- bad investment policies etc etc -- and they get the sack --- no-one loves a loser.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

Jonsey, those bankers didn't fiddle bits of paper, they SET OUT to con people out of thousands of pounds in a deliberate and calculated manner. It is ridiculous to compare that with petty theft as well you know. Choose to defend your trite argument if you will, I have no more to say on the matter.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

Annie if you are having to change your bank I suggest you look at one which also uses the post office. I'm with Santander and do all my banking both business and personal at any post office which is so easy for me. There are other banks which use the post office besides Santander and I'm sure the post office will advise further

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

lets cut to the chase here.

I'm not particularly bothered if Jonsey has nicked a biro or a bit of wood in the past. That has little impact upon me and its for his own conscience to cope with.

Bankers are a different prospect.

They touch and impact upon just about every aspect of normal everyday life that we know form whether you have a job, whether you have a house, where you shop, which companies go bust or not right through to what kind of a future you can look forward to.

Against that backdrop there ought to be a level of corporate and personal integrity which is very difficult to legislate on but nevertheless needs to be at the core of banking culture. I think this is what Mervin King was speaking about yesterday.

Instead we has got a cesspit of corruption and immorality where it appears you can do almost anything to enhance your personal earnings and wealth at the expense of anybody else. You are even rewarded and venerated for doing this.

It makes me sick.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

And it all started with Thatcher (phth, phth, phth). Remember - "there is no such thing as society" ???? - the corruption and greed of the City Traders prevalent now began then. Those in charge now were, in the main, school children back in the 1970s and 80s and the Thatcher (phth, phth, phth) morality spread down from those City Traders (remember Harry Enfield's characterisation - loadsamoney???) to the children of the time.

Our education system, as well as failing on the disciplinary front, has apparently also failed to teach any form of social morality to a whole generation of children.

Re: The Banks' "Shoddy" treatment of Customers.

Interesting take on things.

I thought that the moral upbringing of our children was a parental issue.

I went to school well before Thatcher took our milk away and dont recall attending moral society classes. I do recall my mother teaching me right from wrong and how to be honest.

You can blame schools for almost anything if you want to contrive it so, but they have about as much influence on the moral leadership in our society as you or I have.

The sooner we stop pampering to the ego's of our current crop of waste of space role models (including Jordan, the Kardasians and the hilton clan) we can hopefully look forward to replacing them with people who can provide some aspiration to young people that doent involve just fame ,money or an easy way to riches.