I had to nip into the evil money-grabbing bank today. It took me ages to find a pen that worked. I went to every single pen-on-a-chain in the branch until I found one which actually worked. You’d think with all the hideous charges they add to my account each month that they’d at least be able to afford a box of biros.
After queueing for an eternity (gotta love that lunch-time rush) I was yet again told by the cashier that the “account manager would like to see you for an account review”.
Humph… :( This happens every week, and every week we go through the same process. I try and find a working pen, queue up for ages, then I get told that I need an “account review”.
Balls. We both went together for an account review about 3 months ago. They looked at all our direct debits and then tried to sell us credit cards, mortgages, savings and a whole load of other useless crap (I won’t mention the bank by name, because LloydsTSB will no doubt get annoyed with me). However, even after going through this two hour meeting I still get asked asked to “see the account manager” every time I pay a cheque in. It’s annoying as hell, because every week I say the same thing. “No, I don’t want to see her again and I don’t need to see her. Can you remove that from your popup or whatever it is that keeps coming up when you log into my account?”
The lady behind the glass usually apologises and removes the reminder, but somehow I get asked again the following week… and again…and again.. and again. There’s never any poxy reminder about the pens though is there?
So anyway, I’m standing there waiting for the lady to tell me about the account review I don’t want (again) when an old lady steps up to the counter next to me. I noticed a few people doing the same thing as I waited – they all walk up, past the cash machines (ATM’s) and straight to the cashiers. They thow down their cash-cards and ask the cashier for a certain amount of money. I’m not sure why they do this, it’s perhaps the way they like to operate – perhaps they can’t remember their PIN number or something…
Anyway… This old lady walked up and said, “Can I take some money out dear?”
She passed over her bank card and the cashier asked, “How much would you like love?”
“Oh”, said the old lady, “I’ve just got a bit of shopping and stuff to do. Can I have 195 please?”
WHAT? Are you mental woman? This alone made me think that old people really need to be taken care of more (and not have their care homes shut down because the local authorities are strapped for cash …. Hello Staffordshire County Council…)
The lovely old dear then walked off into town with nearly 200 quid stuffed in her bag – all in 5 notes. It worried me quite a bit, especially when I walked out after her and saw the chavs and hoodies knocking about by the fountain.
But my attention was diverted. A voice on my right shouted, “S’cuse me duck, ‘av you got a light?”. I turned my head and spotted a child – a girl perhaps 14 years old with half a ciggie in her hand. I don’t smoke, never have, so I just said, “No, sorry”. However, I looked a bit further and noticed hat she was pushing a buggie – one of those really cheap ones you’d expect to see small children pushing a doll around in, however there was a small baby sat inside. The tot was around 2 months old and had a t-shirt on, which I found a tad surprising considering that it was only about 7 degrees C and her mother had a big puffer-style jacket on.
So perhaps I shouldn’t just worry about the “youth of today”, but also the “oldies of today” aswell. :(