Don't Bank On It

Yes, yes, it's been ages. But let's not worry about that shall we?

You see, this is the problem: I think of all sorts of things I want to write about, but then when I actually sit down at the computer to do it, my mind goes blank.

So... Um... Um...

sound of brain being wracked

Um....

Yes! THAT'S what I wanted to talk about, I remember now...

My bank (not TwatWest, the other one) called me in yesterday for an 'annual review' of my finances. They've been ringing me and hassling me for weeks about coming in: "We can save you money on your loan Mrs Him", "We can do lots of things to improve your finances Mrs Him", and finally "We won't renew your overdraft limit for another year unless you come in for the review Mrs Him".

So, like a good little customer (who can't afford to pay back her overdraft), off I trotted to Lloyds to spend my lunch hour having my finances improved. I was almost excited - after all, they'd already promised that they could save me money...

Except of course they actually couldn't. Instead, I had to sit there being told off for not having a pension by someone younger than me. Oh, and here's a tip: if your bank allows you a 'buffer zone' on your overdraft (i.e. you can go up to ten or twenty quid over without being charged) although you don't get charged, it DOES get marked against you as a 'risk' rating if you use it. W*nkers.

So, what did I learn from my hour long, lunchbreak wasting, annual review?

1. Not having a pension makes me evil and irresponsible...

2. Having credit cards makes me evil, irresponsible, and poor...

3. A good credit file (surprisingly, I do have one [well, three technically], I ordered them a few weeks ago and checked) doesn't mean much to my main bank because they are more concerned with 'how I run my account' - which is where the buffer zone thing comes in...

4. An 'annual review' is an excuse to trap you in a room and try to sell you 'added value' accounts...

5. And finally, that I am in debt. Yes, they felt the need to point that out. Funny, because obviously I wouldn't be aware of that already...

So in summary, if you want to be made to feel bad about yourself, learn lots of things you already knew, and listen to someone trying to sell you an account that costs £10 a month (you've just told me I'm in debt, why would I want to spend another £10 a month on something so unnecessary?), then book in to your bank for an 'annual review' today!

So yes, that's what I wanted to talk about today.

Bet you wish I hadn't bothered...