The Red Mist - like anyone actually cares…

Due to slight carelessness on my part, I managed to send a dollop of cash from my current account to a savings account twice, which left my current account about six and a half thousand pounds overdrawn. (Poor you, I hear you say…)

Fortunately, I noticed the error straight away - on the same day as the cash left my account. I immediately transferred the money back from my savings account, but since the transfers take up to three days (yes, here we are in the 21st century UK, and it still takes three days for electrons to travel between banks), the accidental overdrawnness lasted longer than the same business day.

I know, think I, I’ll inform the bank of my error, and politely request that, on this occasion, they’d withhold any overdraft charges, stressing the fact that I’ve been a loyal customer an idiot for some 37 years, during which time I’ve been overdrawn on fewer occasions than I have digits on either of my hands. I felt sure that my loyalty would be reciprocated, especially as the bank in question (no names, but it’s an anagram of BHCS) called itself “the listening bank”).

Ha!

Their swift but unhelpful response amounted to “No can do, pal - that’ll be £25, please”.

Being the sort of submissive customer that we in the UK are so good at, my first instinct was to meekly accept it with a shrug. But on this occasion, I decided to fight back, even to the point of threatening to close my account, despite that being tantamount to cutting my nose off to spite my face. They are the only bank with a branch here in Llanfairfechan.

That’ll make them sit up and take notice!

But I kept my powder dry. My first approach was, more or less, “I say, that’s a bit stiff…”.

At which, they promptly capitulated, and rescinded the charge. Fair took the wind out of my sails, it did. My dander was up, and I was ready for a fight, but the wimps backed down at the first sight of Slightly Annoyed of, Llanfairfechan. They had to have the last word though. I was informed of their decision in a slightly petulant “don’t do it again, we won’t be so nice about it next time” sort of letter. Ironically, the letter took less time to reach me in the post than the money took to be transferred back into my account electronically.

I have to pinch myself sometimes…