Today I tried to renew my student overdraft. I don't really use it that often, but it's nice to have for those "end of the month" moments.
So, I thought, I shall phone the bank's phone banking service; it will save me a tramp.
Oh, fool me. A tramp I should have undertaken, for it would have saved me much anguish and time.
First: I am bad at remembering security details. Cue 10 mins of resetting my security numbers.
Then, I get through to a person. Aha! Sense.
Or not. "I have to check with a manager about your overdraft".
"oh, okay".
Hold music... hurrah. Not Greensleeves. This is Good.
Then: TONETONETONETONE.
This is new. Much better than "hold muzak".
Oops. No, they just hung up on me.
Right. Dial again. REMEMBER NEW SECURITY CODE! YES! HURRAH!
"Hello. I was just in the process of renewing my Student account overdraft, when I got dropped by the phone. Can you help me?"
"No. You've been declined. You're not allowed an overdraft".
"But I have a student account. That's part of the deal"
"Sorry. You've been declined by a manager. I am just a paid monkey. You'll get no help from me, and there's no point asking anyone else because we all have the same information - which is to decline you"
"Well, can I speak to a manager?"
"They'll tell you exactly the same thing. We all hate you"
.... and so on ad infinitum.
So. I phone my local branch. Who are lovely, and tell me that anyone in a branch will help me, so I can go to the local one. When I do this, it takes 2 minutes, my overdraft is renewed, and I'm being told that the phoneline people are morons.
Why is this? I mean, each of these people had the same information available to them. Yet the people on the phone just refused to accept that I was entitled to something that I had signed up for in their own terms and conditions.
I guess the moral of the story is that trying to avoid a walk ends up costing you more time. Or something.
Grrr.
