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I did say some pensioners, not all!  And it isn't childish - it's good judgement and common sense.  I'm not the only one who holds this view by any means!

Don't forget that today's pensioners were yesterday's generation some of whom were care-free and couldn't have cared less about pension payment plans and investments... bit like today's middle-aged citizens, don't you think?  They don't seem to realise that they will age and have to retire sometime soon

Those who used common sense and planned ahead and invested in Pension plans have reaped the rewards.  They shouldn't have to depend on the government to provide for them unless they are disabled, etc.

If we can get back to the matters in hand!
This morning I got a reply from HBOS, as follows :-

[/color]
....and it is fair to say, as previously detailed, we do profit from using these numbers. 
We have had a number of complaints regarding this matter, and whilst we have no plans to amend the telephone numbers we use, I have passed on your comments accordingly.[color=Black]

So keep up the complaining, at least they are getting some, and admitting 0845 give them profit, as well as 0870.

Yes, Dave, that seems to be the way they operate.  I would have liked to say that ethically it is indefensible, but, then I remembered, 'ethical' does not appear in bank's dictionaries.
Our only thoughts should be "How do we waken customers up, and get them all to complain"??

err wrong.

It appears in the co-op bank (smile/co-op bank). If you ask them for a geographic number theyll willingly give you it.

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err wrong again.  I hope (not!).

I hope I'm wrong and they've changed, but for three years I lived in the hill overlooking the Pyramid in Stockport (their call centre) and no one would give me their geographic number, least of all the security guard at the front desk! 

HBOS is another matter; I have an 0500 (yes 0500!) number for my personal accounts, and a geo number in Inverness for my business accounts.  That's BoS; Halifax it's all 084x/7x numbers.

This is an interesting quote coming from a bank, and one worth remembering.

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One way to strike back at banks that exploit at every opportunity is to keep changing bank accounts, taking the introductory offers like 0% for 6/9/12 months on credit cards and then at the end of the 6/9/12 months, go off to another.  There is after all plenty of competition; let's make the most of it.

Off topic, I know, but as others have talked about pensioners, here goes:  the real injustice is means testing, so beloved of Gordon Brown.  There are many people who have worked in low paid jobs, thriftily put money by for old age and found after retirement that it buys them a pension just big enough to disqualify them from benefits like pension credit and council tax benefit, etc.  Unless you can put so much money away that you will be way over the thresholds anyway, you may as well go to the pub, buy a new car every couple of years, enjoy foreign holidays and spend it while you can.  Or stuff the private pension scheme that takes so much in 'management' fees and ties your money up till retirement and instead put your spare dosh into buying property.

nanstallon wrote on Apr 30^th, 2006 at 6:18pm:


As a follow on I keep an eye on the banks at present Yorkshire Bank are enticing new customers with a £150 intro offer, it is worth looking at