Pages

8.6.12

ON-LINE BANKING

A couple of years ago my bank statements began going missing, presumed lost in the post, so when my bank suggested I move to "paper-less statements" I agreed. They promoted the system as simple to use. HAH!
Setting it up in the first place was a challenge in itself, with passwords and "memorable words" and mother's maiden name etc. I'm surprised they didn't ask for my Grandfather's inside leg measurement.
I wish I had stuck with the paper statements, though I suspect they weren't lost in the post at all - it was just a ploy to save the bank money. If I forget to log in each month I can't check on every movement, and do you know why? Because this modern technology apparently can't cope with storing my statement details for longer than four weeks. What a load of cobblers! When I worked in a bank fifty years ago, the ledgers went back decades.
Yesterday I wanted to check my statement and transfer some cash to the OH's account for his UK trip next week. A red note appeared on the screen - "Error", a code number and a phone number. So today I called them. After fifteen minutes of listening to sales talk and pressing relevant buttons and listening to music, eventually I spoke to a real person - a nice lady with an Indian accent. Log in, use Pin Sentry, supply my DOB and mother's maiden name - same old same old - and then.....
"While we wait for your details to come up on my computer, madam - how has your day been so far?"
Words almost failed me!

6 comments:

  1. Use a decent bank. UK - Nationwide. Tenerife - Deutsche Bank. Their on line banking is just fine - have used them both for many years.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What gets me is when you forget your password, and they send you a new one, which looks like this: OkJ4SsL6g

    At least someone spoke to you in the end!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the ease of transfering funds and paying bills online, but my bank's statements confuse me a little bit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've used online banking with Nationwide for years now. Last year they sent out a little gadget that looks like a calculator called a card reader, you insert your bank card, tell it what you want to check, (I only ever use the identity button), key in your pin and it generates a code that you then have to type online before you can get into your account. Ok if you log in at the same place all the time. and I ahve more than one card so can leave one in all the time. If I log in the old way, using memorable data I can't transfer money or pay bills. Wonder how long it will be before hackers break this system too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I feel your pain, but I love, love love online banking. It used to be in our very rural area of Costa Rica that I had to travel to a location to pay my bills, electric in one place, phone another and at different times of the month. Often they did not arrive at the stated date, or worse, the location mysteriously changed without notification. I now can pay all my bills online and my account balances are sent via email so I can store them on my computer. As for passwords, complex is god for those prying hackers who are always looking for entrance to my world. I use Data Guardian, an application that generates ad stores those codes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These people are like robots aren't they.

    ReplyDelete

Do leave a message before you go!