Petty Things That Get On Your Nerves...

[Guest The Phoenix]

This afternoon I had occasion to use a Royal Bank of Scotland (my bank) Cashline and did so with some degree of confidence that it would dispense, without delay, the required £50.

I inserted my card, entered my personal security number -

I'm not that stupid!

- pressed "Cash" , pressed "£50", and patiently waited as the machine went through it's usual "make him sweat a bit" routine.

All was still going well, when the message "Please remove your card" appeared, which I duly did. The message "Please wait while your cash is counted" then appeared, quickly followed by a screen advising me that "Windows is shutting down".

I stood and stared at the wee slot where the cash is delivered but to no avail. I continued to stare (glare?) at the machine, thinking to myself "What happens if I go into the bank to complain and the machine then decides to spit out my £50 to a lucky passer-by?".

Fortunately there was a second machine adjacent to the one I had used and I logged into that to get a Mini Statement which confirmed my worst fears, namely the last entry "11 Feb -£50".

Things went steadily downhill from here.

I went into the branch and I advised a teller about the fun I had just had whilst playing one of their machines. She dutifully wrote all the details down, checked her computer and confirmed the cashline machine had indeed closed down. She then asked me if I had a telephone number and I asked (somewhat naively) "What do you want a telephone number for, I just want my £50 and I'll be on my way".

Silly me!

"Sorry Sir, I need to check the balance on the machine before we can consider giving you your £50"

Red rag to bull time!

"What do you mean consider? Are you calling me a liar?"

"No, Sir but I do need to verify the facts"

"Ok, I'll wait while you check the balance"

"Sorry, I can't do that while the branch is open"

"Oh", said more in anger than disappointment, "When will you be able to check it?"

"Thursday"

By this time The Phoenix has completely lost the plot.

"Thursday! Thursday! I want to speak to the manager!"

"The Manager is on holiday"

"Ok, the acting Manager"

"We don't have one"

"What! That's ridiculous! What do you do if someone wants to complain or a decision needs to be made?"

"We sort it out amongst ourselves"

"Well you're not sorting this out, are you?"

"It will be on Thursday"

"And what happens if the machine balances, how do I get my money back then or will you just call me a liar?"

"If that happens, I'll need to discuss it with the Manager"

"And when are they back?" (Remember there is currently no Manager in the Branch)

"Next Monday"

Steam / red mist / spittle / toxic gases are now eminating from every Phoenix' orifice.

Deep breaths, induce calm, relax.

"Ok, can you let me have the address of your HO Customer Services?"

"Certainly"

Short delay and I am then handed a hand written note with a telephone number on it.

Deep breaths, induce calm, relax.

"I asked for the address not a telephone number"

"Everyone telephones their complaints in the first instance"

"So there is no one I can write to?"

"No"

At which point I spot a Leaflet in a rack next to the counter "Are you unhappy with our service?".

I select said Leaflet and read contents.

"So why does it say here, you can write to our Customer Relations Manager at the address shown below?"

"Oh" (more said in desperation than disappointment).

Cue The Phoenix biding the young woman farewell, armed with Leaflet and (currently) minus £50.

Has anything similar happened to anyone else?

I fully intend turning this into a profit (via compensation) before the episode is laid to rest.

[bluetooner]

I fully intend turning this into a profit (via compensation) before the episode is laid to rest.

I doubt you will get compensation from this, as there will be no charge to you. An apology will be all youd get i would guess. Did you ask if you could make a 2nd transaction to get the money you wanted? and then have the 50quid refunded to you?

[Guest The Phoenix]

I doubt you will get compensation from this, as there will be no charge to you. An apology will be all youd get i would guess. Did you ask if you could make a 2nd transaction to get the money you wanted? and then have the 50quid refunded to you?

Oh yeah of little faith.

The Phoenix will get at least £25 compo.

I went back to the other cashline machine and withdrew £50 without a problem.

The £50 I'm due will no doubt get debated by all the joint managers at the branch on Thursday.

[RH33]

Did anyone see the 'Jesus Christians' on Wife Swap last night?

Totally infuriating 'Freegans' who eat out of supermarket bins, live in campervans and generally do nothing but preach on the streets about Jesus and ask for donations.

I still dont know what they did with the donations that they received and at the same time I wondered where they got money for petrol, clothes and stuff.

Surely they werent luring people into giving donations towards a Christian organisation and then using said donations for petrol and the like?

I saw that as well, bunch of scrounging bible bashers. How did they all of a sudden manage to buy their son a laptop?! Poor wee guy was miserable.

And when the guy went to work for the morning at the recycling centre and decided he was wasting prescious preaching time, aye right ya fucking lazy b*****d. Get a job! (yes I know I am a student!)

[proud2beabuddy]

Did anyone see the 'Jesus Christians' on Wife Swap last night?

Totally infuriating 'Freegans' who eat out of supermarket bins, live in campervans and generally do nothing but preach on the streets about Jesus and ask for donations.

I still dont know what they did with the donations that they received and at the same time I wondered where they got money for petrol, clothes and stuff.

Surely they werent luring people into giving donations towards a Christian organisation and then using said donations for petrol and the like?

I saw that too, people like that infuriate me.

[HGG]

I was supposed to get an early night tonight.

[Buzz Killington]

Instead of having a birthday party with a Clangers cake, ice cream and jelly and a clown that can make animals out of ballons im going to the Ross County game.

[Ebanda's Handyman Services]

I saw that as well, bunch of scrounging bible bashers. How did they all of a sudden manage to buy their son a laptop?! Poor wee guy was miserable.

And when the guy went to work for the morning at the recycling centre and decided he was wasting prescious preaching time, aye right ya fucking lazy b*****d. Get a job! (yes I know I am a student!)

Imagine the ripping you'd have had at school if your pals found out that your dinner was pilfered from a bucket. The poor wee bugger shouldnt be subjected to pretty much everything that he was.

As for the Dad, he was just pure lazy and I got the impression that the Mum wasn't all there.

They were also filthy and I'm glad that smellevision isn't invented.

I saw that too, people like that infuriate me.

What pissed me off is the fact that they contributed f**k all to society, didnt pay NI or anything.

Yet they still used the education system and the NHS that we pay for every week.

Happy birthday Caleycasual.

[RH33]

A relative passed away this afternoon. She was older and passed away peacefully in her chair which is a blessing but I'm still rather upset.

[bluetooner]

I have man flu

Was feeling shitty at work yesterday, and had a fever when i was going home. Every 30mins through the night i woke up, was freezing cold so wrapped up, 30mins later i was burning up again. This morning i woke up and it felt like i had a hangover Thankfully the medicine i took is doing fine for my sore head/sickly feeling but i still have a really bad cough.

Worst thing of all, food that normally tastes really good is tasteless

[Gogo]

iam a arsehole. Thought i lost my bank card so went and blocked it, ive just went and found it in my wallet underneath my driving licence. So now have to wait till i get a new card to get money out

[bluetooner]

iam a arsehole. Thought i lost my bank card so went and blocked it, ive just went and found it in my wallet underneath my driving licence. So now have to wait till i get a new card to get money out

Can't you go into the branch to do it? (although that does mean it has to be open)

[Andy Dufresne]

iam a arsehole. Thought i lost my bank card so went and blocked it, ive just went and found it in my wallet underneath my driving licence. So now have to wait till i get a new card to get money out

I lost my wallet on monday and cancelled my cards,Then i got a phone call from the office to say one of my customers had found it,I feel you pain.

[pollymac]

People that use personal shit to 'get' at others (thinks specifically of the witch-hunt on SD and some poster's preferred 'father attacks').

In the last two years my family has seen my wifes mum and dad pass away as well as her granny.

My mum passed away on Sunday morning.

I'm pished right now and it's the first time I've come on here since and it's really hurting like f**k. Over the weekend I made 4 visits to Ninewells in Dundee, always being reassured that things swere fine. The 4th vist was called in at 7,20 and got there to see my step-dad in tears and to see my mum with mottled head (she had suuffered from Cancer for 6 years), mouth agape, 2 minutes dead. My mum was a single parent and a recovering alchoholic that raised 3 children (that have posted on here) that are very successful - I never got the chance to tell her that I loved her and that all we achieved was in large due to her.

Please, if you're going to rip people, don't use stuff like some people have (ie SD's dad and subsequent arguements/fightd), it's way below the belt and hurts more than you'll (hopefully) ever imagine.

Don't reply to this with a 'we're awfully sorry etc' post. Please, just stop the personal attacks on people, when it'll hurt them more than you know/think. (also thinking of Kilt and Burgundy nonsense - which was schoolkid bullying at best/worst)

[Guest The Phoenix]

Powerful stuff barky and a laudible appeal to the moronic element but I fear for that very reason you are talking to a brick wall.

My mum died suddenly from a stroke and I regretted lots of things but I know that she wouldn't have wanted me to feel that way - she accepted me and loved because of what I was, not what I might have been. I'm sure your mum would feel exactly the same way.

[pollymac]

Powerful stuff barky and a laudible appeal to the moronic element but I fear for that very reason you are talking to a brick wall.

My mum died suddenly from a stroke and I regretted lots of things but I know that she wouldn't have wanted me to feel that way - she accepted me and loved because of what I was, not what I might have been. I'm sure your mum would feel exactly the same way.

I know.

Stuart has had to take some amount of shit on her from the like of the oxymorinically (is that a new word?) named Captain Sensible's attacks with regards his father.

IMO, the content of a poster's post is fair game to dissmination, examination, whatever - the poster's personal life is not.

I think SD can be a bit of a dick at the best of times, but to use his father, the argument with regards his wife, as a point scoring excercise is fucking low.

I'll give you an example that would come close-

My wife's older sister was not born to my wife's dad. When my sister-in-law wanted to find her 'real' dad, my wife and her sis had a major fisty style fallout. Fast forward a couple of years and after a lenghty illness from a bug caught abroad that screwed her renal system, her sister died on the 3rd September 1998 (6 months after me and Pam were married).

If anyone ever had a go at my wife for falling out with Kerry because of that, I'd fucking murder them. My wife never got over what happened to her sister and when the later events (above) occured, she suffered a complete breakdown, thinking she was being punished for how she felt about her sister 10 years ago.

So many people, Ron Burgundy included (despite being one of my favourite posters) neglect the feelings of others, citing some flimsy excuse such as 'he posted to the net, what did he expect' as some reason that allows the type of bullying that could drive a grown man that's just lost his kids in a messy divorce to do something stupid (I never followed Kilt's problems, but f**k sake, show some compassion, eh)

I'm fucking sick of it. Sick of it all. People are shit sometimes.

[Guest The Phoenix]

More powerful stuff, Barky.

Piece of advice, if I might be so bold - sleep on it and when the mist lifts, reflect that "There's nought like folk", shrug your shoulders and move on with your own life.

[Andy Dufresne]

Indeed Phoenix,I lost my mum at 49 and my brother at 29.Barky just ignore people on P&B and just live life the way you were brought up in life to respect.

[Adam_Wee]

Sounds like you are going through a tough time Barky, chin up. Also, those are some decent rants.

People always slag others off for posting personal stuff on the internet (I myself, am guilty of this) but tonight, I sit here and realise that some people don't have other people to talk things over with. Right now, I am one of these people. I'm pretty much at the bottom of the barrel just now, not knowing where to go with my thoughts.

I've got lots and lots of problems, and for the first time in ages, I have noone here at home that can sit and listen to them. I'm not going to bore you with them all, and there is no way I would ever consider posting them on a public internet forum, but it is good to come on here and vent some steam. I'm just counting down the minutes until I can hold her in my arms again and pour my heart out to her.

Believe it or not, I haven't been drinking tonight, but I am so desperate to be with the one I love so much. She will have such a pointing and laughing session tomorrow when she reads this, but as long as she is with me, I don't care.

[HGG]

I was supposed to bank some cash and cheques yesterday, but never got round to it. I used some of the cash today to pay for the skip, so knew I'd had the envelope with it in. Lost it tonight before I went out so spent most of my dance class worrying what on earth I'd done with it as it was no small amount. Found it on top of the microwave when I got back. Goodness knows where my brain is!

Anyway, with me not being in the best of moods when I arrived at my class (late anyway because of searching for this damn money!) tonight was probably not the best of nights for the guy I have to partner (complete with his pullover and pony tail at 50+) at dancing to decide to make his interest a little more obvious. He made a complete arse of himself, didn't dance well through trying to be smart, annoyed me by pushing his luck and it was all I could do not to lose my rag with him. One more week and then that's me changing studios, which is a shame because it's actually a really nice place.