$guru to the rescue

I have totally got the shits with my bank, of which I've been with for ages. After 3 calls from the Indian call centre, the last being one day after another, I sent this email to my $guru:

I'm having a lot of problems with ........... Bank. They keep ringing me telling me I'm behind in payments when I've already told them what I'm doing to address the matter (Super). They are hugely annoying calls from an Indian call centre. Each one tells me there's been notes put on my file re my situation, but nobody seems bothered to read them. ........... wouldn't agree to offer any sort of hardship thing as they said it was either Super or their hardship thing, one or the other. I told them I won't be able to pay anything until I get the results of the Super application in 2-3 months, but they still wouldn't offer me financial hardship. And so I'm continually getting these bloody calls, having to explain over and over.


Particularly as I've been with the bank for nearly 30 years, I think this is really unfair. I've never missed any sort of payment with them in all those years until now. Have you got any pointers on what I can do about it? Or possibly if you rang them it might help?

I was just about at the end of my wits with this shit. I'd done all I could to keep them informed about my situation but now I was being copped with crap from an Indian call centre, starting to look like it was going to be about every day forever more. My guru sent me this reply shortly after:

I will send a fax to ..........tomorrow & follow with a phone call.

I will also advise them that we may make a formal complaint to FOS ( the Financial Ombudsman Service) for not directing you to their Hardship section, as they are required to do under the National Consumer Code.

I'll let you know .

- calls should stop pretty soon. In the meantime, just answer the calls with..."the matter has been referred to my Financial Counsellor, please do not call again otherwise a formal complaint will be lodged with the FOS.."

OMG! It seems the banks here are bound by some law that pretty much says they can't fuck me over if I'm financially fucked. They have to follow particular procedures in addressing my financial fuckness, as ordered by the gov. I learn now that that doesn't involve not offering me financial hardship; they are required by law to do that and are breaking the law if they don't. My bank has broken the law in denying me it.

I'm so glad of the guru. I'd have not the faintest idea about any of this without him. I dunno if he's straight or whatever, that's not the point. I feel like kissing him and giving a big huge next time I see him, straight or not.