More banking woes

The subject of poor banking service is one visited by our correspondents and yesterday I fell victim to it.

In using an ATM first thing yesterday the machine retained my card for no reason nor explanation. This means that for the second time in a few months I have to undertake the rigmarole of ordering a new card and registering it for my regular transactions.

In expressing my indignation to my personal manager I was promised that if I presented myself at the branch that afternoon a new one could be given me on the spot.

When I did so she was on the phone conducting a lengthy conversation on travel insurance. You might have thought someone else could have dealt with this or that a Client would not be expected to wait some 10 minutes.

I could take no more as somebody was waiting outside for me and left in a huff. Okay, I could be more patient but I just sat there like a lemon with no service offered at all.

I had just lunched with a former secretary who had come down for the day. We are different personalities and indeed skin colours but our mutual resolve to keep the relationship going is now in its 38th year.

I chose the Ivy restaurant as the food is good, the prices reasonable and atmosphere vibrant.

Looking around the tables I noted the amount of diners on mobile phones, at the table next to me sat a three generational celebration, the younger members surreptitiously getting their phones out.

Two other diners sat together both also looking intently into their phones.

I must be unusual as I prefer to concentrate on the company before me and most of my incoming messages are from retailers or service providers which I immediately delete. There is nothing there to distract me from my guests – if there was I would ignore it.

Another intrusion of the mobile is to show a photo from it to illustrate a point. We once managed without these and the world was a calmer more courteous place for it.