Well, my flatmate has been having problems with her bank. She cashed a check with them over a month ago and they are still holding it. So basically she has no money for Christmas or anything else for that matter. On top of that, her laptop LCD screen died yesterday and we had to find a replacement monitor for it while we figure out what she is going to do. So the "Cosmic Dumpster" has decided that now would be a great time to descend on us.
What is most frustrating about the bank is that if they have no other explanation, they will accuse you of giving them a bad check even before they have tried to cash it. Basically, they will say that they do not know if the check is good before crediting your account with the money. Let me put it this way. It is a check from her government and I have cashed checks from the States in less than three days before. The banking system in the UK SUCKS. Customer service is horrible and they take days to do the simplest things (for instance, try to get a foreign bank draft in less than three days). Almost every American that I have met here has had a problem from annoying to serious with their bank. Honestly, someone needs to read the banks in this country the riot act about customer service and the ability to cash an international check in less than two weeks. In a time when I can wire money across the world in a nano-second, why do we have to wait four to six weeks for a check to clear?! On top of that, why does one person's international check take three days while another takes six weeks?
At the very least, we have her computer back online even if it took me carrying a full sized monitor up and down three flights of stairs in the rain.
posted by Chris #7:29 PM | 0 comments |
