The best I ever heard on that was a freelance war correspondent who had his Amex declined at an airport while trying to flee an African country that had just exploded into civil war. He managed to blag a flight home on a British troop transport that had been flown in to evacuate our embassy. Once back in London, he contacted Amex to find out what the fook had gone wrong. It transpired that they'd put a block on his card because of "irregular activity" surrounding the purchase of a £5k diamond ring, shortly before he left the UK. The stupid bugger had failed to notify Amex that he'd got engaged and buying £5k engagement rings wasn't the sort of monthly activity that he regularly indulged in.

This also happened to us two years ago in France - over a £2 transaction! Not only did they stop the card, when we rang up to find out why they wouldn't tell us! We were very worried that someone had cleaned out our account, just what you want when you're a 1000 miles from home. When we finally sorted it because my son went around to our house we discovered the reason we were relieved the account was in credit but pretty annoyed over the reason.
I wrote to complain, but got not response. My wife had earlier written to complain about poor service in the branch and go no response.
We switched to the Halifax. Our bank at the time? The one that's currently advertising how friendly and local and cosy it is the Yorkshire - I'd been with since it was the Yorkshire Penny Bank. They finally responded after about three months when they noticed no activity in our current account! However, if the Co-op open a branch near us or take over a Lloyds branch near us I'm seriously thinking of switching again.

Check for yourself on [url=https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?snapid=S5811784IrAGooglemap[/url

Lovely both our C&G that has our ISA and the LloydsTSB that has my current account are being sold.
Saves me a hell of a lot of hassle changing over on my own.

Although NatWest are generally awful I would say their charge card is brilliant. Never had problems when abroad. also their fraud detection system is stunning. They have detected frauds immediately on a couple of occasions. They were overzealous once but with good reason. I bought a suit about 4pm in Luton and flew to Geneva where for some reason the hotel wanted the full week charged upfront for a couple of rooms, so a couple of thousand. They 'phoned home first thing Monday am to check things were OK and Mrs D got a message to me who told them all was OK. They did not stop the card though. I think their card service is great (although expensive).

Mrs D had the ideal opportunity there to have your hotel bill payment stopped, and the return flight cancelled.

I bet she's been kicking herself ever since.

It was obviously the "buying a suit in Luton" that alerted them, unless it was a shell suit you bought.

In 2006 I bought a new car I asked the salesman how to pay - he said transfer the cash into your current account and pay with your debit card. We transferred the money. I went to Leeds to change the insurance and left an hour's cover in order to drive to the dealers in order to change cars. I gave the salesman my debit card and he came back ten minutes later and said "it's been declined" I rang the Yorkshire Bank and was told the money was there in cash if I wanted to come and get it. Problem, I was in Cleckheaton and the money was in Leeds, and of course since the insurance on my former car was now invalid I had no way of getting to it. I solved the problem but I was pretty p!ssed at the time with Yorkshire Bank.

Got it in Debenhams. Only one I've ever had from there. Was a nice suit, got it cheap in the sale but as I was in a hurry (wanted it for the trip and had run out of time) it was always rather tight! Nice suit, good price the fact it didn't really fit didn't seem to matter.

Oh come on, plenty of people wear suits in Luton, just have a wander round the magistrates court on a Monday morning.

A tory (predominantly at least) government doing what tory governments do best, selling off family silver for peanuts. What's new about that. Owd Maggies legacy is still alive and kicking.

Just what is this irrelevant little outburst supposed to mean?
Does it translate as "It's all left wing, call it what you want, I just don't like it"?
Because if it does, then you might as well start referring to the conservative party as Nazis.

I do

Just got a Halifax credit card for holidays as it is the cheapest way to get cash out of an ATM despite the interest believe it or not.

Anyway phoned to activate the card. Gave all the information accurately and then the call says "There was a problem and we need to transfer you to an operator" or something like that. Anyway it then says there is a 10 minute wait on a number that is going to charge me money. So I hang up.

Try again later - same result but this time get through to an operator in India. "What can I do for you sir" - Well says I, I just got told there was a problem activating the card. "No sir the card has been activated OK". So why did it say what it did? "No idea sir".

Then I try and register for Internet Banking.

Fill the form in on-line get to the last screen and it says now you must ring the call centre. So I ring and this time it is a UK based one. "What can I do for you sir?". So I explain I am trying to set up Internet access. "Is this the first time you have tried to do this"? Strange question thinks I but I answer. "A user id will be automatically sent out to you then you have use that". But that is not what the instructions on the screen say I reply. The screen says I must ring so YOU can complete my registration. "No sir, you will get a user id in the post".

I hang up but not convinced ring again. This time I get someone who knows what they are doing. Takes me through various questions and yes I will be sent a user id but only because I went through the process outlined on the screen with an operator completing my application/registration for me.

I have been lucky with my banking so far. Very little has gone wrong but this farce was a reminder that out there it is quite possible to find utterly rubbish service!

Good post. Rather than keep them as a pet though, I'd prefer to keep them in my basement and bring them out at dinner parties to mock and poke with sticks.

Love your sig. "[i'The trouble with Socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money'[/i"
It serves to show how little you understand about collective responsibility.

That sig must be irony surely? Given it is capitalism that has caused us to run out of money only someone incredibly thick would make that comment seriously.

We haven't run out of money – [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18944097it's all salted away in tax havens: some $21 trillion or so of it[/url.

Jeeze, you Tory lot love a good spanking don't you...

No they prefer to round up anyone who's not like them and herd them into work camps. After all the Tories are on the right wing aren't they? So they must do. To suggest otherwise would be intellectualising over theoretical nuances of fascism.

It's a quote from the Iron Lady. My hero.

Was she Cr4p at trolling too ?

It happened to me just last week in Singapore (although I had forgotten to tell them I was going abroad). I was still standing in front of the ATM swearing at it when my phone rang and it was the HSBC fraud department asking whether it was me that just tried to use my card in Singapore. I said yes, answered a question or 2 and then withdrew some Sing Dollars to get pi$hed with!!! How's that for service

Given the allegations against HSBC, I'm amazed they even asked.