Today I baulked at the decision by the Supreme Court effectively for banks to be allowed to charge for “unforeseen” overdrafts. What made it worse was the patronising words from Angela Knight from the British Bankers’ Association telling us all how to run our accounts more effectively. I won’t mince my words. It made me puke and I will tell you why:-

When I was divorced and made redundant in 2003, I needed all the help I could get. I did apply for an overdraft and went through all the right channels. So one day mugshot here was travelling across Wales to pick up a friend from a ferry terminal. I got to a garage (as you do) and they refused my HSBC Switch Card. Luckily I had cash.

Shorley shome mishtake I naturally assumed. Yes the mistake was on my part, dear reader. I had exceeded my agreed overdraft by a few quid. I had miscalculated. Human error. What did HSBC do? They sent me to Pakistani call centres to argue my case. I spent a whole Saturday in tears of frustration making around 15 phone calls that day trying to explain to people who couldn’t speak English that I had since repaid the few quid owed and arguing a case for the resumption of services.

My overdraft and loan combined amounted to just less than £2500. Everyone else, including my mortgage lender, Nationwide Building Society had stayed patient with me. Eventually due to income arising from self employment, I managed to climb out of that financial bog. It’s a case of keeping your head above it and try to stay smiling for your kids’ sake. These people who run banks are not interested in you, they’re interested in what they can make from you.

HSBC got their Rottweilers, DG Solicitors on to it and recovered the money with a County Court Judgement. Should I be publicising my CCJ? Oh yes a big hearty yes. Because thankfully social media now gives us the voice to do so. I am not ashamed to expose this organisation for what they are. I am sure other people have similar experiences. If so, as the consumer guru Martn Lewis of www.moneysavingexpert.com, has said, write to your MP’s and give the banks another kicking for breaching the trust in those that keep their fat spotty behinds on those big leather chairs.

I don’t want to play victim. I wouldn’t give HSBC the satisfaction. I had been with HSBC for 20 odd years. I can even remember my first Midland bank cheque book as a student. Before that I used to go with my dad to Hamilton Square branch in Birkenhead every Saturday morning. I wouldn’t pass water over the same building now. He’d be horrified at their dishonourable behaviour had he still been alive today.

Only two weeks before the shit hit the fan, these highwaymen had me in there trying to transfer my mortgage over to them. I kid you not!

I haven’t got current money riding on this. Nope. I kind of knew in my heart of hearts they would pull this off. I didn’t even bother to lodge a reclaim of bank charges. I wasn’t going to have these greedy halfwits at HSBC turn me down once again. Yet it’s us account holder who have bailed out the banks during one of the worst recessions in modern history. And now once again they have cajoled the judges with the thick wedges they have smacked down on the oak desks of their slimy slick suited lawyers.

If you see this article and want to lift it for your own website then please feel free. All I ask is that you provide a link back. These people need to know how we, their primary stakeholders, actually feel today.