So I've just had my phone reconnected. Again.

[den]

I was rather surprised this morning to discover my phone had been disconnected again, only this time instead of the 1800 number, the number to ring was 13 2022. I spoke to the bloke after waiting On Hold, told him I'd paid before Easter and gave him a receipt number. We chatted a bit and I mentioned I was doing a uni course on-line, and trying to live on AusStudy. He laughed and said he knew where I was coming from. He'd done the same thing a few years ago and knew I needed the phone.

He also mentioned that I wouldn't be charged for reconnection.

60 minutes later I had the phone on.

Always be nice to the person answering the phone because the problem is not their fault.

He mentioned something that has left me astounded. I paid the bill by BPAY where you ring up your bank, poke in account details, enter the bill details, enter the amount to pay, and it is transferred from your account to the billing account. I was told that paying the bill like this can take up to 7 days to clear.

What The...?

If I had written out a paper cheque with a pen and handed it over the counter at the post office, the account would have been paid then and the cheque would have cleared in 3 days.

The banks are fucked in the heads.

Comments

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Basically unless the person you are paying is set up with electronic payments (ACH--in the US) it's tons faster. But if the person or business isn't set up on ACH the bank cuts a check and mails it to them. Sucks.

[writingstatic.livejournal.com]

that's what i never got about electronic transactions. these things move at the speed of light, so i could transfer money from here to Yugoslavia and it would be there effectively instantly. the computers at this end debit that amount of money, send it along the pipes, the computers at that end credit that amount of money, and there you have it.

where does the seven days come into it? or even three? for that matter, why should a fully automated process (you think there are people involved? ha ha! foolish creature!) take longer than, say, an hour (to be generous)?

it makes me want to set fire to things.

[targaff.livejournal.com]

It used to take 5 working days for cheques to clear with my bank, but this last year they've finally cottoned on to the idea of real-time banking. I put a cheque for ?200.00 in my account last month, then went outside to the cash machine and it had already been credited.

[tatterdemalion.livejournal.com]

I wish!!

It still takes bewteen 5 and 7 days here for a cheque to clear, the banks have some good excuses as always..

What gets me, is direct deposit, I buy and sell a lot on eBay, and DD is my preferred method of payment and paying, I can DD the bank account of someone in the same bank and branch as myself, and it STILL takes 2-3 days to turn up in the accounts.

[woggle.livejournal.com]

Somewhere I read a question about why it takes so long to process you're money, and the answer should be obvious, though like me it might not have occurred to you. It takes the slowest and most circutous route because it makes as many people as possible money from your money, and don't expect that to ever change.

What I want is a bank account that isn't one, something between a checking account and a secured credit card. The only things I've seen like that come with some nasty fees.

Wogs