[OT] What is this country coming to?

hummingbird · 2005-12-22T16:24:58+00:00

Bureaucratic apparatchiks: I went to a local ATM this pm (inside my bank) and withdrew some cash. The ATM decides how to dispense the notes and gave me £20 notes whereas I wanted £10 notes. No problem I thought; I'll just ask the bimbo at the counter to change them for me. After queuing for 5 mins, here's what happened: Me: "hello, could you change these £20 notes into £10 notes please, I've just withdrawn them from your ATM." She said: "do you have an account with us?" Me: "yes, I've just withdrawn them from your ATM over there." She said: "I have to put the transaction through an account." Me: "surely not. I don't understand. All I want you to do is change several £20 notes for £10 notes, the sort of thing any shop would do on the spot". She said: "I'm sorry but I've only been here for a few months and I've been told....blah blah blah" Me: "well there wouldn't be a problem if your ATM asked me how I'd like the cash dispensed." And so it went on...until she got authorisation from a more senior counter clerk to change the £20 notes without an account card. Could this have been done in the first place without all the fuss?

Dec 22, 2005 143 Replies

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Gordon 20 years ago

hummingbird wrote

Did you enjoy her dance?

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Ronald Raygun 20 years ago

None of the bank branches I frequent have counting machines. Even at the business counters you're expected to bring in any coins you want to pay in, in pre-filled coin bags containing the correct number of non-mixed coins (£20 for £2/£1, £10 for

50p/20p, £5 for 10p/5p, £1 for 2p/1p), and they're checked by weighing.

They're usually OK with counting odd coins, but not if there are so many that they'd fill standard bags.

But counting machines do exist, or at least they did some 35 years ago, when I remember taking a beer mug full of mixed change to the building society, and they just poured it in, and it came out sorted and counted, giving the impression it had had percussion lessons in Las Vegas (they sound like slot machines).

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