Bank drives me demented

THE government took a lot of heat over the closure of rural post offices but there is a campaign being conducted by financial institutions which I believe is equally invidious.

I received a letter from my bank headlined: ‘We are switching this current account to e-statements.’

After informing me at length of the advantages of this, it stated that I did not have to do anything as this would happen automatically.

In small print at the bottom, it stated that I could opt out by phoning either of two phone numbers listed.

I rang both and after listening to music, instructions to press different buttons and recordings telling me how important my call was to them, I finally got to talk to a human after well over an hour.

She could not talk to me as I did not have a PIN code.

I travelled the 50-mile return trip to the nearst branch as the local office was closed during the recession. They informed me that they could not help as these matters were handled at HQ.

After another round of phone calls, music, security questions and a 50-mile round trip, I thought the matter had been resolved to my satisfaction, only to receive a carbon copy of the original letter a few days later. Groundhog Day has nothing on this.

The guy who wrote the book, The Best Way To Rob A Bank Is To Own One, was on to something. Martin Murphy, Kilmihill, Co. Clare.