Banks always win!

It seems unfair that people are lured in with one set of conditions which very quickly expire and are then quietly replaced by different conditions that generally mean an increase in cost. This is the way of the world these days and if you haven't got your wits about you you're paying through the nose for everything.

Fortunately it's easier to change banks now.
Paying businesses by credit card costs quite a bit, too. You pay for the hire of the machine and for each payment, and the bank as well. Paying by debit card is cheaper for the business. Cash is cheapest of all, but some of you think people who pay by cash are cheating the system, so I would not reccomend that.

Since September 2013 it should only take 7 days to switch bank accounts under new legislation.

Did I really spell recommend like that? Must be tired.

Our bank must hate us - we are always in the black (just!) and pay off the credit card by DD every month.

And we always avoided fancy accounts. I got sick of the pressure to have a business account when I was self-employed as a photographer and gave them what-for on one occasion when they rung yet again!

And as for the time they went through my D/Ds and S/Os and picked out those for "products" (like insurance) that they also supply and tried to get me to change to them......I told them that my financial details were confidential and I did not want their marketing department trawling through to see where they might make a profit!

Although it is apparently easy to change banks it might not be such a good idea for a business account if you have already persuaded lots of your customers to pay straight into you account. Can you just imagine how difficult it would be to get them all to change their systems? Don't think that is such an easy option for Gill.

Do agree, banks always win but if you feel they have treated you badly and you complain they usually compensate you in some way. I am only talking about personal banking as my experience of business banking is with a very large company.

I cant take cash, not for reasons of 'non declaration' but because I invoice clients monthly and as most of them are out at work, I would spend every evening and weekend driving around picking up cash! And the charges for paying cash into a business account are extortionate! I dont take card payments for the reasons that durhamjen mentioned, the rental of the machine, and then the charges. So, either way you look at it, the bank wins as ever!