I just tried to make a bank payment from my account using internet banking, only to receive a message, after I had put in all the details, that if I wanted to make the payment online I would have to call. I would have to call between 8am-7pm Monday to Friday? How is this an online payment if I actually have to call the bank to have it processed?

Of course, they also suggest other payment methods are available such as cheque (Doh!), debit or credit card. As if consumers are able to accept debit or credit cards! Grrrr.

I'll have a private bet with you that your bank is the same bank that ntl uses. Again it goes to show that large business really does'nt give a shite about its customers. We as customers and consumers need to sent these lads a message, similar to the one that Cantheman suggested we send to Aer Lingus.

Another thing changing banks is apparently as much fun as getting your piles lanced, so they have us all over a barrel.

Its a pity that the credit unions are'nt allowed to offer more banking services as at least these lads work on the premise that what ever they generate by way of a surplus is given back to the community who owns the Credit Union, indeed you are not even called a customer in credit unions you are referred to as a member, and you have a right to express your opinion on an annual basis at the AGM.

I have 3+1 things that I would like to add.

1. I had an uncle who was a dam fine author (Sean Martin Blain - Look up his 2 published novels - excellent mystery novels The Java Man & The Cameleon), who has unfortunatley passed away last year but we spend may a good night over a nice bottle of Boordeaux and foillowed by a wee ball of Bushmills Single Malt (AAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) discussing Banks.

He banked with that famous London establishment 'Barclays', and they decided that they were moving him from the branch he had banked with for over 30 years to another branch 'Just around the corner' on the basis that the branch he was with were either closing down or were no longer handling personal accounts. Anyway he was not happy because he said that they would surley f**k it up, they gave him every assurance that the transfer would run smoothly and that he would not need to contact a single person/company that he had standing orders or direct debits with. What happened - The Bank F88ked Up - and refused some payments on his account and then proceeded to charge HIM a handling charge for the privilege of it. Well he saw red and told them (by way of letter to the manager) that he was going to charge them £25.00 every time they f**ked up in the future. They f**ked up agin and again, he made something like £100 or £150 for their mistakes.

I propose we adopt the same method - Let the User Charge the Bank fior using opur money and f**king it up for us.

2. I agree with Mark and suggest that We should also charge them for the time & phonecall to set up new recipients for automatic payments. we already have the information so why cant we put it on online and have a 24 hour verification period ????.

3. Support Pay Pay - the more peoiple who use this the better, it is a much easier way of opaying money to people all you need is for each person to have a credit or debit card and set up an account wit pay pal. OK you can't draw out physical hard cash but you can still buy stuff online and make payments to accounts.

4. The other thing is if they want us to call thier hotline or whatever they call the thing - MAKE it F**KING 24 HOUR availability.

Firstly I would like to apologise for my spelling on my recent comments. It was dreadful. This is because there is no spell checker on the website YET !!!!!. and I didn't have time to copy & paste it from MS word after spell checking.

Any way I meant to say Pay Pal and Not Pay Pay on one of my points.

Sorry ;-(

CanTheMan, thank you for the comment. I for one understood exactly what you meant, irrespective of the spelling :-) , and I enjoy your writing style.

And  you're right, there is no spell checker. The text editor I incorporated doesn't have one so it is on the list of changes. It's a long list, but I do have a few substitutes "almost" ready - definitely by the next millenium ;-)