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Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Banking Mafia


What does it say about an industry when people are simply too scared to complain? The ‘banking watchdog’ (I’ll get into that in a second) has released a report saying that the public are often too “terrified” of their bank to complain about the service. Do you know what it says to me? Regu-fucking-lation baby! We all have to have banks and as such Banks get an enormous amount of power from our necessity and financial oligarchies are rarely known for their generous nature when they have the public by the balls. In such situations, the Government, as the ‘protector’ of Democracy, (yes, I realize how idealistic that statement is) have a responsibility to regulate such sectors where the rights of the customer are paramount, understanding the power imbalance between the individual and the giga-hyper-conglomerate .

Having a ‘Banking Ombudsman’ looks like a regulated sector where the rights of the customer are paramount, understanding the power imbalance between the individual and the giga-hyper-conglomerate doesn’t it? However what Liz Brown, the Banking Ombudsman DOESN’T point out is that she is no Government Official with the interests of the banking customer foremost in her mind, the Banking Ombudsman was created BY the Banking industry as a voluntary move that out-maneuvers any political will to have an independent banking watchdog created. As such the role is merely cosmetic with no intention of keeping the Banking industry in line at all. Look at what Banking Ombudsman, Liz Brown has to say about the public being too terrified of complaining about their bank, Brown said those were "baseless worries".

Hmmmm, seeing as this Ombudsman is a private sector creation, being told that the public shouldn’t be terrified of the Banks by someone created by the Banks doesn’t fill me with much confidence. Brown herself admits that Banks do not do enough to let the public know about the complaints process, and that less than 50% of bank branches even bothered to put the pamphlets on how to complain out on display. But the window dressing creation of the Banks, Liz Brown, says "Fuhgedaboudit"

Bank customers often too scared to complain, says watchdog
The public is often too "terrified" of their bank to complain about the service they receive, says the banking watchdog in new findings out today. "Banks are big organisations, they're very powerful, after all they control your money. Frequently I've had people say to me that 'I was reluctant to complain to my bank. I was worried that they wouldn't take me seriously, I was worried I might be victimised'."
Brown said those were "baseless worries".

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