And who is it that is being punished?

Have You ever…

Visited your bank account in some modern day form or fashion, and found that you were suddenly massively overdrawn, to the extent that any outstanding payments that you are aware of are going to be bounced in spectacular fashion, resulting in legions of emails and texts and money hunters crawling out of the woodwork wanting blood? And indeed bank charges to inform you of what you already know?

Yes strange though true of course, I like millions of others see advertisements, for all these modern day banking services and they are often depicted and as having phenomenally happy customers and families.

I myself of course typically British have always for most of my life at least had a healthy scepticism for advertising and indeed all and anything doing what it says on the cover (so to speak, and not wanting to promote Cuprinol in any way shape or form).

So yes I check bank balance and boom, mental explosion, how can this be? Have I been naughty and drunkenly purchased The Taj Mahal or The Statue of Liberty and then somehow forgotten the delivery charges and add-ons and appendages.

So I can of course state whilst I am on the subject that differing Companies seemingly have very differing methodologies about dealing with peoples and persons who owe them money. Example Early on when purchasing one or two Learning Strategies Courses, I found myself receiving phone calls, from a gentleman handling my account with Learning Strategies, informing myself that payment had been refused by my bank on a couple of occasions, I apologised, it having been my own error in making orders at what were inappropriate times and dates within the automated system, and I asked that all future payments be made at particular days and times of the months and presto, the chap followed my request as to schedule and we had no future problems, because all future payments were scheduled appropriately within an agreed calendar timetable, had I not made the request for all transactions, a likelihood exists that he would have had to have contacted myself on each and every new course I signed up for.

So anyway, Oh My God, my bank is massively overdrawn and I do not know why? Has my card or details been stolen and so on.

This I can mention given Modern Day Global 24-Hour on-line services occurred on a late evening, effectively leaving myself with little recourse, banks still often operate (shape and form) services 9 am to 5 pm within the respective World-wide time zone that the given customer/consumer audience is operating within.

So anyway, concerned and worried and despite using Holosync “Sleep Suite” I found myself within one of those Threshold Stretching Moments of Concern Anxiety Anger, whereby prior or previous situations of a similar nature came back, flooding my sensory experience and typically like most or many average an income person, you come to realise that not only have you dealt and handled such scenes and scenario’s perhaps on a number of occasions, but very often gotten caught up in it all in an unrewarding or undeserving focus of attention way.

So I awaken quite early on and decide to get on the Skype to deal with it, I of course in that initial love/hate phase of Skype usage where I am testing and stretching usage waiting for some secret Skype Assassination issue to crop up, to be able to say, “I knew it, they are just like all the rest blah blah”. (Digression: Probably in thoughts, feelings terms related to that sensory flooding of overwhelm and historical instances of Crisis, thoughts & feelings of being in the deep end or out of my depth).

So phone bank, answer security questions, get transferred to another department, answer further security questions, in hunting down where the charges or bills are originating.

You see, my bank says BALANCE and then an amount and does not show outstanding orders or payments and so on, they only get updated or listed when a completed transaction has occurred. AH-HA.

So I have a balance suggesting some great unknown OUTSTANDING ORDER, though zero information about the ORIGIN OR SOURCE of this issue.

Some of the bank staff have such information though typically, each department only deals with particular issues and complaints and so on, hence being transferred. I can also at this juncture potentially introduce a top 10 list of MUZAQUE, those ever so wonderful, please hold and listen to some muzaque whilst you are on hold zones.

So after seeming like forever and with the help of the various staff we identify that the bank is blaming a Company I purchased some goods from, they having made the same financial requests more than once and my bank still using what they call a HOLDING ZONE; much like the old cheque book system of holding funds from a clients bank, until cleared for transaction completion and so on.

So bank staff recommends contacting Retailer and putting them to rights, before returning to the bank to thank them for their service on this direct line number, so I do not have to go round the houses again.

I contact retailer and have previous corresponded via email systems on earlier occasions, though on this one a we will call you telephone system is in operation, you enter your number and they will phone you in response to the issue in hand, Fantastic I think, though do not have a Skype number that I am aware of so had to give regular mobile number (I have not integrated them all because a somewhat over expensive and underutilised mobile phone company could well soon find itself being dumped via cancellation of a rolling contract I have that is long out-of-date. They charging myself the same for an old phone and limited services as what many modern contracts offer as a minimum service requirement for beginners etc.).

So Retailer calls myself back within a few short minutes (having informed myself of a potential 3-5 minute waiting time), I explain the issue and the retail staff member contacts her billing department and then returns to myself confirming that I have already paid for particular goods and the financial transactions were already completed. She informs myself that the bank is responsible for holding funds for transactions that can never be completed because they already have been.

That of course where the Ghost in the machine comes in.

So bank is holding funds and carrying out all its standard practice on my account via there computer systems, for repeated financial requests from the retailers Computer system, and the real person (on the phone) confirmed that the transaction were already completed, so it is the banks fault as they are the one’s who have the power to release my funds from this duplicate request ENTRAPMENT or Holding Cell or no-man’s land and so on.

The retailers end (in rating terms) was far superior in dealing with my worries and concerns and so on than I felt the bank had been, though likewise toward the end of the call fell into the same BLAME GAME patterning of pointing the finger at the other.

So I can at this point mention the Cheaper by The Dozen Million reference in the title because representatives from both Companies are no playing the childhood “IT WASN’T ME OR US” Game.

That is correct from both of them (in a way.) , because it was the automated computer systems pile-up in timings and so on, how long do you wait to make a repeat financial system request and how do you know if you are making request for already completed transactions etc. (anyone who knows about banking systems can perhaps understand that back-up systems and transactions are also carried out,

So what has likely occurred is that a request was made within one calendar cycle, from the retailer and the bank system acknowledged.

Then a repeat request occurred and the banking system (perhaps having changed cycles) created a NEW acknowledgement for a pre-existing transaction. AH-HA

Yes I when studying Computers and so on, actually learnt quite a bit about the Communicational Organisation and how many of these fowl up and pile ups occur.

Surely it would make sense for banks and retailers to set up a body that creates some new tier level of STANDARDIZATION or TRANACTIONAL ANALYSYS THAT IS APPROPRIATELY SYNC’D, so that such errors are reduced, the problem of course, that everyone wants there ways and standard to be “The Standard”.

So Retailer staff member sends myself email with transaction completion codes, in effect letting myself know that I am correct in already having paid.

I then attempt to contact bank via a number that I was given and found that it was given incorrectly or I wrote it down wrong.

I then return to the original number and once again wait and wait and wait, and then are answered and transferred and transferred again.

What is interesting at this point is that, it does not appear that any bank staff made notes on my earlier complaint calls, effectively giving themselves all plausible deniability as to my having already called earlier and so on.

I eventually did get through to a gentleman who accepted my explanation and informed myself that he would initiate releasing of the funds from the holding cell (so to speak). Although he also said that whilst they would seek to do that very quickly it could take up to 24 hrs (the international computer systems are such that it takes time for new information and so on to get throughout the entire Worldwide systems (I know this from previous knowledge) he also informed myself that any costs incurred (banking charges for being overdrawn and other bounced bill costs etc.) should be directed to seeking recompense from the retailer. Pointing fingers of blame and having frustrated consumers and audience in the middle is not a Solution.

So reality is that a NEW STANDARDISATION SYSTEM probably as a new tier level is required between the banking industry and the retail industry that all can trust and buy into, yes I know some systems such-as paypal and so on exist, though typically that is not the same as having some universally accepted and sync’d system, that does not miscommunicate, or misplace relevant data, that of course perhaps why we each and every one of us might consider ourselves as being akin to banks and indeed why raising your own INTERNAL AWARENESS and Character values and so on in positive and rewarding fashion, can be better than falling into blame game EXTERNAL AWARENESS cultures.

Perhaps akin to that old psychological model of my child speaking to your adult or the ego, and super-ego and so on (cannot recall what the third was at present though it will return).

So yes, perhaps a good 2-3 hours of telephone calls and muzaque and still another possible 24 hr wait to see all the future knock-on effects and ramifications before I can be sure of correction.

Will I chase for recompense, well I of course could and probably should (if I incur overspend charges and so on) though likewise the exceptionally sad truth is

When you carry out analysis and so on

The retailer staff member who was far superior in dealing with the issue, is also potentially the one most would choose to target because of that feeling of actually getting a RESULT.

The bank’s method of playing pass the parcel and long waiting times listening to muzaque and frustrating customers and clients is likely to put most of us of pursuing them, even though in reality it is perhaps banking systems and communications that are tied to older out-of-date practices and ways and means of doing things and so on.

That typical of course that systems that cost millions of pounds and dollars are expected to have long lifespans and strong security, that traditional bankers can talk about in superlative and statesmanlike tones, and modern telecommunication’s systems are consistently adapting and innovating at such a pace that it is perhaps STANDARDIZATION of ADAPTIVE FRAMEWORKS that is required.

So the last or Final Bank Gentleman I spoke to was genuinely helpful and the only retailer member of staff I spoke to was helpful though I still have some releasing to do, on not becoming overly drawn into such matters from a subjective point of view, so much as seeking to bring all to an outcome that is suitable to us all.

Had I not pursued the matter I was informed by the banker that the monies would have automatically been released by the 7^th September, the equivalent to an average earner such-as myself as going without any wage or income for over a week to 10 days or more.

Yes get a higher income so such inconvenience fall below your radar as they would with multimillionaires and so on, though typically of course getting to high threshold points and directing your life as you would wish or desire can take time to learn about with all the vary many squabbling factions and very many intricacies, vying to tell you what your focus and orientation and so on should be.

Yes empowerment seems often to be about getting to a high enough level whereby you can trust your own internalised system above and beyond that of external guidance (some that can genuinely be helpful, whilst others typically round and round blame game styles and tactics, of this is how it has always been done).

That of course akin to whether PYRAMID SCHEMES or FRANCHISE SYSTEMS work as well as they could in this day and age.

I charge this because that is what I was charged by them and I have to place my own amount on top etc.

So super inflated versus super deflated

Where does real worth and value exist that maintains itself above and beyond volatile markets and volatile computer systems and volatile children of volatile adults with volatile friends.

Yes I wonder if I can successfully set-up a FRANCHISING AFFILIATE PROGRAMME that is actually a constructive form of SELF-REALIZATION.

So many systems are like a magic roundabout that getting genuine break through’s and feeling some level of satisfaction is again one of those, debatable issues as to

MOTIVATION and INCENTIVE.

Do peoples champions and consumer organisations “GET RESULTS” or do they high-light topics and issues that are irrelevant to most people and persons that you speak to and live among each and every day and so on.

I am thinking some standardization system from Computer Geeks and Lawyers and Retailers called auto-sue and recompense is in need of setting up, who wants and needs external PIP Chasers and Ambulance chasers, when you can sign up to be your own champion with auto-sue and recompense (systems agreed by these major banks and these major retail outlets)

Thank you for reading, God Bless and Be Well 😉