Readers' letters
When cash counts
RECENTLY I attempted to purchase foreign currency from the Marks & Spencer store in York.
I had a national bus pass with photograph, umpteen other cards, including my European health card and a recent Marks & Spencer credit card statement as proof of address.
But I did not have my passport or driving licence, which are said to be obligatory as the only means of acceptable identification to enable me to pay by credit or store card.
This is in no way a criticism the staff in the store, but of the Banking Code, which was said to be the determinant.
The suggested solution to the predicament was for me to go and get cash, which I did, and then got the currency without producing or stating any identification. Now there is a classic case of
illogicality.
Derek Chapplow,
Middlethorpe Grove,
York.
11:30am Friday 9th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: wildthing666, york on 8:00pm Fri 9 May 08
Last year I got cash from M&S and the first words out of the assistants mouth after asking for £1300 of travellers cheques & cash was have you got any ID the look when £1300 was put on the counter was priceless needless to say no ID was needed but that could have been a way to launder money.
Last year I got cash from M&S and the first words out of the assistants mouth after asking for £1300 of travellers cheques & cash was have you got any ID the look when £1300 was put on the counter was priceless needless to say no ID was needed but that could have been a way to launder money.
Posted by: Mike C, york on 1:59pm Sat 10 May 08
Another illogicality: some financial institutions (I don't know about M&S) charge a a bigger percentage fee for borrowing to get foreign than British currency, on top of what they make on the conversion rate. If yours does, use a card to get get the money in sterling as one transaction, then buy the foreign currency as a separate transaction.
Another illogicality: some financial institutions (I don't know about M&S) charge a a bigger percentage fee for borrowing to get foreign than British currency, on top of what they make on the conversion rate. If yours does, use a card to get get the money in sterling as one transaction, then buy the foreign currency as a separate transaction.
Posted by: petethefeet, York on 12:07am Sun 11 May 08
Time to embrace the euro?
Time to embrace the euro?
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