Week One and the banks are the worst

Week One is over.  I have to say thank heavens for that.  Day One was of course introductory, with the obligatory round robin of “my name is and I’m here because” in the first session, which is as much for the benefit of the instructor as for any of the students.  I know these programs are primarily for school-leavers, but I do get weary of the presumption that I need to know the names of everyone in every class on Day One.  I prefer to meet and absorb over a period of time.  But hey, that’s just me.

Straight into Art, and an entire day given over to visiting galleries in the city.  Splendid stuff, although I ended the day crippled, and now know I can only ever do one gallery at a time.  I’m talking here about actual feet, but there is the other over-kill of too much information:  hard to remember all I saw, even with note-taking which rather destroys my enjoyment of wandering through art-filled rooms and just inhaling.

“Life Drawing” and “Drawing” sessions were the highlights of the week, and made up for the non-productive sessions at almost all the other classes.  I know, I know, we have to be familiarised with the studios, the equipment, the OH&S issues, but Oh Lord it is frustrating.

What did I like?  The campus.  I love strolling in the sunshine through the squares and open spaces to the library, to the cafe, to the gymnasium.  Break between sessions are generous, with time to find a cup of coffee or tea, read the paper, continue the crossword, chat to classmates.  So far I am impressed with the teachers: their enthusiasm, their patience, their little kindnesses and thoughtfulness.  Haven’t met them all yet but my expectations are now very high.

What irritated me?  Students who turned up late for the class.  It’s so rude!  And it’s the same ones each time.  Instructors have completed roll-call and are well into their spiel on requirements, assessments, etc, and in stroll the half-dozen missing students;  they may or may not be those who arrived without any equipment!  Perhaps this is  because they haven’t completed their enrolment yet.  The college has been taking enrolments since late January, so I’m surprised by how many wait for the first week to even think about enrolment.  And I’m not sure how long tutors will be willing to lend equipment;  can you get through a whole semester without buying charcoal?

Anyway I had heaps of time to rage internally about the Big Four Banks.  Driving to and from school, the radio was full of the anger about banks increasing their lending rates, and their paltry excuses and justification.  It made me think.

Back when I started working, we were all paid in cash.  Weekly, fortnightly, even monthly, the pay envelope was delivered by the Paymaster in cash, including coins.  Sometime in the late ‘60s or early ‘70s, the unions and banks made a deal that we could CHOOSE to be paid in cash, or have our wages and salaries paid directly into a bank account.  Before long, as I remember, wages would continue to be paid in cash but salaries could be deposited overnight the evening before they were due, so that funds were available on the actual pay day. 

Gradually the arrangement changed to include wages as well.  Some companies even specified which bank workers had to deal with, at least to the point of having an account with the company’s nominated bank , in order to to receive payment for our services.  Another erosion of freedom of choice.

The banks loved this.  And in no time at all, they began charging fees for withdrawing our wages and salaries!  We could hardly believe it.  We’d lost our choice of receiving cash OR bank deposit, and now we had to pay to access our own money!

About this time the banks began to realise they could make a fortune in fees for doing nothing, and that’s what they continue to do.  I personally do all my own banking via the internet (for which I pay monthly fees) and rarely step inside a bank these days.  Of course, I have to have a card in order to use a hole-in-the-wall, and for that I am charged a monthly fee.  If I withdraw too many times in a month – too many being an arbitrary figure devised by the bank – I am charged inflated fees.  Too many cheques this month?  Too many EFTPOS transactions?  Fees for ‘em all.  I never overdraw because the fee for that is sheer robbery, and I used to have a savings account but the interest was negligible.

So I don’t want to hear any more from the bank johnnies about how much it is costing them to borrow overseas for mortgage lending.  The extra costs are countered by the profits from fees and charges.  The latest trick?  We have one credit card which charges an annual fee.  When the fee is taken, the bank immediately starts charging interest on it, because it is regarded as a “purchase”, not as a fee.  And yet, it is clearly named “annual fee”.  Excuse me?