I'm aware that I'm in danger of this turning into Watchdog or something, but bloody hell, Santander really are the worst company I've had the misfortune of dealing with, and I've had the misfortune of dealing with a lot of useless companies at work. I put some money in an Alliance & Leicester ISA a few years ago and when Santander took them over they promptly and predictably reduced the interest to virtually 0 so I thought I'd take it out. It would've been a pointlessly complicated process even before Santander came in and ruined everything. The first step was to move the money from the ISA into a second account that was linked to my current account at a different bank. So I tried to do that, but got an unhelpful error from their online banking saying to try again later, which I did. Then I rang up their expensive, shrill, Liverpool-based call centre, who told me that for security reasons my account had been made dormant due to inactivity (I can't see a good security reason for that by the way) and to go to a branch with some ID to get it reactivated. So I did and tried to move the money again, with the same result. So I called again, only to find out that the other account had also been made dormant (why not tell me that in the first place?) and to go to a branch with ID to get it reactivated. So I did, and finally moved the money from the ISA into the account that, in theory, allowed me to take the money out. But of course, they'd conveniently lost the details of the account it was linked to, and their online banking, despite what it says in the help section, doesn't have the facility to add another one (or make any payments at all it seems) for old A&L accounts. So I called up again, and again, and both times got told I needed to talk to the savings department and got put through to an automated line that had no way of getting to an operator without a card number that I don't have, because I only had online accounts. So I went to the branch (45 minute queues every time by the way), where they told me that they couldn't do it either, but re-set me up on internet banking so hopefully when the new details come to me, at some point in the next few months, assuming they remember to send them, I'll be able to make some more progress. Christ. I can't decide if their entire business model is based around not giving people their savings back and making a tidy profit on their phone line or if they're just completely hopeless. I pity the people who use Santander for everything. The teller the last time said "I notice you don't have any other accounts with us Mr Goodwin, would you like to speak to someone?". I suppose you have to admire that.
I wonder if I keep complaining then eventually people will start to give me free things. To be honest, just my money back would do from Santander...
I did my first solo set of the year at the Folk Club on Friday, filling in for someone who had to pull out at the last minute. It was good luck really because I've been out of the country for a series of things they've offered me now. It was nice to play - it's been quite a long time, and I thought I was pretty good. The crowd were fairly enthusiastic, mostly, though not as many people went as would usually be there, I guess because it's so early in the year. It can't have been because of me because I was a last minute replacement. Setlist: The Ghost of Paddy's Night Past, Watertight, This Place is Dead Anyway, Muscle Memory, Magnetic or Rhetorical, Edinburgh, The Temptation of Adam (Josh Ritter cover). I love the Folk Club - the venues may change but it's essentially exactly the same as it was when I started playing. There was an amazing guitarist there this time (David Youngs I think his name is) - similar in style (and, to the untrained ear, not that far off in ability) to the late great Eric Roche, though he was doing it without the complex arrangement of pickups that Eric used. Or any pickups at all. He seems to have appeared fully formed out of nowhere - he said he'd not been playing in public long. Check him out if impressive guitar playing is your thing. Or even if it isn't - it isn't mine and I really enjoyed watching.
My friend Chris suggested that instead of giving up drinking for January this year I should play 5 minutes of squash per pint as penance. I like playing squash, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea, and I'd be roughly up to date with it if I'd managed to play this morning like I wanted to. There was a tournament this morning, so only one court was free, which we had booked, but when we turned up there a guy told us we couldn't play because there was a great big hole in the floor. How does a squash court end up with a big hole in the floor? All I can think is that someone with very pointy elbows took a tumble. Or they have an infestation of those things from Tremors.