Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:23 — 993.2KB)

Citibank and Gambling

I have had my main bank account with the American giant financial organization Citibank for thirty years, but have spent more than half that time abroad and had very little contact with them, which suited both me and, I think, them perfectly. Anyway, whatever, Citibank never gave me cause for complaint, and indeed, allowed me to keep my account even after they found out that I had moved abroad to live (which my three British banks did not).

That happy situation lasted until a week ago.

We have moved back to the UK, so one of the first things my Thai wife wanted to do after hearing about it, was try her luck at the National Lottery.

Unfortunately, she only heard about it when we had arrived home and were fifteen minutes walk from the the nearest shop we could buy a ticket.

Still, undeterred, I knew that we could buy our national lottery tickets online, so I tried that.

However, the National Lottery kept reporting that an error was being generated by Citibank, so, with thirty minutes to go, I contacted them by phone.

The young American gentleman was very polite and seemingly desperate to resolve my problem, but time was ticking on.

“All sorted out, sir”, he told me and I rang off.

However, nothing had changed, so, I had to phone back. Miraculously, I got the same person and he remembered me.

American Morality

“I’m sorry about this, sir”, he said, “but I can resolve this payment problem by entering the transaction manually. One second… whom are you trying to send the money to?”

“The National Lottery”, I replied.

“Oh,” he said sheepishly, “then that is the problem”.

“What is?” I asked bewildered.

“Citibank does not condone gambling…”

“I’m not asking Citibank to gamble”, I said. “I just want to use MY money in MY country to buy a lottery ticket in THE NATIONAL LOTTERY that was established by OUR democratically elected government!”

“Yes, I understand”, he replied, “but I cannot sanction the transfer. Sorry…”

“You (expletive) what?” I asked as pointedly as I could.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I am offended by strong language…”

“I don’t give a shit what you are offended by!” I blurted out. “What offends me is private American companies coming over here imposing their morality on us! It’s like bloody Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria but without the violence! Be a small-minded prick in your own country, but don’t think you can go abroad and preach your crap!

“Perhaps your high and mighty bank should have learned this lesson before they went gambling on sub-prime mortgages with their clients’ money! Bloody hypocrites!”

“I understand”, he said rather forlorn.

“Expect my account to be closed within the week!” I promised.

We parted company, and I will never give American companies the benefit of the doubt again – an alternative from any country will get preference from now on – especially where Citigroup and Citibank is concerned.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Citibank and Gambling

Owen Jones

At Least It’s Friday

My bank, Citibank, thought it was time to have a go at me today.

I received an email from them saying that they suspected fraudulent activity on my account because it had been accessed from Thailand.

On the face of it you might be thinking that my bank is being vigilant and acting in my best interests and if they had reported a transaction in Nairobi, I would agree with you, but the ATM I used was in a small town that I have been visiting for withdrawals for ten years.

The email, it was genuine, I checked, declared ‘If you are having trouble reading this email, contact the bank’. Isn’t that like sending someone a letter saying ‘if you don’t get this letter, let me know’?

Anyway, I filled in all the details they were asking for and returned it.

It stopped dead: ‘Missing data: STATE’.

There was a drop-down box full of American choices.

However, I have never even been to America, and am registered with them as living in the UK. There is no option for that – no ‘OTHER’ that brings up a blank field.

I tried it twice, but I knew I was wasting my time.

The footer contained a ‘CONTACT US’ button, so I clicked, but the JavaScript that it called up didn’t work either.
The result is that my account has been suspended until I phone them.

OK, I can use Skype, if I’m lucky and the Internet is fast enough that day, but otherwise its a long-distance call to the UK and for what?

I tried to reply to the email, but it informed m that the mailbox was not monitored by a human being.
Isn’t modern technology wonderful?

I think it is, until you put it into the hands of morons like the security service at Citibank.

***

I have always liked to play cards and chess, although I am very rusty at both. My father taught me to play chess before I went to infants’ school at six, and Willie Mills taught me to play Bridge ten years later. I didn’t play either after leaving school for thirteen years, because I had discovered more adult activities, but then computer games came along and I could play with myself, if you see what I mean. Somehow, that all stopped for me when I moved to Thailand, but I have discovered two free apps for my new Kindle that play the games very well.

In my depleted state, the Chess app used to beat me every time even on its lowest setting, but I am starting to win games now, but I’m not the player I was.

The Bridge app is good too, but in my version the bidding conventions are all American and I don’t know them – yet 🙂

As a matter of interest, gambling is illegal in Thailand, except on the state lottery, and if you are caught with cards, you are presumed guilty. Despite that, many people still play, but it seems to be a form of Whist using long, thin, Chinese cards that resemble bookmarkers. They play very fast, so I’m not allowed to join in, because they say I’m too slow.

All the best,

+Owen Jones

Behind The Smile: The Story of Lek, a Thai Bargirl in Pattaya, Thailand (Daddy’s Hobby)

Search

citibank

citibank

Citibank and Gambling

Citibank and Gambling

American Morality