Spanish Bank Con

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:03:29 +0100, Martin wrote
(in article <d6aib41a3i2vbnou29sr8596ea176qrtre@>):

>> With the new DCC being installed the ATM operator can set the
>> exchange rate. What happens is that the ATM detects a UK debit
>> card and asks you if you want to billed in pounds. If you say yes
>> than you get the currency rate the ATM operator fixes which is
>> typically a VERY bad deal.
>
> That sounds more likely, in which case the Guardian article is wrong .

How is the article wrong? That's exactly what it says, or so it seems
to me.

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:15:52 +0100, Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:03:29 +0100, Martin wrote
>(in article <d6aib41a3i2vbnou29sr8596ea176qrtre@>):
>
>>> With the new DCC being installed the ATM operator can set the
>>> exchange rate. What happens is that the ATM detects a UK debit
>>> card and asks you if you want to billed in pounds. If you say yes
>>> than you get the currency rate the ATM operator fixes which is
>>> typically a VERY bad deal.
>>
>> That sounds more likely, in which case the Guardian article is wrong .
>
>How is the article wrong? That's exactly what it says, or so it seems
>to me.

The article is correct. I'm wrong.
--

Martin

"tim....." <tims_new_home.uk> wrote in message
news:6hst3sFns752U1@mid....

>>
>> With the new DCC being installed the ATM operator can set the exchange
>> rate.
>
> Only a fool agress to this. It has been well flagged up as a con by ALL
> the consumer advisors
>
> tim

I suspect many of those who have been caught are not fools, merely
uinformed. Frankly its a con , people are being presented with an option
that appears to be simple ability to see the total in GBP when in fact
they are choosing a poorer exchange rate. In my book thats obtaining
money by deception whch is a crime in English law.

Keith

"Janet Wilder" <kelliepoodlem> wrote in message
news:48b9590b$0$9652$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...
> Keith Willshaw wrote:
>
>> With the new DCC being installed the ATM operator can set the exchange
>> rate.
>> What happens is that the ATM detects a UK debit card and asks
>> you if you want to billed in pounds. If you say yes than you get the
>> currency rate the ATM operator fixes which is typically a VERY bad deal.
>
>
> I plan on using a US ATM card (Capitol One Bank) in Europe, Spain
> included. If I get a message that says "do you want to be billed in
> dollars?" should I answer "NO" to get a better conversion rate or is this
> advise only for UK travelers?
>

The advice is NO for ALL travellers

Keith

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:47:55 +0100, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*
wrote
(in article <1imi70l.1w0ig8n1i68e05N%d4g4h4.uk>):

> ... did Barclaycard mention that, in addition to those charges which you can
> at least calculate, that they will offer you an unfavourable exchange rate,
> completely at their whim? No? I thought not. Barclaycard et al are being no
> more up-front with you than the Spanish ATMs are to their customers. They're
> (mostly) all crooks.

I'm not defending bankers of any nationality. Was it Voltaire who
said, "If you see a Swiss banker jumping out of a window, follow him,
there is sure to be 10% profit in it"?

I just feel that crooks who profit from people travelling in foreign
countries are somewhat worse than those who just rob you at home :-)

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:32:19 +0100, Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:47:55 +0100, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*
>wrote
>(in article <1imi70l.1w0ig8n1i68e05N%d4g4h4.uk>):
>
>> ... did Barclaycard mention that, in addition to those charges which you can
>> at least calculate, that they will offer you an unfavourable exchange rate,
>> completely at their whim? No? I thought not. Barclaycard et al are being no
>> more up-front with you than the Spanish ATMs are to their customers. They're
>> (mostly) all crooks.
>
>I'm not defending bankers of any nationality. Was it Voltaire who
>said, "If you see a Swiss banker jumping out of a window, follow him,
>there is sure to be 10% profit in it"?
>
>I just feel that crooks who profit from people travelling in foreign
>countries are somewhat worse than those who just rob you at home :-)

The Spanish bank Santander, together with a Belgian bank Fortis and RBS bought
the biggest Dutch bank without actually having the money to pay for it
--

Martin

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:36:13 +0100, Martin wrote
(in article <r6fjb4ddl4ch3k9olnl5ilkc0u5rnimpb2@>):

> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:32:19 +0100, Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:47:55 +0100, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*
>> wrote
>> (in article <1imi70l.1w0ig8n1i68e05N%d4g4h4.uk>):
>>
>>> ... did Barclaycard mention that, in addition to those charges which you
>>> can
>>> at least calculate, that they will offer you an unfavourable exchange
>>> rate,
>>> completely at their whim? No? I thought not. Barclaycard et al are being
>>> no
>>> more up-front with you than the Spanish ATMs are to their customers.
>>> They're
>>> (mostly) all crooks.
>>
>> I'm not defending bankers of any nationality. Was it Voltaire who
>> said, "If you see a Swiss banker jumping out of a window, follow him,
>> there is sure to be 10% profit in it"?
>>
>> I just feel that crooks who profit from people travelling in foreign
>> countries are somewhat worse than those who just rob you at home :-)
>
> The Spanish bank Santander, together with a Belgian bank Fortis and RBS
bought
> the biggest Dutch bank without actually having the money to pay for it

Err... yes, but I don't think that affects me directly (in that I
can't actually do anything about it).

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:54:50 +0100, Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:36:13 +0100, Martin wrote
>(in article <r6fjb4ddl4ch3k9olnl5ilkc0u5rnimpb2@>):
>
>> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:32:19 +0100, Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:47:55 +0100, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*
>>> wrote
>>> (in article <1imi70l.1w0ig8n1i68e05N%d4g4h4.uk>):
>>>
>>>> ... did Barclaycard mention that, in addition to those charges which you
>>>> can
>>>> at least calculate, that they will offer you an unfavourable exchange
>>>> rate,
>>>> completely at their whim? No? I thought not. Barclaycard et al are being
>>>> no
>>>> more up-front with you than the Spanish ATMs are to their customers.
>>>> They're
>>>> (mostly) all crooks.
>>>
>>> I'm not defending bankers of any nationality. Was it Voltaire who
>>> said, "If you see a Swiss banker jumping out of a window, follow him,
>>> there is sure to be 10% profit in it"?
>>>
>>> I just feel that crooks who profit from people travelling in foreign
>>> countries are somewhat worse than those who just rob you at home :-)
>>
>> The Spanish bank Santander, together with a Belgian bank Fortis and RBS
>bought
>> the biggest Dutch bank without actually having the money to pay for it
>
>Err... yes, but I don't think that affects me directly (in that I
>can't actually do anything about it).

I'm in the position to vote with my feet or at least to my bank account to
somewhere a bit more secure.
--

Martin

On Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:56:33 +0100, d4g4h4.uk (David Horne, _the_
chancellor (*)) wrote:

>Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:47:55 +0100, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*
>> wrote
>> (in article <1imi70l.1w0ig8n1i68e05N%d4g4h4.uk>):
>>
>> > ... did Barclaycard mention that, in addition to those charges which you can
>> > at least calculate, that they will offer you an unfavourable exchange rate,
>> > completely at their whim? No? I thought not. Barclaycard et al are being no
>> > more up-front with you than the Spanish ATMs are to their customers. They're
>> > (mostly) all crooks.
>>
>> I'm not defending bankers of any nationality. Was it Voltaire who
>> said, "If you see a Swiss banker jumping out of a window, follow him,
>> there is sure to be 10% profit in it"?
>>
>> I just feel that crooks who profit from people travelling in foreign
>> countries are somewhat worse than those who just rob you at home :-)
>
>But nearly all the UK banks are doing exactly that- 'robbing' people
>when they travel in foreign countries.

Robbing people is how banks make gigantic profits.
--

Martin

On Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:06:14 +0100, d4g4h4.uk (David Horne, _the_
chancellor (*)) wrote:

>Martin <me@address.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:56:33 +0100, d4g4h4.uk (David Horne, _the_
>> chancellor (*)) wrote:
>>
>> >Mike Lane <invalid@mac.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:47:55 +0100, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*
>> >> wrote
>> >> (in article <1imi70l.1w0ig8n1i68e05N%d4g4h4.uk>):
>> >>
>> >> > ... did Barclaycard mention that, in addition to those charges which
>> >> > you can at least calculate, that they will offer you an unfavourable
>> >> > exchange rate, completely at their whim? No? I thought not.
>> >> > Barclaycard et al are being no more up-front with you than the
>> >> > Spanish ATMs are to their customers. They're (mostly) all crooks.
>> >>
>> >> I'm not defending bankers of any nationality. Was it Voltaire who
>> >> said, "If you see a Swiss banker jumping out of a window, follow him,
>> >> there is sure to be 10% profit in it"?
>> >>
>> >> I just feel that crooks who profit from people travelling in foreign
>> >> countries are somewhat worse than those who just rob you at home :-)
>> >
>> >But nearly all the UK banks are doing exactly that- 'robbing' people
>> >when they travel in foreign countries.
>>
>> Robbing people is how banks make gigantic profits.
>
>Indeed- I just think that the Guardian article, while certainly doing
>its job in warning customers about this scam, could point out the
>hypocrisy of the UK banks 'caring' for their customers' 'welfare' while
>travelling abroad.

Similar to Vodafone's customer care?
--

Martin