Dear LPG,

A letter I recently read on LPG’s pages has inspired me to write to you today.

I am very careful when it comes to spending my money but I learned a little about how bank security works in the oddest way.  

Over the past four or five years I have become braver than I have ever really been with money.  I have learned a little about buying online and made some relatively larger purchases.  Ten years ago I would have never spent more than £30.00 on anything that I had not been to a shop and seen for myself. Another thing that I have not done for the past 10 years is leave the country.  I went to France about twelve years ago and that trip reminded me why I would rather stay at home.  

But last year, just before all the restrictions,  I decided that the time had come, I needed to organise a holiday in Canada (well, a visit to see a family member).  Having checked the differences in fair prices, I decided to be brave and pay for a flight online and all went well until I pressed the button that would send my money for the flight.  It all cost over £1000.00 but the payment just would not go through.  I phoned the company up and tried to pay in that way but, although I had put the money in one of my accounts specially, the flight company was not able to receive it.

In the end I phone my bank (luckily I have telephone banking in place… (►►►), and they explained that the bank would not release the money because it was out of character for me to spend that amount of money all in one go.  They put me through to their security department who asked more questions, and once they were satisfied that I was me, they allowed me to pay my money. 

I found the whole thing quite inconvenient because it all took hours longer than it was supposed to but, on reflection, it also shows that while it always seems that our banks are checking up on what we are doing, there are some times when that can be a good thing.

The moral of the story is that, if you make a payment online or over the phone which just isn’t accepted, you need to check that your bank is not trying to protect you by withholding the payment.

Another reason to have telephone banking in place… 

FM, Bromley