NAB's Underhanded Tactics In Making Millions
The National Australia Bank has recently mailed to its account holders a notification about changes to their banking products. This has included amendments to a broad range of fees, which are clearly designed to rake in more profits for the bank.
NAB has now made changes to the way their National Flexi-Direct Account operates, and this type of account will now attract a flat $3.00 per month account keeping fee. This change makes clear liars of this banking organisation, after it sold this type of account as not having any account keeping fee.
A few years ago, during the era of Frank Cicutto, I worked in the area of customer service for the NAB from a call centre in Epping. At that time, we were forced to do sales work for the bank, against our terms of employment. Customer Service Officers were also trained to advise customers to switch their accounts from a National 'Flexi' Account to the new National 'Flexi-Direct' Account, because it would not attract an account keeping fee. We advised account holders of the benefits of the monthly 'rebate' feature, and how to do 'smart' banking. So the NAB made liars of its staff too!
I believe it is time to divulge a highly kept secret. For many years, the National Australia Bank made use of what I believe to be an 'illegal' overdraft facility. Called a 'buffer', this banking system's internal electronic overdraft allowed account holders to unknowingly access more funds than they had.
If an account holder attempted to electronically withdraw, while unknowingly having insufficient funds in the account, the bank would often automatically give them money and then charge them a $30.00 reference fee.
In order to explain this I will give an example. John has only $50.00 in his NAB 'Flexi-Direct' Account. His salary of $400.00 is usually electronically paid into his account on a Friday. Somewhere in the works there has been a stuff-up, and this account has not received the funds. On Friday afternoon, John makes an Eftpos purchase to the value of $100.00, believing that his wages have been paid in as usual.
The NAB's 'buffer' approves John's purchase, but he has unknowingly overdrawn his account by $50.00. As such, the bank penalises him with a $30.00 reference fee for overdrawing his account.
The 'buffer' facility would allow the overdrawing of accounts, not only through Eftpos transactions, but also through NAB and non-NAB ATM withdrawals, Internet transfers, and phone banking transfers. The 'buffer' (overdraft) limit amount was flexible, and could increase automatically depending on the average balance and health of an account. At one point while I was employed by the NAB, I had a 'buffer' facility of over $600. I discovered this, to my disgust, when I went into the BOBS computer system to investigate.
Customer Service staff were expressly told NEVER to divulge the internal 'buffer' facility to clients.
I personally dealt with so many clients who had been charged 'reference fees' on numerous occasions that I couldn't begin count them. It was only towards the end of my time with the National Australia Bank in 2001 that the bank began reversing such fees as a once-only gesture, and only if there had been a complaint.
The mere fact that we had been told not to talk about the 'buffer' facility, suggests that it could never have been part of the Terms and Conditions of the account.
This underhanded 'overdraft' facility was not agreed to by clients, and would have raked in an absolute fortune for the NAB.
If this ever happened to you, I would appreciate your comments.
Anti-Christ Pell on Crusade to Control
Out of Touch with the real world and ready to control your thoughts.
He's Cardinal George Pell, and he wants 167 school principals, its deputy principals and religious education co-ordinators to publicly commit to a "vow of fidelity" by adhering to church teaching on homosexuality, birth control and women's ordination.
This would extend the oath of fidelity and profession of faith, a requirement of church law for bishops, priests and heads of seminaries, to all senior educational leaders.
The oath demands "religious submission of intellect and will" on questions of faith and morals - even if these are inferred but not defined by the pope and his bishops.
It suggests they would be bound not only to IMPART these teachings but to live by them.
Other new measures include:
Marriage preparation classes for senior secondary school students
Twice-yearly reviews of its educational bodies
Forums so Catholic politicians can be updated on church teachings
Renewed efforts to teach youth about "sexuality and life issues" through formal courses and seminars
Measures to bring in to the fold young people inspired by next year's World Youth Day.
A recent Vatican push to institute an oath for theologians in the US was greeted as an attack on academic independence, and one critic of the archdiocese's plan says it contains "shades of the Opus Dei".
The Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous said "It's not about control."
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Most of the wording above comes from a June 4 report by Linda Morris, which has appeared in a number of newspapers. I have condensed her words without changing the essence of her story. The first line "Out of touch..." was not written by Ms Morris.
Source: Brisbane Times
Hope for Aussie HIV Treatment in 2 years
With your help, Australia could provide a wonderful new treatment for millions of people with HIV.
St Vincent's Hospital is one of only two groups in the world working on an exciting new theory to fight HIV. In essence, their researchers aim to genetically work with viral DNA - interfering with the 'switching on' of these genes so that the HIV virus is 'switched off' for prolonged periods in people already infected.
While HIV is no longer a death sentence if medication is available, the "simple act of of forgetting to take a tablet on any given day can allow the virus to become resistant", said Professor Cooper. Long time drug use does build up toxicity and cause serious side effects.
According to Professor Anthony Kelleher, Head of St Vincent's Research Program, the team are confident that within two years they will have "progressed to a pre-clinical assessment of a delivery mechanism for this genetic treatment of HIV".
St Vincent's need your support to help them buy 3 special machines to aid in their research.
You could contact their Donation Hotline 1800 800 595 and mention that you would like to support the St Vincent's HIV Research team.
A major possible breakthrough for Australia by St Vincent's. Not bad, when you consider it all started with 5 nuns who sailed into Sydney in 1838, after four and a half months at sea. What brave, incredible women! The Sisters of Charity continue their wonderful work today. We should be so proud of them.
Aussie Dream Not Dead
The Australian dream of owning a home is not dead.
Sure, there are those who are copping it tough, however, the vast majority of Australians are doing incredibly well.
The sad reality is that many Australians are whingers, and want it ALL.
Time and time again I hear complaints that people can't afford houses, and that they're struggling. These annoying 'cries' come from people (often the middle class) who are fortunate enough to own reasonably good cars (often more than one), new TV's, computers, DVD's, Foxtel, etc. They also have mobile phones, mobile phones for the kids, good clothing, and can afford to buy drinks and smokes, and go to the cinema.
Our parents and grandparents didn't have all these things, and they worked hard to achieve what they have.
So many people today have unrealistically high expectations, and want incomes to rise to meet those expectations.
It boils down to a matter of balancing out these expectations. If you want to own a house, then its important to make sacrifices.
None of us can expect society to owe us a living. We have to work hard to get somewhere in life. It doesn't just come to us.
The Union Threat under Kevin Rudd
The unions desperately want their power back. The Federal government under Howard managed to put a huge dent in their armour.
Rudd may make as if he wants to distance himself from the unions, but I believe this is a ploy. Remember, if the Labor Party wins the federal election this year, the ENTIRE country will be run by Labor. The unions ARE the industrial wing of the Labor Party.
There is obviously a 'clear and present danger' in allowing Labor to take total control of this country.
You work. I work. There's no way I want to be forced to join any union under law, and then be told by self-serving union thugs (like Joe McDonald) that I have to go on strike. When we don't, we're intimidated and called SCABS.
How do we then pay for out mortgages, cars, clothing, food, etc?
It's simple BS that that the role of unions are to protect workers' rights. The unions are businesses, and their leaders only care about themselves.
Initially, unions may have been founded on good intent, and they may once have served some sort of legitimate purpose. Those days have gone. We have moved beyond the need to crush companies for the way workers were treated.
Union bosses and their gangster-like behaviour have no place in my life. I do hope that it won't play a role in yours.
