Not another banking story........?

I took this photo in Nanjing in November and think that it is an apt subject for the banking fraternity, showing a forlorn, desperate man on the steps in front of a bank!
My latest experience with Lloyds TSB is pretty unbelievable. In September I used the bank to send a few hundred US Dollars to a person in China, by an express "International Moneymover" as they like to call it. the bank had sent me a text message confirming the completion of the process. I have done this on many occasions in the past. This was a first time payment to the particular recipient whose bank is located in Kowloon. The receipient recently called me to say the money had not been received, so I sent a copy of the Bank Form that had been completed, by the bank clerk, to them as proof of payment. A few days later the chinese person called again to say the money had definately NOT been received. I headed for the bank with copies of all the paperwork, including the recipients bank details which they had emailed to me and which I had given to the bank clerk to use on the bank form. I had checked all the details after the clerk had finished and before the bank sent it off. At the bank I related the facts and handed all the paperwork to "Bill" the friendly bank clerk who said it would take while to check it all out as they ahd to contact the International Dept. OK. After about 50 minutes Bill came back with the Branch Manager in tow, a female called Lucy. Lucy then proceeded to say that the bank form had been filled in wrongly as Kowloon (Hong Kong) is not in China!!!!!
I was flabbergasted by this statement and assured her that Hong Kong IS IN CHINA. She maintained her insistance about this and was very aggressive, defensive and assertive while poor Bill stood to one side in an embarrased fashion. I asked Lucy if she had ever been to Hong Kong and if she realised that the UK had handed back Hong Kong to the Chinese a few years ago. After confessing that she had NOT been to Hong Kong or anywhere near it she gave me a short lecture on her version of the history and status of Hong Kong. Having told her that I have been there 4 times in the last 3 years she merely said that the discussion could go on for hours like this and refused to concede the point. However she did say that as far as the Banking fraternity were concerned Hong Kong is not in China which belied the truth of the matter. Her staff needed more training about THEIR systems and to know this fact. In the end she agreed to re-send the money without further charge and to pay the difference in exchange rate between now and the original date as there was a difference of about 30 cents to the pound!! So I believe that she had admitted their mistake by that action. After she had vanished I looked at Bill who had a wry smile on his face, he is no fool. I told him that her behavious had been outrageous and was no way to treat a customer as the whole argument was in the main banking hall in front of all the staff and customers. I think she must have been suffering from PMT that day or had too much coffee that morning. She is not the right sort of person to be a branch manager and I intend to write to her superiors about the incident. When I returned home to my Chinese wife and told her that Hong Kong is not in China she looked at me in total disbelief!! Gone are the days when bank managers were educated gentlemen with polite and courteous manners. More's the pity. Perhaps if we still had them the current banking mess would not have happened?