Dearest has worked for the Abbey National since the early eighties. In that time she has experienced many changes in working practices. Some long overdue. Some downright bizarre. Certainly at the height of the "striped shirt and red braces" era new *initiatives* were foisted upon the hapless workforce on an almost weekly basis.
Nonetheless, throughout this period, the Abbey National was still what it had been created as: a building society. A mutual society that facilitated the purchase of housing via the savings that people invested in it.
The Abbey National had a reputation (like most other reputable building societies) for financial, fortitude, trustworthiness and customer awareness.
Then came the idea that mutual societies should be able to ballot their members (ie anyone who had a mortgage or savings with them) on whether they would like to float the society on the stock exchange. In most cases the "members" voted to float because they were offered lump sums should the vote go that way. In the end very few of the major societies survived - most floated and became banks and faceless moneymen racked up mucho profits as a result.
The Abbey National has now become just another financial organisation. One minute investing in other companies, property deals and the like, and the next declaring that it will concentrate on "core business". Branches have closed, staff have been made redundant. Ridiculous targets have been introduced and morale has plummeted. Now the spectre of relocating call centres to India is on the horizon with more job losses to follow.
In the eyes of the general public, what was once a courteous, reliable building society has become one of a bunch of rapacious corporations crushing its customers underfoot as it attempts maximise profit potential.
The end result of all this is a once respected brand name has now become a byword for faceless big business.
Still never mind. Don't worry. The board brought in a team of consultants who advised rebranding the company. Get rid of the brand name that was part of the society since its inception. A brand name incidentally, that took the moneygrubbers less than a decade to desecrate.
So in comes a team who, at a cost of £14m, unveil a new brand name.
abbey!
They must have been up all night thinking that one up.
So, the company setup remains the same. All the things that pissed people off so much are still in place. But the name's been changed so everything from now on will be great. Us *ordinary* folk know that it's bollocks though don't we? Don't we? DON'T WE.
Why start selling things months in advance of the required date? Familiarity breeds contempt as we all know. What used to be a fairly short-lived period when fireworks and bonfire night became the focus of all attention, has now degenerated into how much money can be fleeced out of people before, during and after. True to form the can't-be-arsed-doing-anything-worthwhile tribe are mindlessly filling their miniscule attention spans with bright flashes and loud bangs.
It's the same everywhere. They're selling Xmas puddings and mince pies in the local supermarket!! WTF!! No doubt it'll soon be *traditional* to enjoy a slice of christmas cake after an evening of fireworks as the late summer sun sets over the high rise. It won't be long before we're being enticed to buy hot cross buns and easter eggs again.
Cadbury's creme egg anyone?
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