I have been assured by my bank that they are correct to state that
their account numbers are seven digits. Despite this they tell me that
if anybody wants to pay me money they have to quote a leading "0"!
Where is the logic in that?

"PeterSaxton" wrote
I have been assured by my bank that they are correct to state that
their account numbers are seven digits. Despite this they tell me that
if anybody wants to pay me money they have to quote a leading "0"!
Where is the logic in that?

What do you think might be wrong with that?
It sounds perfectly logical...

On 21 Aug, 16:23, "Tim" wrote:
"PeterSaxton" wrote

I have been assured by my bank that they are correct to state that
their account numbers are seven digits. Despite this they tell me that
if anybody wants to pay me money they have to quote a leading "0"!
Where is the logic in that?

What do you think might be wrong with that?
It sounds perfectly logical...

In the land of the sensible I would expect that you would quote the
account number to make a payment into it.

PeterSaxton wrote:

On 21 Aug, 16:23, "Tim" wrote:
"PeterSaxton" wrote

I have been assured by my bank that they are correct to state that
their account numbers are seven digits. Despite this they tell me that
if anybody wants to pay me money they have to quote a leading "0"!
Where is the logic in that?

What do you think might be wrong with that?
It sounds perfectly logical...

In the land of the sensible I would expect that you would quote the
account number to make a payment into it.

If your bank's account numbers are seven digits long, all this means
is that they are in the range 1000000 to 9999999. The national
interbank clearing system provides for 6 digit bank numbers and
8 digit account numbers, and these are not actually held as numbers
but as strings of characters. Some automated processing systems are
so inflexible that they require all 8 digit positions to be used,
and so it will be necessary to ensure that your 7 digits occupy the
correct 7 of the 8 available positions. One way to force this to
happen, when using such an inflexible system, is to enter a leading
zero.

I think there has been a misunderstanding, and that they have (or
should have) told you that if anybody wants to pay you money they
*MAY* have to quote a leading "0", depending on exactly where they
are doing the quoting.

Two possible reasons for this sorry state of affairs could be
that the software for these processing systems is still written
in Cobol, and that some of the programmers are football fans.

On 21 Aug, 17:52, Ronald Raygun wrote:
PeterSaxton wrote:
On 21 Aug, 16:23, "Tim" wrote:
"PeterSaxton" wrote

I have been assured by my bank that they are correct to state that
their account numbers are seven digits. Despite this they tell me that
if anybody wants to pay me money they have to quote a leading "0"!
Where is the logic in that?

What do you think might be wrong with that?
It sounds perfectly logical...

In the land of the sensible I would expect that you would quote the
account number to make a payment into it.

If your bank's account numbers are seven digits long, all this means
is that they are in the range 1000000 to 9999999. *The national
interbank clearing system provides for 6 digit bank numbers and
8 digit account numbers, and these are not actually held as numbers
but as strings of characters. *Some automated processing systems are
so inflexible that they require all 8 digit positions to be used,
and so it will be necessary to ensure that your 7 digits occupy the
correct 7 of the 8 available positions. *One way to force this to
happen, when using such an inflexible system, is to enter a leading
zero.

I think there has been a misunderstanding, and that they have (or
should have) told you that if anybody wants to pay you money they
*MAY* have to quote a leading "0", depending on exactly where they
are doing the quoting.

Two possible reasons for this sorry state of affairs could be
that the software for these processing systems is still written
in Cobol, and that some of the programmers are football fans.

Happens all the time. BACS transfers will be rejected unless somebody
inserts the leading zeros.

On 21 Aug, 17:52, Ronald Raygun wrote:
PeterSaxton wrote:
On 21 Aug, 16:23, "Tim" wrote:
"PeterSaxton" wrote

I have been assured by my bank that they are correct to state that
their account numbers are seven digits. Despite this they tell me that
if anybody wants to pay me money they have to quote a leading "0"!
Where is the logic in that?

What do you think might be wrong with that?
It sounds perfectly logical...

In the land of the sensible I would expect that you would quote the
account number to make a payment into it.

If your bank's account numbers are seven digits long, all this means
is that they are in the range 1000000 to 9999999. *The national
interbank clearing system provides for 6 digit bank numbers and
8 digit account numbers, and these are not actually held as numbers
but as strings of characters. *Some automated processing systems are
so inflexible that they require all 8 digit positions to be used,
and so it will be necessary to ensure that your 7 digits occupy the
correct 7 of the 8 available positions. *One way to force this to
happen, when using such an inflexible system, is to enter a leading
zero.

Wouldn't it be better if they made it a priority that all UK banks had
eight digit account numbers?

I think there has been a misunderstanding, and that they have (or
should have) told you that if anybody wants to pay you money they
*MAY* have to quote a leading "0", depending on exactly where they
are doing the quoting.

Sadly, nowadays people who answer the phones at banks are the people
who know very little about banking operations.

Two possible reasons for this sorry state of affairs could be
that the software for these processing systems is still written
in Cobol, and that some of the programmers are football fans.

What percentage are football fans? I'll factor in an adjustment to
your answer to achieve a more realistic figure!

PeterSaxton wrote:

On 21 Aug, 17:52, Ronald Raygun wrote:

If your bank's account numbers are seven digits long, all this means
is that they are in the range 1000000 to 9999999. The national
interbank clearing system provides for 6 digit bank numbers and
8 digit account numbers, and these are not actually held as numbers
but as strings of characters. Some automated processing systems are
so inflexible that they require all 8 digit positions to be used,
and so it will be necessary to ensure that your 7 digits occupy the
correct 7 of the 8 available positions. One way to force this to
happen, when using such an inflexible system, is to enter a leading
zero.

Wouldn't it be better if they made it a priority that all UK banks had
eight digit account numbers?

All UK banks already have 8 digit numbers.
When someone says their accounts have 6 digit numbers, it just means
that the first 2 digits of all their 8 digit numbers are zero.

I think there has been a misunderstanding, and that they have (or
should have) told you that if anybody wants to pay you money they
*MAY* have to quote a leading "0", depending on exactly where they
are doing the quoting.

Sadly, nowadays people who answer the phones at banks are the people
who know very little about banking operations.

More fool you, then, for trying to talk to your bank on the phone.

Two possible reasons for this sorry state of affairs could be
that the software for these processing systems is still written
in Cobol, and that some of the programmers are football fans.

What percentage are football fans? I'll factor in an adjustment to
your answer to achieve a more realistic figure!

I don't know, it only takes one to muck it up.

How many football fans does it take to change a lightbulb?

"Ronald Raygun" wrote in message
om...


How many football fans does it take to change a lightbulb?


None.

(Having never seen the light, they won't notice it's blown)


--
Martin

On 21 Aug, 18:48, Ronald Raygun wrote:
PeterSaxton wrote:
On 21 Aug, 17:52, Ronald Raygun wrote:

If your bank's account numbers are seven digits long, all this means
is that they are in the range 1000000 to 9999999. *The national
interbank clearing system provides for 6 digit bank numbers and
8 digit account numbers, and these are not actually held as numbers
but as strings of characters. *Some automated processing systems are
so inflexible that they require all 8 digit positions to be used,
and so it will be necessary to ensure that your 7 digits occupy the
correct 7 of the 8 available positions. *One way to force this to
happen, when using such an inflexible system, is to enter a leading
zero.

Wouldn't it be better if they made it a priority that all UK banks had
eight digit account numbers?

All UK banks already have 8 digit numbers.
When someone says their accounts have 6 digit numbers, it just means
that the first 2 digits of all their 8 digit numbers are zero.

My bank insists that their business bank accounts only have seven
digits.

I think there has been a misunderstanding, and that they have (or
should have) told you that if anybody wants to pay you money they
*MAY* have to quote a leading "0", depending on exactly where they
are doing the quoting.

Sadly, nowadays people who answer the phones at banks are the people
who know very little about banking operations.

More fool you, then, for trying to talk to your bank on the phone.

I asked to speak to somebody who had some knowledge.

Two possible reasons for this sorry state of affairs could be
that the software for these processing systems is still written
in Cobol, and that some of the programmers are football fans.

What percentage are football fans? I'll factor in an adjustment to
your answer to achieve a more realistic figure!

I don't know, it only takes one to muck it up.

How many football fans does it take to change a lightbulb?-

Ronald: You're not supposed to answer that it's a joke.

Tim: There's no such thing as a lightbulb.

Alan: Do you have one in pink?

"Ronald Raygun" wrote:
How many football fans does it take to change a lightbulb?-

"PeterSaxton" wrote
Ronald: You're not supposed to answer that it's a joke.

Tim: There's no such thing as a lightbulb.

Alan: Do you have one in pink?

Peter: Four hundred and three.... Ooops, I used the
wrong method -- it's well over two hundred, though.