Ten steps backwards?

A few days ago - it was a Sunday - I tried to transfer some money from my savings account to my current account through a Bank of Valletta ATM. The machine informed me only that no "slips" were available. This was in St John's Square, in Valletta.

Later on, to set my mind at rest before issuing a cheque, I decided to go to another ATM (in Republic Street) to obtain a mini statement. The statement showed the transaction with the morrow's date and underneath it another transaction reversing the transfer.

This created a lot of confusion for me as: (i) both transactions bore the morrow's date and (ii) I was sure that I did not ask for any reversal.

Being a Sunday, I could not request any clarification from the bank and, moreover, I did not want to issue any cheques which then might be returned as "dishonoured" when I was acting in good faith.

When, on Monday morning, I phoned the bank, the person who answered the call informed me that my transaction had not been effected. Asking for the reason, no reply could be given but it was hinted that it could have been because the transfer involved an amount over Lm300. I also phoned up the card services section and was given the same reply as to the limit of transfer. The lady who answered my call even informed me that she was going to raise my complaint.

I could not believe my ears because up to a few months ago the limit transfer was Lm2,000 and this has been reduced to Lm300. Rather, I could have thought, that as the bank, recently, increased the maximum amount withdrawn from an ATM from Lm100 to Lm200 (up by 100 per cent), I could have expected the bank to increase the maximum amount which can be transferred from one account to another from Lm2,000 to Lm4,000 (100 per cent) too.

What has the bank achieved by this measure? No money is handled and only a transaction is effected.

The only thing that the big heads at the bank have gained is having more customers visit the bank's counters and compelling a senior citizen like myself to visit the bank in this sweltering heatwave and then trudging home again up a hill, leaving me breathless.