Cashsploitation

Unbelievable.

Amongst all the ads from shark dressed men (sic) begging for our old gold was another one for a company doing 'pay day' loans. The idea presumably is that if you need what we used to call a sub until payday they will lend you the dosh and then you pay them back on payday.

Yep, I used to sub off my first employer, maybe a tenner here or a fiver there......I was taking home £25 a week back then. But he never charged me extra for this and it wasn't something I used that often.

Anyway, Quickquid as they're called, are now advertising on TV, during the bleak landscape of daytime TV, presumably aiming at the unemployed, low paid, debt stricken amongst us. Sounds innocent enough until you read the not-so-small print on the advert that shows the equivalent APR. That would be the one that had me and Little Sis pondering if a decimal point was missing from the displayed figure. A good hard stare unveiled the fact that no, we weren't hallucinating. Nor was it a misprint, Nor has the TV pixellated the picture causing distortion. Nope, the figure was there, large as life on the screen.

An APR of .........2356%. Yep, check that, but I can assure you it is no misprint.

2356%.

Unbe-fucking-lievable.

Jesus would weep if he were alive. I recall the halcyon days of Thats Life which used to regularly expose loan sharking like this. It used to be considered a bad thing once upon a time....but now........hey let's advertise on TV! I'm sure its all above board and legal.I'm sure the ads are legal and honest. On that basis I look forward to ads for the BNP, Al-Qaeeda, Opus Dei, or for Dignitas (had enough of life, fancy a trip to the mountains of Switzerland?). Maybe you could sell your gold to pay for the trip to Dignitas, you stupid debt ridden old person....go on......leave all your finance and health problems behind...... Blimey, the convergence of these could be a big business opportunity.

As for Quickquid, I'm sure you'll never have windows broken on non-payment. I'm sure there won't be thugs at the door threatening your various limbs with some sort of impact injury. Nope, but you can bet there'll be tons of phone calls, letters and knocks on the door as they try to get their cash back with interst of course. These days the pressure is psychological rather than physical. Letters contain veiled threats, phone calls come at 7 in the morning or 10 at night. Its much more subtle these days but equally invasive and equally pressurising.

And equally vile.

Of course, just like the gold sharks, these modern day loan sharks are targetting the most vulnerable and gullible in society. These are people at their most desperate and weakest, and yet apparently they are legally targetted without any apparent protection other than the woefully inadequate Consumer Credit Act. Its all within the law of course, but this must be stretching the law spirit or boundaries of the law in some way.

It's a disgrace, and as a society we sit back in our non interfering spineless way and allow all this crap to go on. Is it any wonder the Poles are all going home? Is it any wonder more and more retired people are leaving these shores. Its a bit early for the 'hell in a handcart' speech yet, but with an election looming and the choice being between a 'dying on its arse' Labour Party and the camoflaged New Tory party amounting to nothing more than a blue rinse Daily Mail reader wearing a blonde wig, heavy make up and using Botox, flaunting enhanced tits at the Great British Public. Underneath its still a big fat rich bastard who cares about no-one but himself.

It is damned hard to see a bright future, or a society where the immoral exploitation of the poorest is no longer allowed and encouraged through the medium of TV.

Later GJ

Footnote - I have no problem with what Dignitas do, in fact I support the choice of people to use their services if proven to be terminally ill. But I would oppose them being able to advertise on daytime TV........can you imagine how that would be received in retirement homes?