Give me strength!!!!

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 19 March 2008 17:13:42

Today I found a Guernsey £10 note in my house so I decided to take it to the bank to exchange it for an English one. This process was far from simple and the conversation went something like this.

Me: I'd like to exchange this Guernsey £10 note for an English one please.

Dozy Cashier: er... OK

Then follows a lot of intense gazing at the very pretty blue £10 note which admittedly looks slightly like Monopoly money. Then he disappears to talk to one of his colleagues...

DC: Is is real?

Me: Of course it is real?

DC: It's not English though is it?

Me: No. Well spotted. That's why it says States of Guernsey across the top of it.

DC: Where's Guernsey?

At this point I should have taken my cash back and left.

Me: Guernsey is in the Channel Islands.

More intense gazing at the note before he disappears off again. About 5 minutes later he reappears.

DC: I am really sorry but we can't change it as it isn't legal tender.

At this point I am about to seriously lose the plot, but it has become a matter of principle.

Me: Actually it is legal tender. Guernsey is a Crown Dependency and whilst we have our own currency it is officially classed as legal tender in the UK, even if people over here don't know where Guernsey is, what we do, what language we speak, whether we have electricity, and what our bank notes look like.

DC: Oh.

He disappears again.

DC: Sorry, we can't verify this. You will have to come back tomorrow.

Me: I don't this I'll bother somehow.

Now, I know Guernsey is a little island, but this was ridiculous.