Tesco famously stated ‘Every little helps’ and they weren’t wrong. Incremental improvement is where it’s at, as we look through every conceivable nook and cranny for areas in which we can tighten our belts to alleviate the effects of the household strangulation that we will continue to suffer for many a year.

Excuses are not reasons but are used as thus: ‘Brexit’ and ‘Covid’ being the political go-to’s, despite us being aware that if it wasn’t ‘that’ it would be something else - be it a war in a far-flung outpost, drought in a producer region, or a blockage in the Suez Canal.

Yet, sensing an opportunity and using Tesco as their blueprint, big business follow suit and attempt to ingratiate themselves with us with promises they have no intention of keeping.

Gone is the blatant selling of yesteryear: The in-your-face offers and tempters to get you to spend your monies on their wares. In its place is misinformation masquerading as solidarity, as they state they are ‘In it with us’ as they lay staff off on the one hand and promise us, they will do ALL they can to help us in our national hour of need on the other.

HSBC recently advertised such a phenomenon as they attempted, from their ivory-suited towers, to ‘listen’ and do their utmost to fight off the wolves circling the door, whilst remaining poker-faced.

On the day I first saw the advert I went overdrawn in the bank by a few pounds. These caring bankers, doing all they can to help me, as they bust a gut to be my financial wingman, texted me at 5.03pm: ‘To avoid overdraft interest your account must be in credit by 23.45 today’. So doing ‘all’ they can help me equates to six hours and 42 minutes before they slap me with an exponential fine for daring to go below zero in an account that pays no interest, is in credit 99.99 per cent of the time and one which they have creamed the fat off in the 30 years I have banked with them. With friends like that…

And then, as always happens when excreta rain hits the fan in most households, it pours. I received a seemingly innocuous email from Sky. I did what I rarely do and actually opened it to read that my contract, nearing its completion, was being ramped up from 80 odd quid to £180. Believing this was a mistake after hearing their similar soundbites as to how they would be there for me, I phoned and sat listening to the ‘we’re here to help’ messages for half an hour before a crackly voice, unapologetic as to my wait time, came on the line. The new quote was indeed correct, and I asked why? The reason given was ‘inflation’. Now, unbeknown to the operative I teach business and I asked four times ‘Can you tell me what the UK inflation rate is?’ It turns out she couldn’t, so I schooled her as to the circa ten per cent figure. Ever helpful, I then asked a few more questions as, every time, she went off to speak to her boss. Eventually after being ‘listened to’ by a company with cloth ears and an intellect the size of Joey Essex’s, I cancelled and now am facing the bombardment of offers aplenty which have ‘suddenly’ materialised after I switched to Virgin.

We are judged by our actions, not our words. People are not, as big business believes, complete and utter simpletons. However we are busy, and often take our eyes off the ball. The ball is then slipped under our bodies as contracts lapse and rampant price rises are incurred which they get away with for many months until the individual notices the drain on their account with the corporate’s holy grail defence of ‘it’s in the terms and conditions’ in situ. By then the soundbites of doing all they can to help, as well as any semblance of trust, is gone, and such trust is hard won, easily lost and even harder to get back once it has been desecrated…

  • Brett Ellis is a teacher from London Colney