Anyone who has been into a Lloyds branch to discuss a savings account will not be surprised that the bank has been fined, so hard was the sell you would get to buy its products. I know, because it happened to me.

I don't bank at Lloyds, but several years ago it had what was then the best selling cash Isa rate. I trooped into my local branch to open the account. As we filled in the forms the Lloyds staff member started trying to persuade me to take out a stocks and share Isa instead – one that would have put my money into the stock market rather than the simple tax-free savings account I wanted.

He was very insistent and at first I let him carry on, amused to hear the sales pitch. But despite my repeated protestations that I was happy with my "boring" choice, he carried on and on, quoting ridiculous predictions of how much my money could earn. It ended with something of a row when I said I thought it was outrageous that he continued to try to sell me a product I had made clear I didn't want. He only stopped when I told him what I did for a living. Some vulnerable pensioners with larger savings accounts wouldn't have stood a chance in the face of such a selling machine.

At the time I put it down to one over-zealous salesman, and forgot about it. However, following the Financial Conduct Authority's revelations we now know that this manager's career may have rested on whether he could up-sell me into the stocks and share Isa – a product that would have earned the bank a hefty commission. Maybe he was one sale away from gaining the "grand in the hand" bonus that was commonplace.

Were you ever given the hard sell at a Lloyds branch, or were you under pressure to make a sale? Share your experience in the comments thread, or contact us in confidence via the form below