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[MSE Lawrence]

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's "Banks may play nasty but it doesn’t mean their staff are" Blog.

Click reply to discuss below.

[db3745]

I know the landscape's changed since I worked in a bank 40+ years ago, but the degree to which my bank - Barclays - has changed from a trustworthy customer-orientated bank to an unscrupulous hard-sell one is a scandal. My wife I'm sure thinks she can trust a "personal adviser" much as she can her doctor. Fat chance! Persuaded into opening an Active Savings account earlier this year, she then gets a phone call early one morning from same adviser saying the forms have been drawn up to move her money into an "even better" Nest Egg account as this Active Saver is now paying such a low rate - 0.75% or similar. She goes along until I check it up and find that the rate is precisely 0.05% better, but with restrictions on withdrawals! No doubt the adviser is being incentivised to open new accounts. Devil of a job to cancel this stupid move, then this week as Active Saver now pays 0.2% we try to close the account.
Alarm bells obviously ring in the back office and we have to see another personal adviser. It was like trying to draw teeth getting our own money back. When I mentioned Active Saver she dismissed this with "Oh! we aren't offering that now to new customers" No, but they weren't going to call us and advise we moved into something different. When I told them my wife would be investing part at fixed rate with Northern Rock at 3.75% and the rest on Instant Access with Citibank at 3.3%, she first said those rates weren't possible then (to my wife) that Barclays could match them (yes by taking out a 3/4 or 5 year fixed deal maybe), and when I pooh-poohed this she moved on to try to sell my wife a Stock Market based plan which would better these rates.

My point is that my wife isn't finance-savvy, along with 80%+ of the population, and if someone you should be able to trust can skip merrily from a no-risk savings account to a medium-risk stocks-based plan, this has to be mis-selling, yet bank employees under pressure to sell are able to do this.

Where are the banking unions in all this. I can see the employees' dilemma, and I know people who have left Barclays for this reason, but someone should be standing up for them. In the meantime, vulnerable people - at least 80% of their customers - are being deceived and let down by Barclays and their rivals

[Doozergirl]

Bank employees really do get the rough end of the stick at the moment. I work part-time for part of a bank and lost most of my colleagues at the end of last year. I watched people sob as they considered how they would support their family after working 20 years for the bank.

And it's gone on and on through each part of the bank throughout this year. Luckily for me my customers are internal, but once in the school playground a mum after asking me what I did, said with quite ignorant glee "Oh, I pay your wages" and I suddenly understood what it is that is what the front line staff face every day, many of whom are not salespeople and never wanted to be. Who have never taken anything approaching the type of risks that the 'banks' have taken; who want to help customers but can't - even the managers are given no discretion.

They don't want to be fighting for their jobs, it was never their fault and they certainly don't want to reject the people who break down in tears over their bank charges because it stops them from being able to support their families. They are the ones feeling the most impact when they sit a million miles away from those who made the bad decisions and still make bad decisions.

[Mozette]

As with most things, the problems are with those high up the foodchain, not with the ordinary folk.

[Former Spice]

I disagree. I have had Bank and Credit Card staff call me to sell massively over-priced PPI, packaged accounts etc and telling a pack of lies to do so. The people telling the lies are responsable for their own actions, someone telling them to do it is no excuse whatsover.

[marshmallow79]

Originally Posted by Former Spice

I disagree. I have had Bank and Credit Card staff call me to sell massively over-priced PPI, packaged accounts etc and telling a pack of lies to do so. The people telling the lies are responsable for their own actions, someone telling them to do it is no excuse whatsover.

Ever thought that they do this as they are pressurised into doing it to keep their jobs? I worked for a bank at the start of the year and considering I came from a telesales environment I've never know such a high pressure selling job as I found at that bank.
Yes you might get a call pressurising you to swap, change or sign into a certain product but have you ever stop to consider the pressure that individual is under to meet targets in the current market...guessing by your statement I'm guessing not!

[PlasticMan]

I agree with Mozette up to a point. The person I get to speak to on the phone didn't choose to implement unfair bank charges. They didn't choose to understaff the call centre and then paper the cracks with frustrating IVR systems (and in fact they suffer from the latter as well).

But, they did take the job to represent the organisation that did all of the above. Maybe it's the only job they can get? That's unfortunate for them, but I will never get to speak to the person who made the policy decisions. So while I would always avoid making it "personal" with a customer representative, if I'm bitter about my treatment as a customer, then they took the job to deal with that, so I have little sympathy. "Jane" complaining about her lack of help and support is like a road sweeper complaining that they've been asked to sweep roads!

Obviously if she has employment issues, then she's in a similar boat to many others but that is a different matter.

[sporedude]

So what? Still doesnt give people the right to shout at customer service reps.

[paolaenergya]

During a recent conversation I had with a Financial Services Ombudsman adviser, I would say that banks have created policies to protect themselves and their shareholders. Bank employees are simply disposable and I can see a trend whereby less trained staff are being set loose on customers with high sales targets to achieve.
In the end the Ombudsman was taking the banks' side saying I should consider the needs of the shareholders.
However, the question is: poor bank employees, poor bank shareholders, poor customers... We need a major overhaul of the banking system with more ethical practices starting from bank salaries and pensions to the way banks interact with their clients. More focus on providing a service, less focus on shoving deals down the clients' throat.

OK, I've said my piece now!
Paola

[tiddler66]

If people want to work for a bank selling policies that they know are not in the clients best interest, read from scripts on so called help desks that just fob people off and hound people for money they don't have. And then have the cheek to expect people at their wits end to be polite to them because they feel under pressure about their jobs and pension is absurd. The truth is most bank employees will do and say anything to stop them ending up on the wrong end of the phone. Remember it was these people who miss sold you ppi forced credit cards down our throuts and are now complaining it was all fred the shreds fault.maybe if these people gave their bonuses back they made off our backs in the good times i would have more sympathy for them. gaz

[RuthnJasper]

I think it's right that this gets a mention. I am struggling terribly with trying to reclaim bank charges from NatWest under the 'financial hardship' rule. However, the people I've spoken to on the 'phone (with one exception) and in my local branch have all been sympathetic and extremely helpful. I try to make a point of thanking the person and saying how helpful they've been at the end of the call, even if I am in a bit of a state.

It must be pretty miserable being a front-line bank minion. Their wages are pathetic and some of the abuse they have to endure is appalling. I know I wouldn't want to do it, and I feel sorry for those who have no other choice because they can't find a better job.

[supersavor]

I am what some of you may call i minion on the front line and a sales one at one of the banks though i have seen both sides of it from a customer and an advisor.
I ended up working there after being at the same company for ten years and to be honest i didn’t want to start at the bank but there was little choice at the time.
Fast forward a few years and now i cant imagne leaving any time soon.
I had my problems with various banks , card companys ironically including the bank i now work for so i can see what people mean regarding the sale of ppi and bank charges etc.
And to those who say there are stressed out by there job status etc you are not the only ones.
The banking organisation i work for are continually announcing cuts my shares have been reduced to almost none existance and at the moment am not getting issused with any more so i can feel your pain.
Now im not sure of how staff were pressuried into selling card protection a few a few years ago however i can give you an insight how it is now.
Of course we have targets but because of tcf we have to sell to need we find out how there covered if they are the recomendation is not to take it .If they require it we make the recommendation if the customer doesn’t want it we have to take it as such and not force it on them.
All our calls are recorded we get constant training and updates on products in the last few months alone there has been so much change to how we sell and the focus on treating the customers expections as such.
We have to read scripts but thats for a reason to make sure the customer is fully aware of the minimum conditions , a credit search is taking place and a brief outlining of the product etc.
I understand why people take there frustrations out on the bank staff and to be honest i can see why.There under pressuse had charges and cant get any more credit etc but its not our fault we all have experienced these problems at some stage too.