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Appalling service from Alliance & Leicester
moneymart_3
Posts: 13 Forumite
I just thought I would post my experiences with Alliance & Leicester since applying for a new Premier Plus current account.
1. The application process is very slow and inefficient. I returned the direct debit transfer forms the day after receiving them, but then received a “chase up” letter from them a week later saying they hadn’t received any response. When I contacted them to find out what was going on, I was told “oh, yeah, your application did arrive but we’re snowed under with new applications at the moment”. To date, several weeks after returning the details, I am still waiting for a list of direct debits for transfer to be sent to me.
2. My new debit card arrived earlier this week. There was a sticker attached saying that I had to ring a number to activate the card. This line was continuously engaged for over an hour before the call was finally answered by an automatic queuing system. I stayed in the queue for 15 minutes before giving up.
3. I then rang the new accounts customer services number on 08701 525 891 and spoke to the rudest, most unhelpful person I have ever encountered. She spoke to me as if I was inconveniencing her, and as if I had no right to ring up to complain about not being able to get through to activate my card. She said there was nothing she could/would do about it. When I told her I was not happy about the service I was receiving, she simply told me to put it in writing. At no point did she apologise, or offer to rectify the matter.
4. I then thought I would see if there was an option to register the card on the A&L internet site. I logged on with my credentials, and the site then took me through a “new user” process to setup (yet) another password and pin number. However, after entering my new password, it simply came back with “Sorry, this site is temporarily unavailable, please try later”. (I am an experienced IT professional, so I am quite savvy when it comes to internet usage, so user error was not a factor.)
5. I then contacted the customer services number, and spoke to a lady who was a little more helpful. I asked to speak to a manager, but one was not available. I was promised a call back within an hour – five days later I have still not received a call !!
BE WARNED. I have put my complaint in writing, and unless a proper apology and explanation is received pdq, I will vote with my feet and go elsewhere.
1. The application process is very slow and inefficient. I returned the direct debit transfer forms the day after receiving them, but then received a “chase up” letter from them a week later saying they hadn’t received any response. When I contacted them to find out what was going on, I was told “oh, yeah, your application did arrive but we’re snowed under with new applications at the moment”. To date, several weeks after returning the details, I am still waiting for a list of direct debits for transfer to be sent to me.
2. My new debit card arrived earlier this week. There was a sticker attached saying that I had to ring a number to activate the card. This line was continuously engaged for over an hour before the call was finally answered by an automatic queuing system. I stayed in the queue for 15 minutes before giving up.
3. I then rang the new accounts customer services number on 08701 525 891 and spoke to the rudest, most unhelpful person I have ever encountered. She spoke to me as if I was inconveniencing her, and as if I had no right to ring up to complain about not being able to get through to activate my card. She said there was nothing she could/would do about it. When I told her I was not happy about the service I was receiving, she simply told me to put it in writing. At no point did she apologise, or offer to rectify the matter.
4. I then thought I would see if there was an option to register the card on the A&L internet site. I logged on with my credentials, and the site then took me through a “new user” process to setup (yet) another password and pin number. However, after entering my new password, it simply came back with “Sorry, this site is temporarily unavailable, please try later”. (I am an experienced IT professional, so I am quite savvy when it comes to internet usage, so user error was not a factor.)
5. I then contacted the customer services number, and spoke to a lady who was a little more helpful. I asked to speak to a manager, but one was not available. I was promised a call back within an hour – five days later I have still not received a call !!
BE WARNED. I have put my complaint in writing, and unless a proper apology and explanation is received pdq, I will vote with my feet and go elsewhere.
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Comments
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Sorry to hear of your experiences. I have found A&L most helpful (phone and email) to date. Obviously you are switching accounts - which is more involved than just opening/applying for a new account. And it's a shame their customer services is om 0870... you should look into alternative numbers such as 0800 0688638 [which I took from http://www.Saynoto0870.com ]
Stick with it and things will probably get better.
BTW who have you been banking with previously?.....under construction.... COVID is a [discontinued] scam0 -
I, too, have also been very pleased with the service I have received from Alliance and Leicester - always found the staff friendly and helpful0
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Likewise, I find their customer service top notch, just wish all companies were as good. Which? magazine has rated their cust service as one of the best for years.Val
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My experience was not that bad, i managed to call at 13:00 on Friday to register my card and got through within 2-3 minutes.
Overall they have been a bit slow, but this is probably due to the demand, so i give them the benefit of the doubt.
What bothers me is that i am forced to open a plus saver account when i don't want one. Why would i want an account that only pays 4.5% interest. When i said i didn't want it they would not process my application without accepting it.
A&L have signed up to the million question security mandate. God this pains me and totally counter productive, I could remember a password but how on earth am i supposed to remember all the other password information i give? The only way is to write it down, thereby making my account less secure.
Another annoying thing about the account is that if you only apply for the premier current account (not plus) they force you to set up a monthly debit to the plus saver account of a minimum of £10.
Since when did Alliance & Leicester tell me what to do with my money.
Arrogrant gits. This is a battle is not over.0 -
We've switched recently to them too and found it a bit rocky, but thankfully not as heinous as for moneymart.
Try alternative phone no: 0113 2201505, that's a Leeds number, given for international users - it did work last time I had to ring them.
I was talked out of the £25 opening fee (no longer available in branch, applying online would apparently have taken weeks or months - known backlog) which I've tended to feel quite cheated over since, even if I let them do it to me (in the end we just wanted to get it done). However we did get away without specifying an amount to go into the savings (we're also Premier, not Plus) so it looks like that's not totally consistent throughout the branches. They wouldn't let us not sign up for the credit card though!
The thing that really riled me was that I wanted my hand held while doing the forms, but they wouldn't do it as we were opening a joint account and my husband doesn't have the time to drop into town. I knew I'd be taking the forms home for his signature, but couldn't see why they wouldn't help me. The upshot was that I put the minimum in the income field and they gave us the minimum overdraft - it took over a month to sort out something relatively reasonable using their rule of 'half of what comes in' - at absolutely no point was there any suggestion of helpfulness or accommodation in terms of matching our old accounts overdraft - and I cajoled, begged, reasoned *and* lost my rag...
Thus far, the accounts seem alright, I did my own switching of dd's - partly because I missed the form they gave me and partly to try and control it - but the set up has just taken the glow of any honeymoon period off the switch and I'm left without the feeling that they want to help customers.Do I Need One Stops All Unnecessary Reckless Spending£2 CSC - £30 :kisses3:0 -
Hi all, thanks for the replies. Perhaps they were just having an off day. Hopefully I will get a reply to my letter of complaint that will address my issues - I'll post an update if/when I do.
I haven't completely written them off yet - I will wait for their reply before I decide whether to continue switching to them, or to look at the LTSB account.
P.S. I am currently with HSBC, and whilst not a very good "value for money" account, they do give absolutely fantastic customer service.0 -
I haven't had an experience as bad as moneysmart's, but it has been pretty bad I reckon.
The account setup all went quite smoothly, my complaint is mainly with their dept which transfers standing orders and direct debits - although they never sent me my logon details, not much use that for an internet only account!
I got a letter last week which said this was all done, but didn't mention my salary which they had offered to sort out...when I phoned up they just said that this had been missed out and I would have to now sort it out myself.
Then I checked the standing orders they had transferred, they had missed one off (I only have 6) and for the others they picked what I can only describe as random next payment dates. I tried to alter one of the SOs online and couldn't, when I phoned up it's because all of them have been set up with the remitter's name missing! Pretty basic stuff I would have thought.
However everyone I have spoken to has been helpful and polite - although the account transfer team don't have a call centre so it's engaged most of the time. It seems like they are currently making a pretty half hearted attempt at this AT stuff - they need to sort it out.
So it's not been the best experience so far, but I'm getting there...hopefully it's going to be worth the hassle in the end! what I find most annoying is that if they hadn't offered the account transfer service I would have just done the lot myself and then I would have known where I was up to!0 -
I haven't had an experience as bad as moneysmart's, but it has been pretty bad I reckon.
The account setup all went quite smoothly, my complaint is mainly with their dept which transfers standing orders and direct debits - although they never sent me my logon details, not much use that for an internet only account!
I got a letter last week which said this was all done, but didn't mention my salary which they had offered to sort out...when I phoned up they just said that this had been missed out and I would have to now sort it out myself.
Then I checked the standing orders they had transferred, they had missed one off (I only have 6) and for the others they picked what I can only describe as random next payment dates. I tried to alter one of the SOs online and couldn't, when I phoned up it's because all of them have been set up with the remitter's name missing! Pretty basic stuff I would have thought.
However everyone I have spoken to has been helpful and polite - although the account transfer team don't have a call centre so it's engaged most of the time. It seems like they are currently making a pretty half hearted attempt at this AT stuff - they need to sort it out.
So it's not been the best experience so far, but I'm getting there...hopefully it's going to be worth the hassle in the end! what I find most annoying is that if they hadn't offered the account transfer service I would have just done the lot myself and then I would have known where I was up to!
Hi Peoplesrepublican,
Quick question - did they send you your list of DirectDebits/StandingOrders before they started transferring them, or did they just go ahead and start moving them all?
I might take the approach you mentioned - i.e. move them all one-by-one myself. I just don't trust them to get it right....
THANKS0 -
Sorry for the delay in replying.
They did send me the list to approve before they started moving stuff, and they haven't set up anything I asked them not to. However they make a point of saying nothing will be set up to go out of your account until the salary starts going in but of course they have set one up to go out today (2nd Sept) - I don't get paid til the 20th!!! As they give you a free overdraft that's no big deal but even so, I could have done a better job myself, I really just wish they hadn't offered the service (or at least that I hadn't taken them up on it!).
To be honest I feel sorry for the people working in the CAT team, I bet they're having a miserable time at the minute due to A&L's inability to get it set up properly...0 -
I have been approved for a Premier Plus Current Account and have been waiting for more than 2 months for them to send the forms for me to sign. This is despite me having informed them no less than 15 times that this has been the case. They have told me that the forms are being sent recorded delivery but I have still not received them. They are absolutely bloody useless. I am going to use Lloyds TSB instead - at least their forms arrived in the post in a short period of time.0
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