Halifax kids Regular Saver fiasco

realaledrinker · 22 July 2005 at 10:24PM

Please tell me I am not the only person suffering at the hands of these muppets.

I opened two of these accounts and the linked save4it accounts for my two kids a couple of months or so ago, on the internet.

A few days later I took full ID both for myself and the kids into a local Halifax branch, where it was logged and copied.

After two or three secure messages to their on-line help desk, I managed to get access to the accounts via their internet service only to find that all four were all marked 'Awaiting Details'. On phoning them up I was told this meant that Halifax had not yet received proof of identity! This hacked me off somewhat as exactly the same situation had occurred to my wife a few months previously when, despite TWO visits to a branch with ID, and on the second occasion witnessing the clerk type the details into the screen & photocopy the documents, their system still showed no ID provided.

More phone calls ensue & I am eventually told there must be 'some sort of system problem' as the scanned images of the documents can be seen by the girl in the call centre. She takes the block off the accounts & assures me all is well, as I witness by logging on.

The following day the branch call me and say the accounts are fully operative and could I please make a notional payment into the save4it accounts so that pass books can be issued. I make a special trip into town only for the clerk there to tell me she can't pay any money into the accounts as I have not yet provided them with ID!!

I get back home & log on. The 'Awaiting details' markers are back on the accounts.

Several more phone calls ensue, resulting in markers being removed only for them to be reset overnight. Meantimes, I receive a letter saying Halifax have yet to receive ID and will have to close the accounts if none is forthcoming.

Extremely strong letter of complaint is fired off to a Cheryl Millington, who styles herself Head of Retail Savings.

I monitor the accounts for a few days whilst I await Ms Millington's reply.

Yesterday I note that my daughter's two accounts are marked Closed, despite the fact that the reg saver account has by now a £100 balance on it.

I receive Ms Millington's "reply" in today's post, informing me that as I have failed to supply the necessary ID, my daughter's accounts have been closed and please find a cheque for £100.63 to close the accounts.

Extremely irate phonecall follows, which threatens to melt the plastic on the handset. My complaint is eventually logged into their Financial Ombudsman Complaints System (like I am supposed to be impressed?) with a resolution of all problems and full restitution of the accounts promised within 48 hrs.

Watch this space!

deemy2004 · 22 July 2005 at 11:14PM

EXACTLY the same situation !

we have 4 accounts i.e. 2 kids.

2 are okay and 2 are awaiting details.

done all the ID crap.. Now they have sent forms to fill in again... I'm not goign to fill it in, yes will be getting the letter shortly sayign the account will be closed.

But I can't be bothered to chase after them, since have already wasted too much time on what is to all intents and purposes - peanut money..... so F it.

Though wil do the letter of complaint - that they are useless - the staff in the branches are thick as two short planks ! I am going really ram it home to them... That why is it the customer knows the workings of the accounts better than senior branch staff ? - Maybe they should shut all the branches down and stick to call centres ! Could not be any worse !

anguk · 23 July 2005 at 1:14AM

I had something similar happen with my daughters save4it account. Went into the branch with all forms of ID, we opened the account paid some money in and they gave us a passbook.

Everything okay I thought until I went into the same branch and tried to pay some more money in, sorry they said but it's saying on the computer you haven't given ID details. I explained that I had and had watched them take photocopies of all documents. The cashier was extremely apologetic, took my phone number and said she would sort it out & give me a ring as it was very busy (it's a small branch with a counter in the back of the Estate Agents and only 1 cashier). She did ring me back a couple of hours later and say everything was sorted, but I haven't tried to pay anything in yet so can't say if it is.

ReportInvestor · 23 July 2005 at 6:32AM

realaledrinker - did you go back to the same Halifax branch to pay in that you used when you gave them ID?

I suspect one way of minimising hassle is to ensure that you pay in a cheque to the Save4It account at the branch at the same time as you provide ID. That will probably get "passbook issued" flagged up on the computer - which effectively proves you have given ID. It also saves a second trip.

My own gripe is that I foolishly took my mum into town to open an account, only to find that you needed the dreaded "appointment" & they had no times left that day. A 19 year old girl on the door informed me that this was necessary because in opening an account paying 10% fixed interest (8% real return with cast iron guarantees) I might be making the wrong investment decision. :rotfl:

Even after I'd opened the accounts by phone, on the trip to the branch they very keen to set up a further meeting to cross-sell their other stuff - so you have to stand your ground if you don't want to waste your own time. I agree that branch and call centre aren't quite singing from the same hymn sheet.

And why can't the sales people talk to the computer bods to set up a system so that the branches don't have to type in the same details twice on the regular saver and the Save4it accounts

?

It's still worth it IMHO. Two parents + two kids = £100 extra interest gained next year if you pay £100pm into all four accounts. A small but useful dent into their final £20K+ graduation debts.

anguk · 23 July 2005 at 11:30AM

ReportInvestor wrote:

Even after I'd opened the accounts by phone, on the trip to the branch they very keen to set up a further meeting to cross-sell their other stuff - so you have to stand your ground if you don't want to waste your own time. I agree that branch and call centre aren't quite singing from the same hymn sheet.

The Halifax is terrible for trying to get you to open other accounts, all staff have a sales target to reach. I know because my son works in their Estate Agency, even he has to get so many credit card applications in order to get a bonus. It's absolutely rediculous, people go to the Estate Agents to buy/sell a house not get a credit card, they don't expect their bank staff to make so many house sales to get their bonus! :mad:

moomintroll_3 · 23 July 2005 at 1:29PM

Almost the same situation. I opened a regular saver and "save4it" account for my son online and went in the local branch with ID a few days later. Two weeks on and I've had a letter saying "you haven't provided ID" so I go back to the branch and insist that I *have* supplied ID - I must have because here in my sweaty irritated-with-the-halifax hand I hold the passbook for my son's account.

Assistant goes into the back rooms for what must have been half an hour then comes back saying she can't find the photocopies of the ID with the rest of the account openings for that day.

I categorically state that this is not my issue as I have supplied the necessary ID and I don't expect to get another letter saying I haven't.

They have supposedly taken the block off the account.

If I get a cheque with a letter closing the accounts I am going to be very very upset with them.

Still, not the first time I've had a problem with them. I closed my current account with the halifax because they were such muppets... :-/

G

crana999 · 23 July 2005 at 1:42PM

They claimed to have never had my ID details for my (normal, not kids') Regular Saver & Instant Saver. They also lost my R85 form. I wrote to complain and had a letter back today saying actually they have found my ID, but realised they'd lost my application forms and "can I do new ones?"!..enclosing a £25 cheque in apology.

I suggest you write to them and complain. The more of us who show up their careless handling of ID etc, the higher the chance (I hope) they'll be forced to change things.

1jim · 23 July 2005 at 2:02PM

I would write and complain to,
Dennis Stevenson
Chairman Of the Board
Halifax Plc
Trinity Road
Halifax
West Yorkshire
HX1 2RG

youd be amazed how quick you get the problem resolved,

Failing that ask for your complaint to be referred to the financial ombudsman, or contact them yourself, I understand it costs a bank around £200-£250 everytime the financial ombudsman looks into a complaint.

The Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
LONDON
E14 9SR

realaledrinker · 23 July 2005 at 9:17PM

Thanks for the support guys.

I transferred £1 from my smile account last thing Weds night (i.e. Thursday really) to each of the two accounts just to see if that would override the flags. Will wait with bated breath to see what state the remaining non-closed account shows up as on Monday.

Baby_A · 1 August 2005 at 12:18PM

I am having the same problems with them!
It took a big step for me to go back to Halifax as I had a bad experience with them when I had a credit card. It took them one and half years for them to resolve a fraud issue on my card!
Even then I thought maybe it was a one off and its a different account so no problems. Big mistake!!!

Opened the account on the phone, gave them my address which has changed from the credit card account I had two years ago (which is also closed!). They managed to send all the packs to my old address, luckily my mother in law lives there so I got the packs. When I rang them up to query why it had been sent there they said they cant change it over the phone and when I go to show my ID in branch they will amend it.

Off I went to the branch with my ID, they said they couldnt accept my driving licence as ID, but photocopied my daughters birth certificate and the address id. Went home and went back the next day with my passort and they said they needed the birth certificate as it wasnt showing on their system. By now I was fuming. I had a crying baby and spent 30 mins in the queue!

Went back again with all the Id's and they apparently changed my address! I thought ok finally done!

Guess what......... just rang today and one account is shown registered in my daughters name, still in my mother in laws address! And no id has been given! I have no idea whats happened to the other account.

I am fuming! I am told that I have to go into the branch to resolve the issue!

I now have to go back with a baby in the pushchair changing two buses and no doubt waiting ages to be served by staff who dont have a clue about anything!

I really wish I had stayed with my first instincts!

fireblade_2 · 5 August 2005 at 12:18PM

Realaledrinker - I have had a very similar experience with the Halifax - they managed to open two regular saver accounts for my (one) daughter and now (after 10's of phone calls and apologies) have managed to close both!
I have been asked for proof of my daughters dob (and provided it) 4 times - local manager is useless - just lies to me that it will all be sorted - "oh just ignore that letter" he says...........
I've had a complaint in for three weeks, but they seem completely incompetent - all they've managed, is to close all the accounts.
I'm going to write to the MD and the ombudesman as they complaints department, whilst very appologetic, don't appear to be able to achieve much.

Halifax kids Regular Saver fiasco

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