Metro Bank complaint - incompetence
Weybridge78
Posts: 208 Forumite
Wanted to get your opinions on this.
Earlier this year I opened a Safe Deposit Box at a Metro Bank store, with payments linked to my current account. I then switched my Metro Bank current account to First Direct and assumed the direct debit for the SDB would automatically switch to one of my cash accounts with Metro Bank (according to in-store staff, this is what should have happened anyway).
The DD did not switch automatically to either of my two cash accounts. I started receiving numerous texts from Metro Bank saying that I am behind with payments for the SDB. I then called Metro Bank around 3 weeks ago explaining the situation.
Long story short, over the last 3 weeks, I have called Metro Bank around 6 times, and each time I have been told that a ticket has been raised and email sent to the IT department asking them to look into the issue. I've also been into the store in which I hold the SDB which is now in arrears. Apparently there is a block on the SDB, so not only is my access to it denied (not that I need it at the moment), but also, a payment can't be made to the SDB to bring the balance up to £0 from whatever negative balance it is right now. Surely linking a SDB to a cash account isn't something complicated enough to warrant 3 weeks?
I have been promised phone calls back from them, however of course have not received them back. Complaint was raised with Metro Bank last week on Friday because I think this is getting ridiculous now. The payments team haven't been able to sort it out and neither have the IT team. Was told upon making a complaint that someone would call me on Tuesday.
Surprise surprise, no phone call today. Just got off the phone with them and again the same response; "A ticket has been sent to the IT team and they are investigating the situation".
I've been with Metro Bank for over a year now and never had any issues, but this has really irritated me. Is it really that difficult?
Earlier this year I opened a Safe Deposit Box at a Metro Bank store, with payments linked to my current account. I then switched my Metro Bank current account to First Direct and assumed the direct debit for the SDB would automatically switch to one of my cash accounts with Metro Bank (according to in-store staff, this is what should have happened anyway).
The DD did not switch automatically to either of my two cash accounts. I started receiving numerous texts from Metro Bank saying that I am behind with payments for the SDB. I then called Metro Bank around 3 weeks ago explaining the situation.
Long story short, over the last 3 weeks, I have called Metro Bank around 6 times, and each time I have been told that a ticket has been raised and email sent to the IT department asking them to look into the issue. I've also been into the store in which I hold the SDB which is now in arrears. Apparently there is a block on the SDB, so not only is my access to it denied (not that I need it at the moment), but also, a payment can't be made to the SDB to bring the balance up to £0 from whatever negative balance it is right now. Surely linking a SDB to a cash account isn't something complicated enough to warrant 3 weeks?
I have been promised phone calls back from them, however of course have not received them back. Complaint was raised with Metro Bank last week on Friday because I think this is getting ridiculous now. The payments team haven't been able to sort it out and neither have the IT team. Was told upon making a complaint that someone would call me on Tuesday.
Surprise surprise, no phone call today. Just got off the phone with them and again the same response; "A ticket has been sent to the IT team and they are investigating the situation".
I've been with Metro Bank for over a year now and never had any issues, but this has really irritated me. Is it really that difficult?
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Comments
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Is the branch location on a corner?0
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veryintrigued wrote: »Is the branch location on a corner?
Haha, nope.0 -
Assuming you went through the Current Account Switching Service then if it was a proper direct debit then it would have switched to First Direct, who would have been responsible for any consequent failures. If it wasn't a proper direct debit but some other form of internal transfer (?), why would you assume it would be redirected automatically from one of your Metro accounts to another without explicit instruction to do so?Weybridge78 wrote: »Earlier this year I opened a Safe Deposit Box at a Metro Bank store, with payments linked to my current account. I then switched my Metro Bank current account to First Direct and assumed the direct debit for the SDB would automatically switch to one of my cash accounts with Metro Bank (according to in-store staff, this is what should have happened anyway).
The DD did not switch automatically to either of my two cash accounts.0 -
Assuming you went through the Current Account Switching Service then if it was a proper direct debit then it would have switched to First Direct, who would have been responsible for any consequent failures. If it wasn't a proper direct debit but some other form of internal transfer (?), why would you assume it would be redirected automatically from one of your Metro accounts to another without explicit instruction to do so?
I incorrectly assumed it was a direct debit. Clearly it was not and it was an internal transfer. However, I did also state that Metro Bank staff said the payment for the SDB should have automatically been linked to a cash account if the current account was closed.0 -
I don't know why you assumed the payment would automatically continue from one of your cash accounts, especially as you have 2 - should they just guess which one to take payment from?
It is possible to setup the monthly payments again on the cash account of your choosing? Or have you already taken this step and this is what's taking them so long to sort out?0 -
I don't know why you assumed the payment would automatically continue from one of your cash accounts, especially as you have 2 - should they just guess which one to take payment from?
Because I knew that payments for a SDB could only be made from a Metro Bank account, whether that be a cash or current account. For the third time, I was told by Metro Bank staff that it should have been linked to one of my cash accounts anyway if the current account was to be closed. Why does this keep being ignored by people replying? I also told them which account it should be taken out from when I realised that the payments had not been linked to either cash account.
Also by the way, when someone deposited money into my closed account with the closed bank account number, Metro Bank automatically put it into one of my cash accounts. So it's not as if they are completely stupid with things like this and I know I'm not a fool for not immediately specifying which cash account the SDB should have been linked to once the current account was closed.It is possible to setup the monthly payments again on the cash account of your choosing? Or have you already taken this step and this is what's taking them so long to sort out?
I cannot do it myself. I have instructed them to make it from a specific cash account and they have not managed to do so.0 -
I can't see how you can do any more than you have already done. You have raised a complaint and I guess you'll have to wait till that progresses through their (apparently useless) system. At the moment you are not out of pocket, and your only inconvenience is not having access to a SDB that you don't need access to.I came into this world with nothing and I've got most of it left.0
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Weybridge78 wrote: »Also by the way, when someone deposited money into my closed account with the closed bank account number, Metro Bank automatically put it into one of my cash accounts. So it's not as if they are completely stupid with things like this........
This doesn't sound right!
When you switched your current account from Metro Bank to First Direct, did you get First Direct to complete the switch for you as part of the Current Account Switching service?
Was the money deposited to your account 'in branch' or by electronic transfer?
If by transfer and if you had used the Current Account Switching Service the payment should have automatically been directed to your First Direct account.0 -
This doesn't sound right!
When you switched your current account from Metro Bank to First Direct, did you get First Direct to complete the switch for you as part of the Current Account Switching service?
Was the money deposited to your account 'in branch' or by electronic transfer?
If by transfer and if you had used the Current Account Switching Service the payment should have automatically been directed to your First Direct account.
Yes, CASS in order to get the £100 switching incentive from FD.
It was in branch. I will clarify with the person who deposited it in branch.0 -
Yes, but your OP suggested that the staff were saying this after the (non-)event rather than you checking in advance and then relying on their verbal guidance.Weybridge78 wrote: »I incorrectly assumed it was a direct debit. Clearly it was not and it was an internal transfer. However, I did also state that Metro Bank staff said the payment for the SDB should have automatically been linked to a cash account if the current account was closed.
These forums are full of posts about customer-facing staff giving out duff information when faced with a query that's a bit off-piste - that doesn't make it right of course but if the complaint has only been open for one working day so far then you'll probably need to be patient, despite all the time it's taken to get this in front of the complaints team from when it started.0
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