Alliance and Leicester - recommend a friend? (Merged)

OMAR

For every premier opened at A and L, they make about £150 per year...dont ask how I know...I just do!

yebaws

Presumably that's an average figure and it's how much they (you???) make on resulting sales by capturing new customers. I can absolutely guarantee that they wouldn't make anything off me, which is why they've refused me an account...

M_Thomson

OMAR wrote:

For every premier opened at A and L, they make about £150 per year...dont ask how I know...I just do!

I very much doubt this is the case at least in the first year. If they pay you 5% interest and give a 0% overdraft for a year.

rudedog_2

When you talk about underwriters decision, is this a computer or a person thats making the decision?

The reason I ask is that I got the rejection email within 10 mins of my online application.... im asuming that it was all automated....

Yebaws... update us when you hear about your appeal. Have they asked for any supporting documentation?

yebaws

When you talk about underwriters decision, is this a computer or a person thats making the decision?

The reason I ask is that I got the rejection email within 10 mins of my online application.... im asuming that it was all automated....

The rejection email took 10 hours from the application, but the application was made in the evening and I'd be surprised if they had a human underwriter working overnight...

The letter (which arrived a few days later) stated that my application "was reviewed by a senior underwriter". It also said that if I wished to appeal they may contact me asking for any details. Actually, the letter that I wrote to them was a demand to know why they rejected me rather than an appeal to have the decision overturned. I'm more worried about my credit rating than the silly account now. I will post the reply to my letter here though...

J

cheghead

I agree they're pants. They gave me an account and credit card I didn't want. Cust service is crap!

jazzyjustlaw

"Computer says no" is the problem. I was turned down due to a blip in my credit history 6 years ago. I was late with a credit card payment and overdraft with HSBC. I called A & L because they opened a lower account (which I already had) and I wanted to know why I was turned down. The told me that my credit history would have to be pristine to get a premier account. I wrote to the underwriter and they gave me the account albeit they upgraded my new account that I already had and I then had to ask them to upgrade my original account and did not get the £50.00. I think its time a person made a decision and not the computer. A person takes into account everything whereas the stupid computer did not pick up I had an account and CC with them and was never late with payments etc.

travel_freak

Hi,

I'm glad I'm not alone in experiencing difficulties with A&L - although I am sorry for the others who have also suffered.

I have referred various people to A&L through the separate refer a friend thread. Up until now my referrals had been going very smoothly but just recently A&L have botched up on two by paying the monies onto the person referred but not to me - this meant my having to enter protracted correspondence with A&L before they finally "coughed up" by making a "management adjustment" to my account. This has caused me embarrassment with the persons I referred.

All I would say is don't assume anything with A&L and check that they actually do do what they have promised to do. If not be prepared to write and email and chase until they do!
Good luck!

A

TREVORCOLMAN

Myself and other half had problems with A&L too! I already had an account. So wife opened one, we did it in the branch and the account manager filled in the form and sent it off.

1 week later wife recieved in post details of 2 accounts! We called the person who opened the account for us and asked her to confirm which account was linked to the refer a friend. She told us which one and arranged to close the other.

We paid money in each month as directed. Both after 8 weeks still no money. We went into the branch 3 times on various occasions to be told to wait a little longer. On 2 of the 3 occasions I even asked them if the reason was that 2 accounts had been opened and was it possible that we had been advised to close the wrong one. I was told NO this was OK and we would just have to wait a little longer.

However on the 4th occasion I demanded that they check this out while I waited in the assistants office and would not move till they did.

Lo and behold it was the case that SHE had informed us to close the account linked to the £50 each refer a friend. I threw a wobbly at this stage and demanded the money there and then. They told me this was not possible. The next morning the manager had a 3 page complaint on her desk from me, stating that the umbudsman was the next stage. An ex gracia payment was in each of our accounts next day - funny thing that. However I stated I still wanted it investigating. It took them 56 days to tell us that they had made a clerical error!

TREVORCOLMAN

I had told them this in my letter!

We did get another payment of £50 each and a curt letter saying that was we had now received £50 each they could not offer us any more compensation and hoped that was the end of the matter. In the same post we received a letter from them saying they were still investigating and would reply soon!

It does not give us much confidence in A&L. The assistant went to great lengths to assure us that they complied with the banking code and money laundering laws - and then opened 2 accounts instead of 1!