Slightly worrying start with Alliance & Leicester

Retro82

Hey all,

Just opened a current account with A&L for the £100 bonus and received everything in the post except my 8 digit customer ID. This was particularly frustrating as practically every help-line number requires this to get through to talk to someone - not good if thats what you're calling to tell them!

Eventually, I ended up through to Security who took my account number and did the usual checks (any other accounts, first line of address etc.) before giving me my 8 digit number.

I quickly logged on and attempted to use this with my pin number, only to be told my account had been locked. So I called back and got through to another person in security who did the usual checks again and started to give me a DIFFERENT 8 digit number. Confused I asked why this would be. He said you've been issued a separate customer ID for my online-savers account. "You must have entered slightly different details when you applied for that one" he said. Fine, but I DIDN'T APPLY for that account at all.

He took some convincing but eventually believed that I didn't hold that account with them, and only upon closer inspection did he see that I'd been given SOMEONE ELSE'S customer ID and that he had two completely different customer details in front of him. I'd therfor tried to log on as them and locked their account for them!

Not his fault, it was the lady I spole to before presumably but slightly worrying all the same. Soon as my £100 comes through I think I may be switching!

watchingthepennies_2

When I transferred to A & L from AN I also had problems. I had someone elses direct debit come out of my account, to make it worse it was orange who we had an account with anyway, after several difficult phone calls managed to get it sorted out. But not a good start.

We have recently moved to First Direct, and my OH was very dubious thinking we would go through the same kind of problems. What a difference, absolutely no problems whatsoever and can just ring up and speak to someone straight away, no queue, press this number etcetc.

After our initial problems were sorted out with A & L, account did run smoothly and we got the benefit of the rate and a good regular saver rate as well, so I hope you have a good experience from here.

djuluvme

I to am in the process of switching to A&L from Natwest. I thought I would have a look on-line at my account, but it kept asking me for my customer number. When I finally got through to someone on the phone I did suggest that they put your customer ID on your welcome letter and inform you that you will receive a seperate pin number through the post.

However the service I got over the phone did seem OK!

Retro82

djuluvme wrote: »

I to am in the process of switching to A&L from Natwest. I thought I would have a look on-line at my account, but it kept asking me for my customer number. When I finally got through to someone on the phone I did suggest that they put your customer ID on your welcome letter and inform you that you will receive a seperate pin number through the post.

However the service I got over the phone did seem OK!

Yeah, all the info says your 8 digit number should be on the welcome letter, but its clearly isn't - glad its not just me!