NatWest student account delays

percymoneysaver

I've noticed that other people are starting to post about the delays on NatWest student accounts and was hoping for advice.

My son went away to uni 2 weeks ago, having opened his NatWest account online in early August. We got the Welcome Pack, but nothing else. On the day he went up to uni we called into the branch, they only had his chequebook. He was told that he would have to phone to see when his debit card had come in, and then he could give permission for me to fetch it. A week later, he phoned and was told they had it, but I couldn't come in for it, and it would have to be sent to our home address and not his termtime one, even though he was there and they had his termtime one on the computer.

A week on, and it still hasn't come. He phoned the branch today, and they said, actually, no it hadn't come at all, and they would order a new one. In the meantime, without it, he is apparently unable to sign up for telephone or internet banking. The only way he can find anything out about his account is to call into the branch - during the daytime, when actually he is at lectures (branches close to his uni have very short daytime hours)

NatWest have also not transferred his direct debits from his old bank, so although he told the student loan people to pay his loan into the NatWest account, the direct debit for his hall this week came out of his old account. Luckily, we were able to lay our hands on the money for this but it has left us short this month.

Surely it does not take over a month to send out cards, close accounts, transfer direct debits etc. I feel totally helpless having sent my son to university hours away and unable to do anything to help him get his money. The NatWest will say nothing to me other than "he has to call into a branch" - they won't phone him, or let him register for telephone or internet banking without the information that they haven't sent him, and have outright lied twice now about how he can get it.

Is there anything I can do????

silvercar

You seem to have had a really bad experience.

He was told that he would have to phone to see when his debit card had come in, and then he could give permission for me to fetch it. A week later, he phoned and was told they had it, but I couldn't come in for it,

I did this with no problem.

In the meantime, without it, he is apparently unable to sign up for telephone or internet banking.

To sign up for internet banking you need a separate letter with a 12 digit PIN that comes in yet another letter. These should both come to your home address and then you can sort it online; you wouldn't need to send these papers to your son. You don't need the debit card to do this.

Is there anything I can do????

As an 18 year old, he needs to sort out his account, data protection means they can't talk to you without his authority. My son was away for 3 weeks, so we went into the branch and gave a letter of authority that I could collect things in his absence and of course you could do any online actions with just his permission.

To be honest the main problem seems to be that things sit in the branch awaiting collection without the intended recipient being made aware. At some point the branch may decide to post out which can confuse further.

percymoneysaver

Silvercar,

Thanks for the info.

How do you get this letter for the internet banking? Do you have to ask for it, or is this another thing that they should have sent him and haven't yet?

We asked at the branch whether he could write a letter authorising them to talk to me instead of him, or to collect things on his behalf, and were told no. The only thing the first person said he could do was phone and give them verbal permission to collect a card that turned out not to have been there, but then they said that wasn't true, and they would have to post it home - to us, which seems to me to defeat the purpose of not giving it to me in the first place.

I know he's 18, and should be old enough to sort these things out, but with no real life experience behind him shouldn't he be allowed a little help if necessary???

silvercar

I know he's 18, and should be old enough to sort these things out, but with no real life experience behind him shouldn't he be allowed a little help if necessary???

I know, I basically did the lot for my son.

How do you get this letter for the internet banking?

It arrived by post out of the blue.

We asked at the branch whether he could write a letter authorising them to talk to me instead of him, or to collect things on his behalf, and were told no.

Its his authority you need. With a signed letter from him and personal ID from you, I don't see how they can refuse. We set it up before, but when I walked in to collect they guy at the desk didn't know me and only asked if I had permission when he had found the card.

If the card was at the branch and now isn't, I would bet that its been posted out.

natweststaffmember

percymoneysaver wrote: »

Silvercar,

Thanks for the info.

How do you get this letter for the internet banking? Do you have to ask for it, or is this another thing that they should have sent him and haven't yet?

We asked at the branch whether he could write a letter authorising them to talk to me instead of him, or to collect things on his behalf, and were told no. The only thing the first person said he could do was phone and give them verbal permission to collect a card that turned out not to have been there, but then they said that wasn't true, and they would have to post it home - to us, which seems to me to defeat the purpose of not giving it to me in the first place.

I know he's 18, and should be old enough to sort these things out, but with no real life experience behind him shouldn't he be allowed a little help if necessary???

I have to say that I haven't experienced a lot of the problems that you have had. I have posted on here a thread re the student account and also there is one on a student forum called "the student room"(tell your son about that forum btw). I do think that the branch could do more to locate the cards. There are ways to do this on the various systems in place. You can check a system called back office for a dispatch address or check customer notes as to whether it has been sent to branch. I think it is worth feeding back information through to natwest. On their website there is a place for feedback. I would complete one. At the end of the day, I personally feel the process is so hit and miss around student accounts that it could be pertinent that the branches have their own regular reading and viewing updated prior to the launch(as the common issue I have found is a lack of branch/telephony knowledge) as well as the issue of debit cards and cheque books as well as the online offers and being able to complete an online registration for the webcam and railcard(the latter you can and the former you have to send back a tick box slip via the post---not good IMHO).
It does not sound fantastic service to me.

natweststaffmember

Can I apologise for that information that the branch gave. The card can be ordered to the nearest branch that your son is studying at and then once activated, the PIN could be sent there as well so that he does not need to have any further delays in receipt of the card and PIN.

Lokolo

Bit off topic from the OP however my friend and I went into branch as he needed to do a bank transfer to another account.

First of all, they wouldn't set up a standing order for other payments at the booth things - why?

We then went to the information desk to set it up, he then wanted to do a transfer and she would only do one where it would cost £28 (assuming it would then be a CHAPS), why? Surely he shouldn't be charged for just wanting a bank transfer?

percymoneysaver

Thank you all - I've got time to go to my local branch tomorrow (my son's home branch) and I'm going to print off these replies and bring them with and see what they have to say. My son and I have had so many different answers from them I don't know if I can believe what they tell me, but basically all I want to do is for them to phone him and tell him the real truth, and possibly to offer him some quicker solution for accessing his money rather than "the card/letter is in the post"

I can't really trust the "card isn't in the branch so it must have been sent" as that's what they said last week, before telling him today it had never been there to begin with.

Thanks for the branch feedback idea... I would tell my son, but I think I might fill it in myself.

I think that if the whole idea behind good student accounts is to win loyal future customers, then it may have backfired on them this time. A free railcard isn't worth all the hassle.

silvercar

Lokolo wrote: »

Bit off topic from the OP however my friend and I went into branch as he needed to do a bank transfer to another account.

First of all, they wouldn't set up a standing order for other payments at the booth things - why?

We then went to the information desk to set it up, he then wanted to do a transfer and she would only do one where it would cost £28 (assuming it would then be a CHAPS), why? Surely he shouldn't be charged for just wanting a bank transfer?

You can transfer between accounts using online banking, instantly.

natweststaffmember

Lokolo wrote: »

Bit off topic from the OP however my friend and I went into branch as he needed to do a bank transfer to another account.

First of all, they wouldn't set up a standing order for other payments at the booth things - why?

We then went to the information desk to set it up, he then wanted to do a transfer and she would only do one where it would cost £28 (assuming it would then be a CHAPS), why? Surely he shouldn't be charged for just wanting a bank transfer?

One off payments in branches are CHAPS payments and would cost £23, however, other solutions can be to withdraw the money in cash and pay it into the other bank account and therefore costs nothing to do. As silvercar has said, online banking can do that. Or telephone banking(actionline number is 0845 7 888 444) providing you are already set up for online banking.

John_0771

I tried to apply for NatWest student acc. I had to apply twice sent off birth certificate and stuff second time still no replies, phoned up they didnt want to know, my advice is to avoid natwest.