Principality BS - customer services

Dagobert

Since March this year I have been finding their customer services unsatisfactory. I am wondering whether anybody else is experiencing similar delays:

I have had an eSaver and Regular Savings Bonds with them for years. During the past few months I have been finding that it takes days until secure messages are read. For instance, a request of 5th Nov was replied to on 8th Nov.

I have been using secure messages for a long time to to request funds to be transferred to my Regular Savings Bond. These requests used to be carried out quite promptly. Now it takes days for the message to be read and passed on to the savings team. Then is takes days for them to process the request.

8 days later above request has still not been carried out.

isofa

Can you ring them to initiate the transfers instead? Sounds like the secure messaging isn't very quick, or not actioned quickly.

Dagobert

isofa wrote: »

Can you ring them to initiate the transfers instead?

Not sure.

isofa wrote: »

Sounds like the secure messaging isn't very quick, or not actioned quickly.

There were 2 delays:

1. processing of message
2. processing of request

xerox

I've been with them for over 20 years and up until this year have always been happy with them. This year I opened an esaver and transfered my ISA to an eisa, I've had lots of problems with the website, secure messages and have not found ring them much better. If they don't improve I will be looking to move my money elsewhere.

Dagobert

Indeed, until February I found everything worked fine.

It has happened twice to me now that they told me they had not received my passbook. When I phoned again it turned out they had not looked properly!

Maturity instructions were carried out a day late during which the funds earned a pathetic 1.05% interest and it was impossible to get the funds before the weekend.

miserable_ol_so_n_so

.....and heres me.....just moved all my previous years isas into Principality!....hope they improve....though my Isa is a common-o-garden passbook....nothing hi-tech, which is where I think where the problem seems to be.

Hungerdunger

Dagobert and Xerox - have you made a complaint in writing about their performance? If so, what did they say?

Dagobert

Hungerdunger wrote:

Dagobert ... - have you made a complaint in writing ... ?

In progress.

Old_Slaphead

Given the generally poor standards of service generally provided these days I thought you'd have had a standard complaint letter template.

I've just had an issue with Skipton.....1 year RS matured 2 November - I sent maturity instructions 2 weeks before due date. By 10 November no money & no explanation - I've just found out that they're having "computer problems" with accounts maturing 1st-3rd Nov which has still not been sorted. Means I've lost out on last week's 1 year FR offerings :mad: - that'll mean another complaint letter!!

apt

Some of these accounts underline that there's still a great deal to be said for branches. It took me about 5 minutes to close my Skipton regular saver and walk out with £250 and a cheque for the balance. It took twenty minutes to renew a Britannia fixed-rate regular saver, close a Direct Saver and open a Direct Saver Reserve. Could not do that with Principality as the nearest branch is 300 miles away. I opened a 7% regular saver with them recently and it was pretty painless. Simple form from the website, electronic ID check. Took them about seven days to open the account which was a lot better than the AA and NatWest. Unfortunately that account's been withdrawn now.

Old_Slaphead

apt wrote: »

Some of these accounts underline that there's still a great deal to be said for branches.

Agreed - but working in the sticks (nearest town 5 miles with 3 local and 1 national BS) restricts investment options somewhat.

Given that most BSs advertise nationally I think we're entitled to a reasonable standard of service and shouldn't need to wait weeks for accounts to be opened, cheques cashed etc.

Dagobert is right - standards of service are dropping in the great and cynical (ie slow repayments still being made by cheque to keep money, interest free, for a few more days) grab for cash.