NatWest - cannot be trusted!?

luc_3

My daughter joined NatWest (local branch) in September as student - I know there is a student forum but please bear with me - on my advice to get a young persons railcard. Since she already had a railcard until the end of the year she did not apply to NatWest for the card until mid November. She informed us of this when she did it. She had not heard back in December and was going to pop into the local branch when she came down for Christmas - we (and the local branch) live in the South and she is up in North. But when she came down she did not visit the bank as she was working flat out for her end of term exams in January. She is came back down again last week and last Thursday she went into the local branch to ask about the railcard. NatWest told my wife and daughter that they had never received her application and that the closing date for applications was 31st December. This morning we received a letter from the bank stating the closure date but also enclosing her application - the one never received despite their looking - which was taped together. Now she is on a four year course, abright girl and I thought the whole point of these enticements is to grap a potential earner and keep them for life. So why would on earth would NatWest behave in such a way?

What is the best way of dealing with this? I ask in this forum as I assume there is a standard way of doing this not specific to students.

Debt_Free_Chick

Is the application form dated? How did she apply .... by post or at the branch?

exel1966

luc wrote:

This morning we received a letter from the bank stating the closure date but also enclosing her application - the one never received despite their looking - which was taped together.

A possible theory is is that the application was lost/damaged in the post, but then forwarded onto the bank, but albeit missing the deadline. Obviously Natwest can't be held responsible for that, but maybe as a goodwill gesture should have accepted the application in good faith.

Has your daughter been into the branch where her account was opened and explained the situation ? They may be able to speak to the department dealing with this offer and have a little leverage in the outcome ?

scorour

exel1966 wrote:

A possible theory is is that the application was lost/damaged in the post, but then forwarded onto the bank, but albeit missing the deadline. Obviously Natwest can't be held responsible for that

Not a big believer in things lost in post at such large companies....I know others will probably disagree, but the only post I have ever lost is post that I wanted to get their and the destination company not fussed, surprisingly, when I send cheques or other forms companies want, I have never ever lost one in the post ;-)

For me it is just Natwest losing the form internally which is not the customers fault, I would argue constantly on the phone until they see sense (I have done this many times).