Lloyds TSB rant!!!

pinkneonmartini

Sorry but do you read the papers? Because on Sunday the News of the World, Sunday Times, and Mail on Sunday, all had full page ads from lloyds showing the new rates in accordance with the latest base rate cut, also i'm with lloyds, and know that their interest has always been appalling in comparison to other banks, but their customer service has been second to none!!!!

for example.

Barclays tax haven isa was 6%ish, lloyds cash isa was 3%ish.

I suffered ID theft with lloyds and had new accounts, all stolen funds returned, free experian (paid for by them), direct debits moved to new account, cash in my hand (from them) to tide me over til i got my new card through, and a sympathetic ear, hand to hold and a box of tissues, all sorted within 20 minutes!!! and it wasn't even their fault.

Barclays sent 2 debit cards, pin numbers, new internet banking login info and 2 years worth of statements to my student address in portsmouth! I suffered yet more ID theft!!! but completely at THEIR fault!!!! it took 3 months to sort out, and around 20 letters, as i gave up trying to call customer services as none of the people at the other end spoke english. I went into my branch and asked why this had happened when i had come in, in person when i came home after finishing uni, and had asked for that address to be deleted. They couldn't answer me... After 3 months i finally got a payment back of £277, when the amount taken from my account was £850 and the interest and charges for exceeding my overdraft limit was another £100, they said i'd failed to provide sufficient evidence of fruad. LMFAO!!!!!

take a wild guess who i now have my puny £1500 stashed away with?

the highest interest rates AREN'T everything!!!!

I'd take a bank I can trust over one with good rates any day!

rb10

Although the technology is there to inform a large proportion of customers of new interest rates (i.e. through a messge on internet banking), hardly any banks do this. Halifax come about the closest, by always displaying the current interest rate on the page about that particular account, but most banks don't even do this.

ThriftyChoche

Lloyds also send me unsolicited mail offering me credit cards, etc., in addition to the marketing messages on the internet banking service (usually asking me to 'upgrade' my current account to one that gives me free travel insurance, but charges me a monthly fee, or inviting me to take out a loan).

However, I have to admit that their customer service has been reasonable, and that is why I am not moving my current account (yet). I have also suffered identity theft (twice) and they were pretty good about sorting it out quickly. On the other hand, their automated voice recognition system is a pain in the neck and rarely recognises the characters from my password it asks for ("Was that N?" "No, A! A!" "Was that M then?" "Arggggh!"), so calling them up is a pain (and long gone are the days when I could ring my own branch and speak to someone who actually knew something about me!).

No, I don't read the papers, except online occasionally, and I have to admit I didn't even realise they used that method to advertise their interest rates. But the Lloyds website was the first place I searched for information about interest rates, and as my account is an 'older' product, I was not easily able to find information about it. I presume the newspapers only print interest rates for the accounts Lloyds is actively marketing at the moment?

A few years ago I lived abroad for ten months (France) and found that banks out there offer a much more personal service. I met with my bank manager when opening an account (and not just a quick hello - we had about half an hour in her office), and was regularly invited to come into the bank to talk about whether my account was meeting my needs. When I went into the bank I was often greeted by name. My bank manager was also contactable by direct email, and other bank staff would also email me from time to time. Should we all just accept that banks are going to offer us a terrible level of service while making money out of us, or should we object to this and try and change it?

Rustvaar

Thrifty if you contact your branch and ask them to remove any system notes that allow for such mail you should stop receiving it - there are obviously some things that they will be required to send, such as if you've gone overdrawn - but if you don't want the credit-card offers and other spammy junk you can definitely get it cancelled.

If they try to sidestep it, it's worth bringing up the Data Protection Act; "Oh, but I thought any information you had regarding me could be amended as part of the DPA ...?" - should soon get them in gear, you have a right to amend the details held on file.

I think it would be nice if banks could offer a more friendly, personal service but it must be very difficult given the sheer thousands of people that must pass through. Perhaps if they dropped the sales targets that most staff need to hit we'd see a friendlier, chattier service.

Halifax have a very over-the-top "Oh my gosh, how nice to meet you, do you have any plans, how interesting, thank you, have a nice day!" approach which I find creepy. I understand some people want a friendly service, I'm not really bothered; so long as they can do what I want when I ask them that's fine by me, they don't have to sugar-coat it with happiness

welshmoneylover

fool :rolleyes:

willo65

Thrifty, most banks will try and contact you if a need is identified ie an account that isn't meeting your needs. BUT lots of people see this as just a sales opportunity and that the bank just wants to sell you something. First Direct send me a new rate sheet every time they change their rates. Finally could it be you have a no marketing by phone marker on your account because although it essentially isn't a sales call bank staff will probs be wary(sp) of calling you even if it is to give you a better rate.