Abbey - worst for customer service

div_ad

Can anyone suggest the best way to get something done by Abbey. Who to complain to so I can get them to take ownership of a problem?

I have a current account but no debit card. As I am disabled I want to use their online services. To do this online I have to have a debit card.

I was told the branch could authorise Internet. I went to the branch and was told to apply for a debit card by phone. I did this 3 times and each time it didn't arrive. I contacted the complaints team who transfered me to someone who would fix it. Still no card! Back to the complaints team who transfered me again. When I asked what the point of doing the same thing again when there must be a systwemic problem which needs investigating and that I wanted to know the reason for the problem they suggested I should complain! Apparently the twice I have complained hadn't been logged as a complaint that needed investigating and hadn't been treated seriously.

I demanded that my complaint be treated as a formal complaint and they say the form and complaint paperwork will be sent within 5 working days. It can't (of course) be emailed. The complaint will then be escalated - even though they know all about it and could do it today.

This is a fataly flawed company. It is incompetent beyond measure in this and other dealings I have had. I feel sorry for the employees.

Avoid it like the plague!

martinman3

I had a very similar experience with Abbey although the original problem was different.

After some months of this I asked for a copy of their complaints procedure. Needless to say, although I was assured that it would be sent to me it never arrived.

It was only after contacting the Financial Ombudsman Service did anything get done. http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
You can register your complaint with them by phone.

Please note that if you have told them by phone that you are complaining, whether they recorded it as such or not , and a reasonable amount of time has passed without a resolution you should still contact the Ombudsman as not acknowledging your complaint in writing within a certain number of days is a breach of the Banking Code in itself.

alastair_h

Have you considered voting with your feet and taking your business else where? Once you have lodged the formal complaint and it has been dealt with you could contact the financial ombudsman, but Abbey will usually be given the opportunity to correct the mistake before they will become involved.

http://www.bankcomplaints.co.uk/financial-ombudsman.htm

Idiophreak

My sister's had *endless* trouble with Abbey - having voted with her feet only a couple of weeks after joining (with many problems in between times), she's spent a good few months trying to get them to put all their mistakes right and shut her account.

And once you start paying attention to them, you'll find that most every week the Sunday papers have letters of complaint about Abbey in them, there's stuff all over these forums and so on...

Wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

97trophy

Leave Abbey, life is too short.

evenasus

See this... Abbey Call Centre Story

I too wouldn't touch them.
In fact, I won't do business with any company where I have to speak to an Indian Call Centre.

cloud_dog

evenasus wrote: »

See this... Abbey Call Centre Story

I too wouldn't touch them.
In fact, I won't do business with any company where I have to speak to an Indian Call Centre.

I read the above one and it reminded me of a similar problem I had with then last year.

I have held an account with Abbey for 20 years and last year took out a CC with them, and as part of the application did a balance transfer.

I rang up after receiving the card etc t ocheck to see if the DD for the minimum was set up ok, etc and had to go through their security prodecures, the usual name, address, DoB, then it came to.......
Abbey: "Can you tell me a recent transaction on the card?"
Me: "There should have been a balance transfer for X amount"
Abbey: "Correct. Can you tell me the transaction date?"
Me: "Ummm, well I applied on the 19th (of whatever month) so, the 19th?"
Abbey"No, that is not correct. Can you be more specific?"
Me: "Well, maybe the end of the month, 30th?"
Abbey: "No, that is not correct. Can you be more precise?"
Me: "Well, no not really"
Abbey: "I'm sorry Sir you have failed the security check, your account has been locked you will need to write to us to get the account unlocked (or barred)."
Me: "But thats rediculous. I provided all the other security information and because I cannot give you the transaction date of a balance transfer that Abbey will have carried out you are barring the account"
Abbey: "Sorry Sir but you have failed the security check"
Me: "How can I know when Abbey carried out the balance transfer when I haven't even received the first statement yet?"
Abbey: "I'm sorry Sir, there's nothing we can do"

Still, all good fun. Have to admit to making them keep me on the line and pass me progressively up the chain of command. you wouldn't beleive how many times the person kept telling me that their supervisor / line manager wasn't in the office.

simon_templar_2

whats this got to do with 'savings and investments'???

Jimmyc

div_ad wrote: »

Can anyone suggest the best way to get something done by Abbey. Who to complain to so I can get them to take ownership of a problem?

I have a current account but no debit card. As I am disabled I want to use their online services. To do this online I have to have a debit card.

I was told the branch could authorise Internet. I went to the branch and was told to apply for a debit card by phone. I did this 3 times and each time it didn't arrive. I contacted the complaints team who transfered me to someone who would fix it. Still no card! Back to the complaints team who transfered me again. When I asked what the point of doing the same thing again when there must be a systwemic problem which needs investigating and that I wanted to know the reason for the problem they suggested I should complain! Apparently the twice I have complained hadn't been logged as a complaint that needed investigating and hadn't been treated seriously.

I demanded that my complaint be treated as a formal complaint and they say the form and complaint paperwork will be sent within 5 working days. It can't (of course) be emailed. The complaint will then be escalated - even though they know all about it and could do it today.

This is a fataly flawed company. It is incompetent beyond measure in this and other dealings I have had. I feel sorry for the employees.

Avoid it like the plague!

I banked with Abbey for best park of 2 months EVERYTIME i was in there, they had a system problem or there systems were down. They give poor service in store,

NEVER had problem with Halifax in over 10 years of banking they do as they say and i find they don't mess you around.

Sounds like abbey are treating you bad i'd think twice about staying with them, there adverts make them look like a powerhouse but they arent.

bjorn_again

I have been with Abbey for a lot of years. I have no complaints about their on-line Cahoot account and the staff in the Branch at Weston Super Mare are first class. I feel that sweeping generalisations should be avoided. I think the OP is more of a rant than a genuine request for help, the final line "avoid them like the plague" is a bit of a giveaway.
Only an opinion, but I also feel secure with Santander.

welshmoneylover

I have banked with abbey for over 20+ years and I've never ever had a problem with their call centre staff, online banking, nor their instore staff.