'Smoke and mirrors methods' at Abbey

dulede

Hi All,


I don't know if anyone else gets more than they can cope with through Abbey's banking practices. I recently started using post dated cheques and then found out that these could be cashed at any time and not simply after the date specified. Worry got me at that point so I canceled every single post dated cheque I still had outstanding – reason was one cheque had been cashed early and I had to find just under £100 on the day was pretty hard going.


Now I understand that if you go against bank rules you can very often lose out. However, by ringing Abbey and specifically asking for a number of cheques to be canceled and being told in no uncertain terms that there could be no way that these cheques could be paid to the respective companies. I was pushy to make sure they wouldn't be paid and was 'double' clarified on this point. As far as I'm concerned I could do no more, I marked my cheques as void and on these two separate cheque books these were the only remaining cheques so in effect the stop was not just on individual cheques but on the books. This was confirmed to me again today.


However, even though I have been told there were stops on the cheques, and this clarified again today, because I have a debit card which like all others has a cheque guarantee aspect to it they have been paying cheques regardless of my request for them to be stopped because a cheque guarantee card exists alongside these cheques. I have told them I have never written my card number on any of these cheques. I know by doing so would have made stopping them impossible. But how can a bank tell you it can do something for you, then drop you in it with cheques being paid when you have no money in account and then charging you for instant overdraft fee. I didn't want them paid and I didn't want an instant overdraft. How on earth can one control what goes on with his own bank account. I am disgusted and looking at complaining direct to the ombudsman on this matter.


Has anyone else experienced this and what can be done?
Regards, Dulede.

anselld

There will be any number of people explaining the many reasons why not to bank with Abbey, so seriously I would move elsewhere before you experience a raft of other problems.

But why so many post dated cheques? It is not a reliable or enforceable way to control payment dates and I don't think the Bank are legally required to honour the dates. Why not just pay them when due? Or use bank transfers which can be scheduled to pay on a due date. Cheques will be history in a few years anyway so why not ditch them and use other mothods wherever possible?

dulede

Hi anselld

I have issues with focus, ie missing deadlines, failing to post things and thinking i've posted them, that sort of thing. Found that i was getting on top of things by using post dated cheques and all were being handled fine until one large one was presented much too early. I quickly found out the pitfalls of post dated cheques.

I'm in my 40s and never realised they weren't a legal part of the banking system until last month. But I had already found that i could keep on top of things by using post dated cheques and this was also keeping creditors etc happy so I thought great. But as said, one cheque cashed early woke me up to problems and immediately stopped all outstanding ones with Abbey - this was at beginning of October, while many of the cheques had been written as far back as July.

Now some stopped cheques are coming through and I don't know how I stand with the bank honouring cheques they have told me were stopped, with a cheque guarantee I have not specifically authorised on a card that automatically comes with the guarantee element regardless of whether you ever use cheques or not. They rarely pay something if I actually want or need them to without ensuring money in account but they're putting these through without sufficient funds available and then sending me nasty, expensive letters about them.

Surely as the customer they shouldn't be over riding our requests especially when they've agreed on one course of action yet decide on allowing another course to take place. Maddening.

Regards, dulede

oxenryd

I believe you are being told nonsense by Abbey.

Once a cheque is cancelled, it's cancelled, regardless of cheque guarantee card or not. These cheques should not have been honoured.

Seems like Abbey didn't cancel them properly

dulede

Thanx oxenryd,

oxenryd wrote: »

I believe you are being told nonsense by Abbey.

Once a cheque is cancelled, it's cancelled, regardless of cheque guarantee card or not. These cheques should not have been honoured.

Seems like Abbey didn't cancel them properly

exactly what I thought but well - smoke and mirrors!!!

part of the problem is you have only what a customer advisor says to you on the phone as proof. what can you do. you can't do everything via email or by letter. nobody wants to spend longer than they need to messing about but you do expect to be able to get what you want done.

At the very least it should be considered by the bank that if you've contacted them for some reason that the advisor may not have done everything correctly when something turns up wrong later on

....while what actually happens is you get blamed...told you should have money in for this or that...and we can reverse the charges on this occasion....and so many more blags. I mean on 'this occasion' exactly WHICH occasion - the occasion they've messed up or the occasion you've happened to catch them. No the occasion they feel its time to point our they are the bank and you are a lowly customer.

Fed up but if they push this its one for the ombudsman.
take care,
dulede

Comyface

oxenryd wrote: »

I believe you are being told nonsense by Abbey.

Once a cheque is cancelled, it's cancelled, regardless of cheque guarantee card or not. These cheques should not have been honoured.

Seems like Abbey didn't cancel them properly

I agree that Abbey didn't cancel them properly, so there's cause for complaint there as they weren't guaranteed.

However, if a cheque is guaranteed, it's guaranteed and can't be cancelled, that's the whole point. It dates back to the days of paying for your shopping etc with cheques. Imagine going to Kwik Save or wherever, getting your weekly shop and then going to the bank to cancel the cheque! Shops would have stopped accepting cheques long before they did if that was the case!

dulede

Hi Comyface

I wouldn't have cheek to complain if I'd guaranteed it but Abbey are surprising me lately with some of the things they are doing. I'm miffed as they totally disregard the fact that you've called much earlier to stop these cheques and then feel as if they are doing you a favour by reversing things.

I am left without any money tonight - if this cheque hadn't been paid, as I'd been promised it wouldn't, then my account would be in black tonight but alas its in the red and I have to ring back tomorrow to see if can stop them charging me for a cheque being paid and taking me overdrawn by £3.

take care, dulede

dealsearcher

Maybe I am suggesting the obvious which you have already considered and discarded but I would have thought that direct debit would be your best option for paying regular bills. These are only paid on the date arranged and can be cancelled online at any time.

Even people with a good memory many may well forget about post dated cheques, especially if they are making out a number of them. That seems to me to be a very difficult way of paying bills.