Barclays Regular Saver - don't they want my money?

br1anstorm

Encouraged by the MSE article which identified Barclays Monthly Saver (4.25% interest) as one of the best-paying and flexible regular savings accounts, I thought I'd open one....

Judging by the obstacles I encountered, climbing Everest (or robbing the bank!) would have been easier.

According to their website, since I was not an existing customer, I could not open the account online, by post or by phone, but only by visiting a branch. Tedious, but since prooof of ID and address is required, I decided I'd bite the bullet.

The nearest branch is a 30 mile drive away (I live in a rural area). So I make the trip, armed with all the documents required. I get to the counter, ask to open the account, to be told, "Sorry, we can't do it". Why not? "The person who deals with personal banking [sic] is away". Could someone else deal with the process? No. Is the branch manager available and could he/she deal with it? No. Could I fill in the application form, have the documents verified and/or copied, and leave them for the relevant person to deal with when she returns? No, we can't do that.

Dear Barclays counter-person, does your bank want new business? Um, er. Specifically, do you want my business [my present main bank seems to value my custom sufficiently to have offered me 'private client banking' services]? Um, er, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do.

I don't know whether to be angry at the pointless and frustrating waste of time, or depressed at Barclays' dismal level of service and incapacity to respond to a simple, straightforward, routine request.

Maybe I should have read this thread , before I set off to visit Barclays. As it is, they have just kissed goodbye to what might have been a fruitful relationship. Their loss. But let this be a cautionary tale for others: if Barclays can't get this right, what chances that they can manage other aspects of banking and customer service any better?

br1anstorm

michael1983l

I have banked with Barclays for 15 years, they are secure, don't charge too much and have the best online banking system.

rb10

br1anstorm wrote: »

Could I fill in the application form, have the documents verified and/or copied, and leave them for the relevant person to deal with when she returns? No, we can't do that.

They can do that. I currently have an application form that they gave me, that I'm going to return next week.

michael1983l wrote: »

I have banked with Barclays for 15 years, they are secure, don't charge too much and have the best online banking system.

The best online banking system? But you can't use it with the monthly savings account! I'm sure the 'best online banking system' has the flexibility to allow you to view all accounts.

anna42hmr

rb10 wrote: »

The best online banking system? But you can't use it with the monthly savings account! I'm sure the 'best online banking system' has the flexibility to allow you to view all accounts.

you can access the monthly saver online if you already have online banking if you have their current account, or another way around this which has worked for me and many others is to open a "e savings reward" easy access account, you get online access with that and can see both accounts and deal with them via online banking. You can open e savings account via the website and only need £1.00 to do so. http://www.personal.barclays.co.uk/BRC1/jsp/brccontrol?site=pfs&task=homefreegroup&value=14936

i opened the esavings account after i opened the monthly saver just so i could access and veiw the monthly savings account online, however i have been told (though not sure how true it is as didnt to it personnaly) if you open an esavings account when you get online access you can apply for other barclays products online including the regular saver

D1zzy

br1anstorm wrote: »

Encouraged by the MSE article which identified Barclays Monthly Saver (4.25% interest) as one of the best-paying and flexible regular savings accounts, I thought I'd open one....

Judging by the obstacles I encountered, climbing Everest (or robbing the bank!) would have been easier.

According to their website, since I was not an existing customer, I could not open the account online, by post or by phone, but only by visiting a branch. Tedious, but since prooof of ID and address is required, I decided I'd bite the bullet.

The nearest branch is a 30 mile drive away (I live in a rural area). So I make the trip, armed with all the documents required. I get to the counter, ask to open the account, to be told, "Sorry, we can't do it". Why not? "The person who deals with personal banking [sic] is away". Could someone else deal with the process? No. Is the branch manager available and could he/she deal with it? No. Could I fill in the application form, have the documents verified and/or copied, and leave them for the relevant person to deal with when she returns? No, we can't do that.

Dear Barclays counter-person, does your bank want new business? Um, er. Specifically, do you want my business [my present main bank seems to value my custom sufficiently to have offered me 'private client banking' services]? Um, er, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do.

I don't know whether to be angry at the pointless and frustrating waste of time, or depressed at Barclays' dismal level of service and incapacity to respond to a simple, straightforward, routine request.

Maybe I should have read this thread , before I set off to visit Barclays. As it is, they have just kissed goodbye to what might have been a fruitful relationship. Their loss. But let this be a cautionary tale for others: if Barclays can't get this right, what chances that they can manage other aspects of banking and customer service any better?

br1anstorm

Understand your frustration, but it seems to me that if you want to do anything with a bank involving a "real live person", you now have to make an appointment (so they can try and sell you stuff) - I guess that could have avoided your wasted journey (always supposing that you could get through the Indian call centre to your branch, having of course first wasted half an hour in a queue listening to funeral music) :rolleyes:

withnell

br1anstorm wrote: »

The nearest branch is a 30 mile drive away (I live in a rural area). So I make the trip, armed with all the documents required. I get to the counter, ask to open the account, to be told, "Sorry, we can't do it". Why not? "The person who deals with personal banking [sic] is away". Could someone else deal with the process? No. Is the branch manager available and could he/she deal with it? No. Could I fill in the application form, have the documents verified and/or copied, and leave them for the relevant person to deal with when she returns? No, we can't do that.

Dear Barclays counter-person, does your bank want new business? Um, er. Specifically, do you want my business [my present main bank seems to value my custom sufficiently to have offered me 'private client banking' services]? Um, er, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do.

When you want to see your private banker, do you make an appointment, or are they free all day every day to speak to you? You say you live in a rural area, which suggests a very small branch, so having a limited number of staff sounds reasonable. The person opening the account will have to verify the documents as correct, so they can't just accept a photocopy from the guy on the front desk

Remember also that it doesn't matter if you have £10k or £10 billion, you're no different to them than any other customer opening that account

Bogden

anna42hmr wrote: »

i opened the esavings account after i opened the monthly saver just so i could access and veiw the monthly savings account online

How do you get the web access for the e-saver reward? When I look at their online banking registration page it only seems to apply to current accounts.

Paul_Herring

michael1983l wrote: »

I have banked with Barclays for 15 years, they [...] have the best online banking system.

Debatable.

Having also used LTSB, Nationwide, Egg, Amex, Abbey, IceSave, Halifax, and probably a few others I've forgotten about, Barclays rates 'average.' (Abbey was the absolute worst if anyone was wondering...)

anna42hmr

Bogden wrote: »

How do you get the web access for the e-saver reward? When I look at their online banking registration page it only seems to apply to current accounts.

after you apply for the account online (through an online account opening form) , they will send you details of how to get access to see the account and deal with it online in the post, as i had trouble finding it initially.

there was a link listed in the welcome letter, they also send you an authentication pin card and pin machine which you need before you can get online.

jimbow25

It is frustrating when they can't take help with something like this, especially when they insist on new customers visitnig a branch to open an account. You can't imagine the sales department of many other businesses turning new customers away at the only available point of sale.

I went to my local Lloyds TSB to open their monthly saver in the summer and was told there was no-one who could deal with it, I wasn't offered an appointment either. So I rang them up and did it over the phone instead - It'd be nice if Barclays could give the same option.

Bogden

anna42hmr wrote: »

after you apply for the account online (through an online account opening form) , they will send you details of how to get access to see the account and deal with it online in the post, as i had trouble finding it initially.

there was a link listed in the welcome letter, they also send you an authentication pin card and pin machine which you need before you can get online.

Thanks. I rang them up as I opened my account a month ago and haven't had any of that in the post. They are going to send it all out now.