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Halifax - No privacy
ajharris
Posts: 135 Forumite
My girlfriend is with the Halifax, she had to go in the local branch with a query. When we arrived there we joined a queue of people waiting to speak with someone who was stood in the middle of the foyer at a podium like thing. As we neared the front of the queue we could hear so much about other people's business, shocking!
When the bloke in front of us was being seen to we learned that on a certain date he received £12k and that he sent £10k somewhere or other on another date. We also learned that this man owned a take away not far from us along with a whole load more personal infomation. The member of staff had a monitor in front of him which people walking past could glance at.
When my girlfriend got to be seen the man said that he needed to ask certain security questions, nothing wrong with that. He then very audibly asked how much she had in her ISA. She had to tell him and the people behind could hear the answer, dreadful.
In my bank, you walk in. Someone greets you and asks your name and the nature of your query. They then offer you a seat while you are waiting along with free tea and coffee. Then someone will invite you to come and sit at a desk in a partially obscured area. This is all part of the service with the World's local bank.
It would be interesting to know if anyone else has had a similar experience or thoughts.
When the bloke in front of us was being seen to we learned that on a certain date he received £12k and that he sent £10k somewhere or other on another date. We also learned that this man owned a take away not far from us along with a whole load more personal infomation. The member of staff had a monitor in front of him which people walking past could glance at.
When my girlfriend got to be seen the man said that he needed to ask certain security questions, nothing wrong with that. He then very audibly asked how much she had in her ISA. She had to tell him and the people behind could hear the answer, dreadful.
In my bank, you walk in. Someone greets you and asks your name and the nature of your query. They then offer you a seat while you are waiting along with free tea and coffee. Then someone will invite you to come and sit at a desk in a partially obscured area. This is all part of the service with the World's local bank.
It would be interesting to know if anyone else has had a similar experience or thoughts.
Money is the headache, money is the cure!
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Comments
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Did you/your g/f mention this whilst at the bank ? Did she ask for somewhere more private ?
If you don't complain then it will continue surely.0 -
I think that's the case at most banks, you can ask for more privacy or else anyone with good hearing can hear your business. I mystery shop banks and haven't found any that have been foolproof in this area. I've got very good hearing and am amazed at what I can learn about people whilst browsing / queuing.0
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I do think that bank staff have a duty to use a particular volume of voice when dealing with personal details in the public area.
That said, I don't want to sit down with a coffee and wait 10 minutes to be seen when I cancel my standing orders!
Discretion, based on the layout and business of the branch, is a virtue.0 -
This is a constant problem in all banks
Most of the new layout are openplan and almost all cusomers intially have to air thier laundry in public (so to speak).
Even the cashiers have been known to say ' Mr X, I notice you have a lot of money in your current account can I .........' I hate this practice as they have shouted your balance to all and sundry and now I have to explain that I'm not interested because of X,Y or Z!
I try and do most things online as I hate waiting in line, but also hate the practice of bank staff search through your accounts looking to sell something to you.These are my thoughts and no one else's, so like any public forum advice - check it out before entering into contracts or spending your hard earned cash!
I don't know everything, however I do try to point people in the right direction but at the end of the day you can only ever help yourself!0 -
When my girlfriend got to be seen the man said that he needed to ask certain security questions, nothing wrong with that. He then very audibly asked how much she had in her ISA. She had to tell him and the people behind could hear the answer, dreadful.
If she did not want the people behind her in the queue to know the balance of her ISA then why did she not ask for a piece of paper to write it down, or ask to speak to them in a private room?
Unfortunately the volume of customers that banks like Halifax are dealing with mean they can't be expected to offer a speedy service and let each customer sit down with a cup of coffee, just to do basic transactions.0 -
If she did not want the people behind her in the queue to know the balance of her ISA then why did she not ask for a piece of paper to write it down, or ask to speak to them in a private room?
Unfortunately the volume of customers that banks like Halifax are dealing with mean they can't be expected to offer a speedy service and let each customer sit down with a cup of coffee, just to do basic transactions.
Admittedly she could have asked for a pen and paper but that is not the issue. I was unhappy with the procedures that were in place. Just for the record the offer of a coffee does not slow down the service with my bank. You are frequently dealt with witin a few minutes and you simply take your drink with you.
This does not mean I totally disagree with your points.Money is the headache, money is the cure!0 -
Admittedly she could have asked for a pen and paper but that is not the issue. I was unhappy with the procedures that were in place. Just for the record the offer of a coffee does not slow down the service with my bank. You are frequently dealt with witin a few minutes and you simply take your drink with you.
It comes down to a matter of personal preference. If I go into my bank to do something quick, I really don't want to sit down and be given a cup of coffee. I just want to go in, do whatever I wanted to do, and come out again. And if a stranger in the queue behind me hears that I have xyz account with £X balance, then so what? I couldn't care less. I just want to be served quickly so that I can get out of there again.This does not mean I totally disagree with your points.
I could say the same straight back to you.0 -
Despite having spent most of my working life in a bank branch, I cannot, for one second, understand why so many people choose to use branches!!0
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opinions4u wrote: »Despite having spent most of my working life in a bank branch, I cannot, for one second, understand why so many people choose to use branches!!
I agree with you on that point. Why are so many branches so busy in this day and age of on line banking?Money is the headache, money is the cure!0 -
Why are so many branches so busy in this day and age of on line banking?
Because it's actually a very surprisingly low number of people who use internet banking.
According to the Lloyds Banking Group web site (here), "more than 3 million Lloyds Banking Group customers bank online".
Compare this figure to the total number of LBG customers. According to this BBC News article, Lloyds TSB has about 16 million customers, and HBOS has around 22 million.0
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