Coventry Building Society...

MrTomato

How often are you using the phone lines for this to really effect you so much? Surely it can't be so often that you need to justify leaving them. Most other places will have a robot too.

It's about them saving money if the system was unsustainable. There'll be many people who do phone up for balances if they're away from a computer for example. If they can use the machine it helps the Coventry.

(By the way, N&P use direct phonelines when I've called in the past)

stclair

karatedragon wrote: »

Do NatWest still have the system where you can speak directly to a branch? I know they advertised that at one time while every where else was going robotic and farming their helplines off to other galaxies?

Yes they do however if the branch dont answer within 5 rings your call will be diverted to a call centre

karatedragon

MrTomato wrote: »

How often are you using the phone lines for this to really effect you so much? Surely it can't be so often that you need to justify leaving them. Most other places will have a robot too.

It's about them saving money if the system was unsustainable. There'll be many people who do phone up for balances if they're away from a computer for example. If they can use the machine it helps the Coventry.

(By the way, N&P use direct phonelines when I've called in the past)

I dont ring up often but that isn't the point. I phone up a few times a month to arrange them to send me cheques to pay bills. And that isnt part of the electronic options either "print a cheque".

The stupid line kept saying it "couldn't understand my response" and asked me to "repeat" and I have a normal RP accent. So you can imagine by the time I got through to someone I was hacked off.

Anyway I've dumped their lousy PIN and will always go through to an adviser no matter what - if I continue to stay with them. That was one aspect I really liked about them was the direct line.

coolesticeking

Think it might be worthwhile moving to First Direct, to my understanding you just dial they pick up after so many rings/seconds and you are speaking to a Human.

anamenottaken

karatedragon wrote: »

I dont ring up often but that isn't the point. I phone up a few times a month to arrange them to send me cheques to pay bills. And that isnt part of the electronic options either "print a cheque".

Can't you write a cheque yourself? I thought the Coventry First Account was a current account. Seems rather a tedious thing to have to phone up a few times a month to get cheques from them when you could write them yourself.

Hazzanet

anamenottaken wrote: »

Can't you write a cheque yourself? I thought the Coventry First Account was a current account. Seems rather a tedious thing to have to phone up a few times a month to get cheques from them when you could write them yourself.

No cheque book with the First Account, but they will issue individual "counter cheques" if asked.

bengal-stripe

karatedragon wrote: »

.....I phone up a few times a month to arrange them to send me cheques to pay bills.....The stupid line kept saying it "couldn't understand my response" and asked me to "repeat" and I have a normal RP accent......will always go through to an adviser no matter what.....

You could always use on-line banking and make a transfer to pay a bill. Would be so much easier and cheaper. All these phone calls and postage stamps. BTW, cheques will have gone in a few years time.

But then, some people like things as complicated as possible.

karatedragon

The phone call to the building society doesn't cost anything and nor does it cost anything to pay the bills in the billing company's bank. Council Tax is paid at the Town Hall by cheque once a month.

Dr_Cuckoo3

karatedragon wrote: »

The stupid line kept saying it "couldn't understand my response" and asked me to "repeat" and I have a normal RP accent. So you can imagine by the time I got through to someone I was hacked off.

Of course it couldn't understand your normal RP accent - they don't speak with a normal accent in Coventry

Dr_Cuckoo3

bengal-stripe wrote: »

You could always use on-line banking and make a transfer to pay a bill. Would be so much easier and cheaper. All these phone calls and postage stamps. BTW, cheques will have gone in a few years time.

But then, some people like things as complicated as possible.

ah but you cant set up new transfers using their internet banking - they need to be set up by phone first and you need to make a payment at the same time and they won't transfer less than £1 :mad:

(the above applies to transfers to other bank accounts - they may well allow bill payments to companies to be set up online , however I cant find my number card at the moment so can't log on to check)