'I lost my rag in a Lloyds TSB branch' blog discussion

j_jay4

I would like to analyse your normal call to a customer services helpline. Obviously I would like to start after you've been on hold for a considerable amount of time at an inflated call rate, unless you pay £15 a month for a landline phone you only use to phone the company that provides you with the landline phone to complain about it.

If you are a new customer or an existing customer who would like to receive more services from us please press 1: to be put through to someone who is trained to enter your details and select which services you require.
If you would like to leave us please press 2: to be put through to someone who is trained to sell you more services for the next half hour, they are trained to only click "cancel contract" when legal action is threatened.
If you have any problems with your services press 3: to be put through to someone with the FAQ from the company's website open in front of them and the ability to read.
If you have any problems with your installation date press 4: to be put through to someone who can only change your installation date to another day.
For all other queries please hold the line to be put through to a customer service representative: who is trained how to do nothing but has a list of extension numbers for various departments, namely 1, 2, 3 and 4 who couldn't help you in the first place.

This obviously isn't your average customer service helpline, some are worse than this.

fatbelly

Ask any debt adviser - LTSB are the most difficult bank to deal with - by far.

PassedAtFailing

I haven't read the thread, but it's worth going back and asking at the counter as it may have been handed over as lost property.

loracan1

Interesting array of comments about LloydsTSB. I'm almost ashamed to admit I bank with them. Have had an account of some description with them for the last 40 years or so. I've not always been happy with them and have had other accounts with other banks yet at present it is just them I bank with (partly due to finding out about their advantage account via this site).

It's years since I had any issue with their customer service or products.

luxor4t

Googlewhacker wrote: »

To be honest I have banked with LLoyds throughout my life and have had only excellant service throughout.

I'm glad that they give good service to you, I wish it was universal. I left LLoyds when they decided that a mature student (full-time university course, leading to a post-grad qualification) wasn't a 'real' student & therefore not entitled to any student accounts.

DH, sadly, is still with them -even after a pair of muffins in branch 'couldn't' (wouldn't???) cancel his lost-in-the-post missing bankcard.
Phone service was as bad, end result being a letter that apologised 15 times but STILL didn't resolve the "you've lost my card" problem.

Gordon_the_Moron

passedatfailing wrote: »

i haven't read the thread, but it's worth going back and asking at the counter as it may have been handed over as lost property.

:beer: :beer: :beer:

Premier_2

MSE_Martin wrote:

...I replied: “yes and I need to tell you, you work for the most abysmally run bank I’ve ever had the experience of. And frankly I would suggest everyone considering opening an account leaves.”…

So will you be leading by example, closing all your accounts today with LLoydstsb and taking your custom elsewhere?

Or is this a case of better the devil you know?

Edit: remember, it may have been the best deal for you from a pure monetry viewpoint, but customer service costs money and sometimes it's worthwhile spending a little extra to get the service you desire.
It's all about money saving, not money pinching, and spending a little more is sometimes the better moneysaving option

JimmyTheWig

I don’t usually go into bank branches as it can be awkward with the knowing looks

I can appreciate that. It's a bit of the "Carol Vordeman syndrome" - i.e. Martin Lewis is banking here so it must be good.
Not surprising, then, that once identified you wanted all to know that even though Martin Lewis was banking there it _wasn't_ good.

MSE_Martin

Hi folks

Again I have to be careful what I say - broadcasting what products I have in a public space isn't that clever - so you have to forgive me.

For those saying "close the account" - sometimes that isn't possible without substantial penalties - if it were possible I would've done so.

Having said that, now calmed from my wrath, in all my years doing this and reading 10,000s people's complaints - while Lloyds was nightmarish this time, other banks are equally bad at others. Which is why i focus on rate on accounts such as savings where you are hoping to leave the cash just to grow.

Martin

Candigirl69

I can totally understand why you lost your rag!! I have been having problems with Lloyds for around 4 weeks now. It all started with me posting a cheque in the in brach cheque deposit box and then them failing to add it to my account for 2 days, so it took far longer to clear. Then them taking a large sum of money for a very small oversight (£11.00 to be precise and they charged me just over a £100). I wrote to them to make a complaint, as I had been given NO notice of the charges, they just took it. I stated in the complaint letter that I would like them to refund the charges. A few days later I was told they'd refund it. I checked my account a couple of days later, refund still absent. So I went in bracnh (again) to have a chat with the manager, he said it would be in for the next day. Went in the next day, took out my purse to hand over the card, and oh dear no card... I was told they wouldn't even check balance without card. I went home hunted high and low for the card, rang the lost or stolen card number and reported it. Then I got round to thinking, I don't recall the manager having handed me my card back.

Anyways, went back to branch on a Saturday, spoke to a really nice clerk, who let me withdraw some cash just on my signature whilst I was waiting for my new card.

Needed cash again on Monday, thought everything would be OK as it was on Saturday... How wrong I was. I was told that the clerk had gotten into trouble for processing the transaction on Saturday and that until my card arrived I couldn't withdraw any cash, unless I had photographic ID, which unfortunately I don't. As I am recently divorced I have applied for my passport to be changed back to my maiden name (my bank account is in my maiden name) and still hasn't been delivered yet and as I do not drive I have no Drivers Licence.

I must admit, I did lose it a bit with them yesterday. I know that they're protecting my account from Identity Theft, but surely a little common sense would be benefit the system too??

So thank you LTSB, I'm skint until Royal Mail decide to honour me with their presence at my door!

Great site BTW! Love it!