MSE News discussion. Nationwide kills cheap overseas spending

cbrown7

Brilliant, I used to like being a NW customer. The overseas spending and cash withdrawal simplicity made travel planning so much easier. Guess I will now just have to get used to having a dormant account with them.

Make your feelings known on their Facebook page.

nickoi

northernstar5 wrote: »

Have you called them to check that they will cover you for no extra charge? There are many medical conditions that they won't cover.

I can't see any benefits that are applicable to my situation.

Yes I have!

gwapenut

Traveller11 wrote: »

Although the letter was marked "Private & Confidential" and hand delivered, Mr Beal did not even have the manners to acknowledge or reply

Maybe if you'd spelt Mr Beale's name right he'd have been able to open the "private and confidential" mail! :rotfl:

Hootsmon

I currently live abroad. My UK pension gets paid into Nationwide. I use my Nationwide Debit card in ATMs for living expenses. I contacted Nationwide and mentined I had a flexaccount, e-saver, e-saver plus & an annual bond and asked if they would be reviewing this decision. They said they wouldn't be changing the rules as they treat all customers equally. I then asked when I'd get my free insurance when I visit the UK. They told me this was for UK residents only. So much for treating all customers equally.

Currently, to save Nationwide money, I receive my statement electronically. I now intend to close all accounts but leave £1 in the Flexaccount and ask for a monthly statement to be posted out.

roddydogs

Traveller11 wrote: »

Interestingly I wrote to Graham Beal the CEO expressing my concern at what is about to happen, also making him aware that a similar 'happening' took place some time ago with another organisation who received 10,000 Telephone calls in the first day from Members cancelling their Credit Card and going elsewhere.
Although the letter was marked "Private & Confidential" and hand delivered, Mr Beal did not even have the manners to acknowledge or reply but passed the letter to another Manager in a different location, who on the 2nd August confirmed by reply that the changes are taking place.

As a result of that I have now opened a Halifax Credit Card Account (0% Commission around the World + £5 back for every £300 spent on the card)
.
Electronic Banking is set up and next week I set up a Debit Card Account with Halifax taking care of moving all Direct Debits over, the account also comes with the possibility of 'creating' £60/Year in £5/Month payments from Halifax and this should I need it along with the £5/Month back on the Credit Card could pay the £80 Travel Policy that Nationwide tell me it is worth, with enough left over to celebrate a better deal! WOW! :T

I have also found that the equivalent 'E-saver' with Halifax pays 1.5% Interest and you can 'extract' as many times as you like with NO penalties as opposed to the 0.45% Interest rate from Nationwide.:eek:

I think we could see a significant Members revolt on this and I personally have no sympathy for people who prefer a packet of 'Paxo' to providing Customer Service. :mad:

I think you'll find it £5 back, if you spend £300 minimum, monthly, not £5 for EVERY £300, but i stand to be corrected.

TREVORCOLMAN

I too am disgusted at the "Proud to Be Different" Nationwide. They are treating their customers like idiots.

I emailed them last Tuesday informing them that I am disgusted with this penny pinching treatment. I also told them me and other half will be taking our 100k of ISAs elswhere as soon as they mature.

The message said they would reply in 2 working days. No reply as of today so emailed them again stating that they were obviously happy for me to do this.

Same day I had an email from Santander stating that cash withdrawls from their vast network in Spain is free.

I have an account with AL where I get free insurance and meet the requirements. So I sent a copy of the details with my email to Nation(lets screw our customers for all we can)wide Boys.

:mad:

jonesjw

Clearly the Nationwide is not behaving like a true mutual, run by members for members.

Should we be organising some candidates to stand for election next year to get the current management kicked out?

Musicman

Well my wife & I have both received letters in response to our email complaint.

Other than all the bulls**t and other speak, the letter claims that only one third of people who have a flex account have used it each year, which I find difficult to believe, but then statistics can tell you many things depending on how they are presented.

They also claim that the insurance is to encourage the take up of the Flexaccount as theit main current account, as it will cover travel in the UK as well as europe.

Well I am totally disillushioned with the response and will be acyively seeking a new current account after my Europen holiday later in the month, which on principle, I will now be taking money out on a more regular basis using smaller amounts, so that will cost them more!!

If I have time next week I will even phone the sender of the letter, as I have been invited to.

davidgmmafan

Lets be honest its a PR and marketing disaster. As others are improving thier current account offering to try to snare new customers Nationwide are making thiers worse, it won't be attractive to new customers and its pushing loyal long standing customers away. I wonder how much the boffin who came up with the idea was paid, if there was some expensive consultation.

They clearly don't know the meaning or irony as they behave like a (bad) bank and then push things like proud to be different, or proud to be a building soceity. Really? How are we supposed to tell - your shoddy admin, dire service, poor rates and inability to encourage/reward loyalty? With 'benefits' like that who needs a mutual?

I am very sad to say this as I believe in the idea, but Beale and Co have totally ruined it. Seriously what have they got right? Answers on a postcard anyone!

Megalomaniac

Musicman wrote: »

Well my wife & I have both received letters in response to our email complaint.

Other than all the bulls**t and other speak, the letter claims that only one third of people who have a flex account have used it each year, which I find difficult to believe, but then statistics can tell you many things depending on how they are presented.

They also claim that the insurance is to encourage the take up of the Flexaccount as theit main current account, as it will cover travel in the UK as well as europe.

Well I am totally disillushioned with the response and will be acyively seeking a new current account after my Europen holiday later in the month, which on principle, I will now be taking money out on a more regular basis using smaller amounts, so that will cost them more!!

If I have time next week I will even phone the sender of the letter, as I have been invited to.

Letter received as well. It seems somewhat personalised and directly related to what I said - it's different to yours. Probably a set of paragraphs Ian Errington can copy and paste from depending on the details in the complaint.

Supposedly customers saved on average £12 per annum using their card abroad, heavily skewed towards those who travelled regularly - no !!!!!! sherlock. So he argues it is now spread more fairly across everyone with this £80 european travel insurance.

Well if people haven't used it for oversea's transactions, I don't know why they would even be with the Nationwide. There are no other benefits with the account anymore.

So in conclusion, to keep all those people happy, who were obviously happy before with their account, they have decided to offer them european travel insurance when I assume they don't even travel abroad!

Here's to hoping First Direct accept me as a new customer. I can't see the logic behind this decision from Nationwide!