'Which is the worst customer service bank?' poll discussion

KingL

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

A few more thoughts on "bank" experiences here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/search.php?searchid=86193981

John - you can't post a link to a search here as each search is assigned a "search id" which gets deleted after a couple of minutes.

beatsys

Have used NWide (average), Smile (good), A&L pre-Satander until a year or so ago (average), now First Direct (very good).

FD's website is the best I've used and their customer service is top notch.

Seems like I switched at the right time !

Cazzkins

Needed some money for bus fare today & so went to my bank (Santander, formerly Abbey) to make a cash withdrawal at the ATM. Requesting £20, I expected to receive 2 x £10 notes but received a £20 note instead. Knowing that the bus driver wouldn't like this, I queued inside the branch for a-g-e-s to exchange it for lower denominations. I politely explained my dilemma expecting at least 2 x £10 notes, or better still a couple of fivers with a £10 but was told they don't exchange money! WHAT?! They are a bank and what's more MY bank and they don't change money?! :mad: Her suggestion was that I try another bank or go to a shop to buy something and get change!!!! I told her that another bank would probably charge me as I DON'T BANK THERE and I had no wish to spend money unnecessarily! In the end, the only option for me was to pay the £20 note back into my account and draw out £35 (the minimum cash withdrawal at the counter). This all took about 5 minutes - it would have taken just 20 seconds to just CHANGE THE NOTE as I'd asked! (I pondered upon paying the additional £15 back into my account but decided against it as I'd succeeded in securing a brand new £5 note which felt like gold dust.....sadly the bus driver had no change for a tenner and so I had to use my lovely new fiver!!!) I haven't even mentioned the lady in front of me in the queue, also a customer there, who wanted some change for a car boot sale...."We don't do change, you'll have to try another bank". Bring on Metrobank across the country and QUICKLY please!

Beaker1

I've been with First Direct for about 15 years and now both my parents and my partner have accounts with them after not being satisfied with the service they were getting with their banks.

I'm all for shopping around for the best deal and taking advantage of financial incentives (I'm always chopping and changing my insurance and utility companies and saving accounts), but I think it is more important to be happy with your bank than save a few pence on current account interest and a one off incentive payment on joining them.

Doc_N

Cazzkins wrote: »

Needed some money for bus fare today & so went to my bank (Santander, formerly Abbey) to make a cash withdrawal at the ATM. Requesting £20, I expected to receive 2 x £10 notes but received a £20 note instead. Knowing that the bus driver wouldn't like this, I queued inside the branch for a-g-e-s to exchange it for lower denominations. I politely explained my dilemma expecting at least 2 x £10 notes, or better still a couple of fivers with a £10 but was told they don't exchange money! WHAT?! They are a bank and what's more MY bank and they don't change money?! :mad: Her suggestion was that I try another bank or go to a shop to buy something and get change!!!! I told her that another bank would probably charge me as I DON'T BANK THERE and I had no wish to spend money unnecessarily! In the end, the only option for me was to pay the £20 note back into my account and draw out £35 (the minimum cash withdrawal at the counter). This all took about 5 minutes - it would have taken just 20 seconds to just CHANGE THE NOTE as I'd asked! (I pondered upon paying the additional £15 back into my account but decided against it as I'd succeeded in securing a brand new £5 note which felt like gold dust.....sadly the bus driver had no change for a tenner and so I had to use my lovely new fiver!!!) I haven't even mentioned the lady in front of me in the queue, also a customer there, who wanted some change for a car boot sale...."We don't do change, you'll have to try another bank". Bring on Metrobank across the country and QUICKLY please!

That is just stunning - but so typical of the attitude Santander staff adopt towards the people who pay their wages.

A salutary reminder to anyone thinking of banking with them. No wonder they have to pay such a large bribe to get anyone to sign up!

Kat's_Dad

I got attracted by the generous interest rates to Abbey in 2006 as I had a large sum (I had just sold a house) to invest. It took four weeks after I had paid the money in for the account to be set up and hence lost a month's interest. I complained. They sent a letter back apologising and with a calculation of the lost interest. I checked the calculation - they got that wrong! It took another four weeks for it to be all put right. Useless!

skinse1

Well so far I have to say Metro Bank have been nothing short of exceptional.

They couldn't offer me a full current account at first due to my very chequered credit history but their basic account doesn't offer standing orders or direct debits. So the clerk spoke to the branch manager and he reversed the automated decision on the understanding that the account won't receive credit facilities - like I was ever going to get those with 3 ccj and 8 defaults!

Card and cheque book printed and in my hands in under 5 minutes from the print being sent. Pin number of my choosing straight away and online banking set up just they are yet to go live with internet banking.

Doc_N

Heinz wrote: »

Until Santander took them over, I hade, generally speaking, been quite satisfied with Alliance & Leicester (and had nearly always been able to avoid their rip-off 0844 contact numbers).

Then, I had cause to complain about the snotty treatement I received in a Santander branch in Sudbury (Suffolk) whilst trying to prove my identity (yet again) when trying to open a new A&L savings account. "We're Santander" was all I could get out of the woman on the counter - until I asked for the manager and, as if a miracle had happened, what I wanted was possible after all.

One complaint letter later, I received a £30 cheque "in full and final settlement" of my complaint accompanied by a letter showing, clearly (they got the town wrong), that they had not even bothered to read my letter of complaint even though I'd sent it to their CEO at their London head office.

A letter of complaint complaining about their response to my letter of complaint resulted in another £30 cheque "in full and final settlement" of my complaint.

I gave up then, £60 up.

Same thing for me, though a different situation. Same, too, for a relative.

Moral - if you get bad service (which you probably will), make a complaint, and insist that it's dealt with through the formal complaint procedure. They seem quite happy to make one or more £30 compensation payments for their bad service, because they know as well as you do that it's appalling. It's much cheaper to make a few hundred £30 payments a year, though, than it is to actually tackle the problem at its root.

kezbabybabe

I voted Ok for Natwest and this was because they aren't very good at actually manning my local branch over lunchtime that I've waited 1/2 hour before now to be seen. I only have an hour for lunch with no opportunity to go before or after work.:mad:

Once I get there though, the staff are friendly, even though they keep asking whether I want a Advantage account. Nope you're not taking my money for services I won't use thank you!

I'm hoping that their advert about longer opening hours will come true and be better for me should I need the bank... Time with tell

gsddusty1

I moved my current account from Lloyds TSB to First Direct some years back and have always been pleased that I did. Up until recently I did keep the Lloyds account with a regular small top up income, however due to really poor customer service including being told to drive to the original set up branch to close the account (160 mile round trip). I would recommend FD to anyone but warn those thinking of changing accounts (especially from Santander with all the comments above) don't go to Lloyds either. I have never spoken to an Indian call centre with FD either and staff are always pleasant and helpful.
They are also available 24/7 365 days of week on the phone or internet so you can talk to them at a time that suits you