Natwest Cheque Problem - REALLY Infuriating

cockneysean

Hi,

This is my first post to this forum and I have only just signed up.

I have banked with NatWest for 10 years now, but I think I am definitely going to change banks after what I have experienced this week.

This is what my online banking looks like, and below it I will tell you all about the situation that I have been faced with. I would really appreciate your comments and opinions on what has gone on.

EDIT: As a new user I am unable to post the image of my online banking, but it basically shows my available balance of £4,910. If you are interested to take a look, please browse to:

h**p://i55.tinypic.com/25u0cw9.jpg

The cheque that I paid in was for £5,000 pounds on Wednesday 8th September and it showed as available funds on Saturday just gone. I went into a branch, and the first customer. The teller that served me was a young girl. She asked what she could do for me and I told her that I wished to withdraw £2,000 pounds. Upon hearing this she pulled a funnt face and said "Oh, right". She then proceeded to nose through my account on her screen. Does this annoy anyone else when they sit and nose through your account when you go in to make a transaction? I find it really rude and annoying, but anyway, I digress.

So after having a good nose through my personal finances, she turns round and says to me that the cheque isn't clear yet. I pointed out to her that my online banking clearly said that the funds were available and that I had telephone the call centre before going to the bank just to make sure that I could withdraw the funds. It was no use arguing with her as she refused point blank to give me any funds whatsoever. Not a penny. I even tried to get £50 out of her but she also refused to do that.

So I then nipped to another branch to get my £50 quid out and had no problems whatsoever. I then waited until Monday to make my large withdrawal. I went back to the branch that I got the £50 from. I started by withdrawing £50 so I at least had some cash to live with (I have two kids to feed). This was processed but not given to me. I then told the teller that I wanted to withdraw £900 pounds. She started to nose through my account again, which again infuriated me. She locked her workstation and went to speak to her manager. They both came back over and told me that the cheque was not clear!!! I pointed out to them that this happened to me on Saturday and now more time had passed and the cheque was still showing as available. They had none of it. I didn't even get my £50. The manager put it back into my account! I was infuriated. I was made to feel helpless. She even told me that if I could find my cash card I could use that to withdraw £250 from the cash point or use the debit card function at a point of sale card machine. Unfortunately I don't have my card at the moment or I would have made my large purchase using it instead of going through this rigmarole.

So... I then popped off to ANOTHER branch and withdrew £45 without any problems. I sat at home for a while stewing over what had taken place and decided to return to the branch that gave me the £45 without any problems to get another £30 to tide me over the weekend. Just by the teller was a hand written fax with BEWARE THIS CUSTOMER written at the top of it and something or other about fraud! I was incensed at this. The teller started nosing through my account again and saw me looking at the fax, so she folded it in half and told me that I was not allowed to see it, and also that I was not getting my £30 quid. She told me that a note had been put on my account to say that I was not allowed to make any withdrawals until the cheque had "fully cleared". This has really pi**ed me off no end.

I have never had any of this happen to me before. I have always been able to draw on cheques paid into my account as soon as they become shown as available on my online banking or at the ATM. I paid in a cheque before for £7,000 pounds and withdrew £3,500 two working days after paying the cheque in without any of these problems.

What I want to know is, am I right to be annoyed by this? Has anyone else experience similar issues either with NatWest or any other bank? It seems to me that they are more than happy to take your money but don't like it when you want to take it back! After all, it's my money and I can spend it as I please.

One more point I would like opinions on is the way in which they have a good nose through your account. Does this annoy anyone else? The main reason it annoys me with NatWest is because of the following. I have seen their computer display and what comes up when you make a withdrawal. When they enter into your account what comes up is your available balance listed next to your account number. This is really the only information that they need to see when you make a withdrawal IMO. They then proceed to click into an entirely different set of options and start nosing through your account. WHY DO THEY DO THIS??? I really don't know.

Anyway, that is my story over with and I will be patiently waiting with much interest to hear your opinions and maybe any similar exeperiences that you may have had. As I said before, I have never been faced with this issue before and I was made to feel like a criminal when I saw that note saying BEWARE in capital letters and the mention of fraud!!!


Sean

stclair

Ill post it for you:

stclair

The cashier may have has some doubt as the cheque would have not really cleared until day 6.

If in the event the cheque had bounced then the bank would have been at a loss if they had let you withdraw the funds before day 6.

http://www.natwest.com/personal/curr.../clearing.ashx

However I appreciate your frustration and I would recommend you follow the banks complaint procedure regarding your concerns:

https://www.natwest.com/secure/globa..._procedure.htm

cockneysean

Thank you for your reply.

The only reason that I am annoyed by this is that it has never happened to me before with NatWest. As I mentioned in my original post, I deposited a cheque for £7,000 and took £3,500 out of my account two working days afterwards, as soon as it was showing as available on my account.

The cheque was from a business, and not from a person, because of this I would have thought that it would have been seen as more "reliable".

I have been told that I can go in tomorrow (Wednesday) and take out as much as I like. I think I am going to take the lot and go and open an account with Barclays. Is this a good idea to go with Barclays? Any horror stories anyone? Or can anyone suggest somewhere better to go?

rb10

cockneysean wrote: »

I think I am going to take the lot and go and open an account with Barclays. Is this a good idea to go with Barclays? Any horror stories anyone? Or can anyone suggest somewhere better to go?

Best bank accounts are listed at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts?dd

Bear in mind that customer service at Santander is generally considered to be worse than Natwest; the other banks are in general ok though.

Olipro

stclair wrote: »

However I appreciate your frustration and I would recommend you follow the banks complaint procedure regarding your concerns:

Surely RBS aren't running such a daft policy as to permit customers to freely transfer funds as they wish electronically but deny a cash withdrawal.

As it stands, he could (and did) quite freely transfer that money out electronically, this issue with the cashier sounds utterly stupid and makes no sense at all from a risk-management point of view.

stclair

Olipro wrote: »

Surely RBS aren't running such a daft policy as to permit customers to freely transfer funds as they wish electronically but deny a cash withdrawal.

As it stands, he could (and did) quite freely transfer that money out electronically, this issue with the cashier sounds utterly stupid and makes no sense at all from a risk-management point of view.

I know but it happens im sorry to say some branches adopt local procedures.

Its aother one of natwests policy mysteries

Plus if was done online whos to say it would have gone through it may have been captured in the net.

cockneysean

They did actually say to me in the branch that I was free to conduct any business that I would like to online or if I had my debit card that I would be free to spend the balance in that manner. She said to me that she was not prepared to give me any money.

I did actually test this out and transferred a small sum of money to one of my registered payees online.

Seeing as there is a NatWest employee in here, I would like to know if this is a new policy or such as I was confronted with the same situation in all of the branches that I went into!

Also, does anyone else care to comment on the way that cashiers snoop through your account? StClair is this something that you do? If so I would like to know if this is something that staff are trained to do or is it something that they take upon their selves to do?

cockneysean

On that note, it is only because of the account snooping that the cashiers realise that it is a cheque that has been paid in and they don't seem to like the fact that it has cleared quite quickly. I have had cheques that each take a different length of time to clear. Sometimes they have been cleared the day after they have been paid in and sometimes they have taken the full length of the clearing cycle to clear. Has anyone got any insight as to why this happens with cheques taking different amounts of time to clear?

Olipro

well, my suggestion to you is to have an account with another bank account going, you could transfer the funds to the other bank and then go withdraw it in cash. almost all the other main banks will accept faster payments inwards so you shouldn't have an issue.

cockneysean

Olipro,

That is my plan. I am going to open a Basic account at Barclays. I've got a £45,000 inheritance on the horizon. I was planning to have a good laugh by getting it paid into ShatWest and then going and withdrawing the lot in cash. That should raise some eyebrows!