Smile - Why I'm no longer smiling

Paul_Herring

benjus wrote: »

I'm not sure you understood my point correctly. If she has a current account with an overdraft facility, this is a credit facility and therefore something that could be reported to Experian and Equifax.

I'm sure that wouldn't have been part of the initial deal.

Even if she doesn't have an authorised overdraft, any account with a full debit card or cheque guarantee card can be considered to have an overdraft facility.

Not with the credit agencies it won't.

opinions4u

stu-b wrote: »

Their ethical stance refers to how and where members money is invested. I.e. that it is not funding those with dubious links, etc.

http://www.goodwithmoney.co.uk/ethical-banking/

In my opinion banks need to recover outstanding debts to remain viable regardless if those who are lending are grannies or not. Of course this needs to be done sympathetically and responsibly, but to expect banks and financial providers to lend money and have no recourse to recover this money is unworkable.

Also I've had a look at contact numbers for Smile and if you call them on the number they list for overseas enquiries then calls for that number will be taken out of any call allowance you have and, if not, will almost certainly be cheaper than an 0870 call. The number is 0161 477 1927.

I think you missed the untyped tongue in cheek message within my post.

Thank you for trying to educate me though .

4$£&*(£$&*(!

Update, in relation to problem 7 with children's accounts I called today to find out why the outstanding interest had not yet reached me and why the accounts are still showing as live online.

The person I spoke to said she couldn't understand what was going on but the accounts had not been sent for closure. This is on top of a phone call I made earlier in the week when I was promised the matter had been resolved and I would receive confirmation by post mid-week, all in addition to being told when I originally requested account closure in branch two weeks ago that it would be done by the Monday of last week.

So there we go, Co-Op and Smile caused individual, unique and basic errors on every single account and product I have with them, four in total, during the past couple of months; each of them requiring at least three phone calls to resolve. To get something wrong once is unfortunate. Twice is not good but benefit of doubt can be given. Three and four times is just incompetence.

Paul_Herring

Are Santander buying Smile perchance?

Though service normally goes downhill during/after the announcement, not before....

4$£&*(£$&*(!

Hurrah, it appears the two Co-Op children's accounts I have are now being closed as I cannot access them online now (I only need the balance of the outstanding interest to arrive and that will be completed). It only (sic) took me five phone calls spanning about an hour in total and a branch visit to get this done.

After foolishly giving my loyalty to Smile for 10 years I now intend telling the bank's bosses what I think of the service but in a rational, well-thought out way. I'll be writing to the managers based at their head office in Delf House Skelmersdale. I thought the best way to find out who I should write to is by sending a secure message, which I did.

I stated simply in my secure message:

'Please tell me the name of the senior manager responsible for Smile at Delf House'.

This was on Saturday morning. They have replied this afternoon, asking what it is about and if they can help me at all. Three and a half days to respond to such a simple message. If you're with Smile I suggest you try sending a simple message about something you need to know and seeing how long a reply takes bearing in mind they market themselves as an internet bank. (I replied saying no there is nothing they can help me with as my complaint now needs to be formalised in writing by post and I'd like the manager's name, I did type in initially that each time someone had said that to me on all my recent contacts it has not solved the problem but then I thought no, I'm not entering any dialogue with them, just get me the boss).

Mids_Costcutter

I have held a Smile current a/c for about 10 years too and have to agree that the speed of service when responding to secure messages has steadily decreased over the last few years. This summer I sent a request for an international transfer. After 3 days no response so I sent another message to chase. After 2 more days still no response so phoned Customer Services. Incredibly I was informed that because I had sent another message following my original request, the transfer had therefore 'been moved back in the queue'! Was all resolved pronto over the phone though.

Having tried online banking with Alliance & Leicester though, I still think Smile has many commendable qualities: ease of use of web site, ethical investment policies, customer service (despite not always being so quick).

jambosans

CitySlicker wrote: »

This was on Saturday morning. They have replied this afternoon, asking what it is about and if they can help me at all. Three and a half days to respond to such a simple message. If you're with Smile I suggest you try sending a simple message about something you need to know and seeing how long a reply takes bearing in mind they market themselves as an internet bank. (I replied saying no there is nothing they can help me with as my complaint now needs to be formalised in writing by post and I'd like the manager's name, I did type in initially that each time someone had said that to me on all my recent contacts it has not solved the problem but then I thought no, I'm not entering any dialogue with them, just get me the boss).

If you want to make a formal complaint, you have to follow Smile's formal complaints procedure, as detailed on the link below:-
http://www.smile.co.uk/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=Smile%2FPage%2FsmView&cid=1006517693555

Smile are under no obligation to provide you with contact details for any managerial staff or even a head office address. Any complaints you send addressed to the "boss" are most likely redirected to the complaints team, or dealt with by a subordinate of said manager. You can have a hunt online, and you will probably come up with a name and address, but it's unlikely Smile will provide this information directly.

oldagetraveller

I've just tried to send an e-mail to their "I am frowning" address but it doesn't appear to be valid?
Been with them for many years myself but lately and gradually things seem to be going downhill. Has anyone else had any problems with their Faster Payments system as the last three or four transfers I've tried to make have gone via BACS, including one this morning which will probably not reach the receiving account until Monday (BACS no doubt, code H)). All they can say is that FP is not a guaranteed service, yes I know, but if it's there it should work. What's the betting a CHAPS, paid for transfer, will work though?
It's been mentioned elsewhere too that once the payment has gone through, that's it, no chance to use a different method if the FP doesn't work BACS only!
Yes, the secure message facility takes ages (1 - 2 days +) for an answer compared to the used to be 24 hrs or less.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

jambosans wrote: »

If you want to make a formal complaint, you have to follow Smile's formal complaints procedure, as detailed on the link below:-
http://www.smile.co.uk/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=Smile%2FPage%2FsmView&cid=1006517693555

Smile are under no obligation to provide you with contact details for any managerial staff or even a head office address. Any complaints you send addressed to the "boss" are most likely redirected to the complaints team, or dealt with by a subordinate of said manager. You can have a hunt online, and you will probably come up with a name and address, but it's unlikely Smile will provide this information directly.

I got the details of the executive team contact, Smile did give me this info after a couple more emails.

Over to Co-Op for the next installment. The two childrens accounts I mentioned earlier I requested to be closed? One has been closed but not the other. Despite around four phone calls saying I hadn't received confirmation yet, no-one checked the second of the two accounts I requested to be closed. I was told there was interest due, one moment it would be transferred to my Smile account which has not yet closed, then I was told it would be by cheque, then I was told I had to go into a branch to collect it once the accounts were closed, then today I was told because the amount is just under £1 on each account I cannot have it as it is Co-Op's policy not to pay any balances under £1.

I had enough with that statement and said I wasn't bothered about the interest in the first place as it would only barely buy a soft drink, let alone do anything meaningful. But when I was told I couldn't have it that was enough for me to say it's been five phone calls me chasing them to ensure accounts are closed and sorted, I'm !!!!!!ed if they are keeping money that doesn't belong to them, let's have a manager thanks. I'm told the money will be in my Smile account tomorrow.

Why is Co-Op and Smile getting like this? I've made over a dozen calls to them to sort out their mistakes, why isn't telling them something once enough to resolve an issue? If you are a Smile or Co-Op customer and you think you are staying with them for the service, just try asking them to solve something straightforward and see what happens. So many foul-ups, so many chances to get things right, do I want a group like this to be dealing with my money? I think not.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

I have had a secure message from Smile, after writing to them with details of my complaint I advised I think it was fair they give me a credit of £75 from all the hassle they have caused, the phone calls and time I have spent trying to rectify their mistakes, the number of times I pre-empted problems and warned them yet the problems still happened.

I received a credit of £10 in my account on the weekend so I questioned what this was for by secure message. I received a reply today saying the amount was a credit for the complaint but should have been £100 not £10 so the extra £90 was being credited today and I should receive a letter about this. I presume this is currently stuck in the post (mine is being held up due to the adverse weather).

A nice end, I was really tearing my hair out with them but I will say even though the problems should not have happened in the first place £100 does go an awfully long way to take the sting out of the problems (particularly when it was more than I asked for).