Metro bank - new customer review

northerner77

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2266409/DAN-HYDE-Is-Metro-Bank-different-big-banks-all.html


Dan of the Daily Hate reckons Metro is as bad as the biggies:

To open an account you need two forms of ID. She bought four, just in case. Yet after a 20 minute wait to be seen, the bank manager sent us packing.
Apparently, a passport, pay slip, phone bill, and a current bank statement simply aren't enough evidence of you are who you say you are. A telephone bill is simply not as good as a gas bill. Computer says no.
That was all the proof of identity she owned, which made the bank manager's rude and uncompromising rejection hard to take.

These experiences have led me to a sad conclusion - Metro is no different than the big names it tries to outdo. Smiling staff and lollipops don't make up for the peace of mind a quick card cancellation brings when you've lost your wallet. For all the dog bowls, cups of coffee, and coin-counting machines, all customers really want is the bank to fulfil its original launch promise: that you can open an account in 15 minutes, with two forms of identification, and leave with a working card and PIN number.

Hazzanet

Hazzanet wrote: »

I asked for a chequebook, and it clearly says on the document he handed me "Cheque Book - we can print your cheque book in store while you wait", however I was told that it would be with me in 5-7 working days (?)

Called mid-last week to check whether the cheque book was on its way - was told that they had no way of checking whether the order had been put in (erm, audit log or list of cheques issued against the account?).

Called again last night to find out where the cheque book was; lo and behold, they can now check whether a book had been issued, and surprise surprise, one hadn't been ordered.

benjus

I certainly haven't been very impressed with their customer service. When they lost a £1000 transfer I made from my First Direct account for holiday spending I had to make a lots of calls from Argentina to resolve it.

All that the customer service people would do was look at the account to see if there were any incoming transfers. When I started quoting the transfer reference numbers that First Direct gave me they claimed it was impossible to trace the transaction.

In contrast, FD customer service really did their best to help, in the end offering to talk to Metro Bank staff directly to find out what had happened. It was only when I called Metro Bank to ask someone to call First Direct that they suddenly found the missing money - over a week after I sent it as a Faster Payment.

This is one reason that Metro Bank remains a secondary account and I still use First Direct as my main account.

innovate

northerner77 wrote: »

She bought four, just in case.

Well, may be she should have brought her own documents, not try to use bought ones?

Seriously: I have few good things to say about Metrobank myself- - however, the ID required to open an account is in my experience no issue if your records all tie up. I was actually stupid enough myself to arrive at Metrobank without any proof of address. I just had my driving licence on me, by co-incidence. They did an electronic check, presumably against some CRA files, and proceeded with opening my current account there and then.

I suppose something did not tie up between the electronic records and the "bought" documents the Daily Mail lady presented.

blackrat779

Hi,

Off to New York in just over a month and was planing on opening a Metro Bank current account in Reading for the debit and credit cards. Reading the posts here there seem to be mixed reviews.

I wont be using this account as my main account, so no DD, standing orders ect.

There is going to be a branch opening in April close to where I live, so on balance is this a good idea or not? Should I just stick with Nat West?

Blackrat

labp04

Hi Blackrat, reckon it all depends how long you are going to the USA for and how many withdrawals you'll make ie how much using NatWest will cost you.

Have to say that we arent supporters of any of the banks, preferring to try to use them rather than be (ab)used by them. Having said this we can also say that our experiences have only ever been positive with MetroBank who we have been with for over 2 years now and, for sure, they have saved us '00s of £s during this time.

pmduk

Hazzanet wrote: »

Called mid-last week to check whether the cheque book was on its way - was told that they had no way of checking whether the order had been put in (erm, audit log or list of cheques issued against the account?).

That sounds more like inexperience or poor training of staff

Hazzanet

pmduk wrote: »

That sounds more like inexperience or poor training of staff

Exactly the point I was making... they shouldn't be answering the phone unless they can answer relatively simple queries.

blackrat779

labp04 wrote: »

Hi Blackrat, reckon it all depends how long you are going to the USA for and how many withdrawals you'll make ie how much using NatWest will cost you.

Have to say that we arent supporters of any of the banks, preferring to try to use them rather than be (ab)used by them. Having said this we can also say that our experiences have only ever been positive with MetroBank who we have been with for over 2 years now and, for sure, they have saved us '00s of £s during this time.

We are in New York for a week and then later on in the year the Med on a cruise with several ports in different countries. Previously we would take a mixture of travellers cheques and cash for the US and this is ok but it makes sense to only get the money you need. There is also a security aspect to using a card. So to answer your question, say about 3-4 withdrawals during the week and several credit card purchases.

The opening of the account is a one-off and its good that its fast and efficient but after day 1 I am sure I will forget about it. Customer service is also important but only when you need it. For my day to day banking I will stay with Nat West for the moment, although like many people I am looking for the opportunity to take my business to a "different" bank. From what I have read Metro Bank seems to be nearly there but not quite. My plan (like many others) is to try it out with my holiday money and see how it goes before I even consider moving my routine banking there.

Metro Bank have the opportunity to get many customers like me, it will be interesting to see whether they can do this. I suspect at the moment that if the free card use abroad was stopped the whole pack of cards would come down. Keep the cards free and maybe 1 competitive savings account and there will be queues but not just for opening branches.

Blackrat

Hazzanet

blackrat779 wrote: »

Metro Bank have the opportunity to get many customers like me, it will be interesting to see whether they can do this. I suspect at the moment that if the free card use abroad was stopped the whole pack of cards would come down. Keep the cards free and maybe 1 competitive savings account and there will be queues but not just for opening branches.

Metro Bank have quite an opportunity if they execute what they 'promise' to offer correctly. Many people will be lining up for accounts to use abroad (me), or to see what all the fuss is about (me) but are open minded enough to consider moving their main manking to Metro after being 'surprised and delighted' by their customer service.

My experience thus far (and the experiences of others, it seems) is that the prologue and introduction are good, but the underlying story lacks any real substance. Yes, account opening was quick and efficient, but their internet banking and telephone service are poor.

The internet banking is what surprises me the most. I understand (perhaps wrongly?) that their core banking is an 'off the shelf' package (Tenemos) so the internet banking ought to be good - they don't have to deal with the issues of a mainframe built in the 60's with all the associated kludges to make it work with the world wide web; so why is it so slow, and limited in functionality?

Their product range isn't that bad in my opinion - the Credit Card rate of 13% is comparable, and the 1% paid on the instant is better than similar products with other non-internet 'bricks and mortar' offerings.

Lots of potential, but ruining it by non-delivery at the moment.