Metro bank - new customer review

Doc_N

Hazzanet wrote: »

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.

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

For me, that about sums it up. Glossy and fine on the surface, and probably OK if you just use their 'stores' or whatever they like to call them, but hopeless if you plan to use their internet/telephone banking.

Presumably they just don't have the resources to provide a decent working system.

If you do plan to use the card abroad (which is the only reason I now have left for using the account, given that they failed so badly in other areas) best make sure you have alternative cards to use. The card problems referred to above could leave you totally stranded, with no hope of a quick resolution.

innovate

blackrat779 wrote: »

..... and several credit card purchases.

When I tried to set up a DD to pay off my Metrobank CC from another current account, I couldn't do it. DD had to be on Metrobank current account. Not sure whether this is still the case - I have returned the CC.

Hazzanet wrote: »

.... 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?

The answer is in your question - - they didn't have 50 years to tweak the performance, and to add functionality. Nor do they have mainframes, and mainframe infrastructure software, that has constantly been optimised over decades, to cope with exactly the sorts of requirements a bank has. Give them another 50 years, and they will have their systems and technology sorted, too. Perhaps.

Hazzanet

innovate wrote: »

The answer is in your question - - they didn't have 50 years to tweak the performance, and to add functionality. Nor do they have mainframes, and mainframe infrastructure software, that has constantly been optimised over decades, to cope with exactly the sorts of requirements a bank has. Give them another 50 years, and they will have their systems and technology sorted, too. Perhaps.

Which then begs the question why Nationwide are moving to SAP, and the Co-op to Finacle...

innovate

Don't know what Finacle is, but I know that SAP is one of the (nice) beasts that has been around for decades, and is perfectly capable of exploiting mainframe technology to its full advantage

pmduk

Any company setting up for the first time (in any field), can chose whether to invest in creating it's own systems, or buying a cheap off-the shelf-system. I suspect this is what Metro has done with both IT and now call-centres. It would certainly explain many of the complaints now appearing.

blackrat779

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.

You are quite right, they aren't that bad once I had thought about it. On reflection I think I will get an account and credit card, at least I know what I'm letting myself in for. I will try them out and see how it goes. A lot will depend on my local branch once they open up.

I will take other payment means with me on my hols, I always do.
On holiday some years ago we were trying to make a purchase in one store and the card was queried because there was a purchase being made on the same card the other side of the world at the same time. Neither in the UK. The bank stopped the card so it was lucky I had another. What are the chances? Trouble is nothing seemed to happen to the bad guy. Well at least I never found out.

Thanks to all for words of wisdom.

Cheers,
Blackrat

System

pmduk wrote: »

Any company setting up for the first time (in any field), can chose whether to invest in creating it's own systems, or buying a cheap off-the shelf-system. I suspect this is what Metro has done with both IT and now call-centres. It would certainly explain many of the complaints now appearing.

What shocked me is how completely unable/unwilling they were to sort out my problem where their debit card was being rejected. All I got was 'you are supposed to call the retailer after a rejection - there is no reason as far as we are concerned why the card is being rejected.'

Using the card for online US transactions I would have paid more to make the phone call than I would have saved using a commission-free debit card! In any way, when I have ordered goods over the phone and get a 'sorry sir, the card has been declined' I am already on the phone and there appears nothing the retailer can do.

Metro Bank reminds me of the street scenes they build for a movie set - the facades look great, but there is nothing of substance behind.

The best thing I ever did was move my salary to another bank, but unlike most of you I can't use the debit card to avoid overseas transaction charges.

Hazzanet

scgf wrote: »

What shocked me is how completely unable/unwilling they were to sort out my problem where their debit card was being rejected. All I got was 'you are supposed to call the retailer after a rejection - there is no reason as far as we are concerned why the card is being rejected.'

To be fair, and perhaps be a bit of a devil's advocate, they may have been telling the truth. Unbeknownst to Joe Average, there are many layers through which card processing passes - the merchant's own system, sagepay, a merchant acquirer, data processors and eventually the paying bank. If any part of that chain of people breaks down (server hanging, plug come out, telephone line down) there is a chance that the card will decline without the paying bank ever seeing the request for authorisation.

If this happens regularly, though, my finger would be pointing at the bank.

System

That's the problem. It happens all the time. All they say is ring the retailer each time it happens.

pmduk

Years ago, I was having similar problems with a Halifax debit card, eventually it transpired that the problem was causer by the issue number being coded as 2 rather than 02. Their systems couldn't recognise that they were the same.