Metro bank - new customer review

Doc_N

Cathrin, I'd suggest signing up with https://www.noddle.co.uk (part of Callcredit, a major credit agency). Check it out and you'll see that it's quite safe.

If you register, you can get access to a pretty complete credit report which will show up any problems that might exist.

It's entirely free, and provides very useful information indeed - particularly, I'd suggest, in the circumstances you describe.

ColdIron

I opened a current account in Holborn today, these are my impressions
I should say I have had an ISA with MB before and my sole reason for opening the current account is the nill transaction fees on foreign spending and cash withdrawals at ATMs

The person I dealt with wasn't really on the ball, he kept on yawning and rubbing his eyes. I agreed to having my photo taken (it was optional and I have no hangups with this) but a few minutes later he asked me to confirm that I had declined the photo ID
Maybe he was having a bad day and it was unusual, in my experience MB staff are very bright and bushy tailed, but we got there in the end

Good Points
Fee free foreign transactions

Quick, you can walk out with an active account, a debit card and working online banking

7 day and late hour banking with 24 hour customer support

Occasionally quite competitive savings products

Safety deposit boxes, rare these days

Not So Good Points
Easily my most serious annoyance - Online banking is SLOW, almost glacial
Many 'contact system administrator' messages and it seems to log you out without rhyme or reason
I understand it is better with Internet Explorer but in this day and age multi-browser support is a basic 'must have', even my local Indian takeaway can cope with this

Having to go into branch to open a savings account, I can see the advantage of branch for current accounts but for the life of me can't figure out why this is required for savings. This is exacerbated by the 'no appointments' policy, so most branch visits entail a wait (25 minutes today but over an hour 6 months ago)


I like to support new and hopefully more nimble banks with fresh ideas, and I am still happy enough, as I say - it's the fee free foreign transactions I am after, but I couldn't recommend it as a primary account for the poor online banking alone. Metro Bank you really need to sort this out

John_Pierpoint

Cathrin wrote: »

My attempt to open an account at Metro Bank in the Holborn store was nothing short of shocking.

Despite having my Passport, Driving Licence, Council Tax Bill, and Self Assessment status, they were unable to match me to my address, and declined my application before I even applied as they were unable to match me at my address.

When I demanded to know why, I was referred to a manager who advised me that they had not done a credit check or a search of the voters roll, but what they had done was get one of the credit reference agencies to check the 'inter bank database' which lists every account I had ever applied from from the age of 16, and that had flagged up a problem. This is despite there being no attempt to search at the main credit agencies, CIFAS or any other known agency.

I contacted CIFAS, the FSA, the FSO and the OFT who have no idea what this manager was talking about, I also contacted a couple of the Data Protection officials at the main clearing bank, who said exactly the same thing.

Anyone any idea what this guy is talking about - needless to say i wouldn't open an account with Metro Bank if my life depended on it

I had a similar problem with one of this country's largest firms of solicitors.
As an executor I was selling the deceased's house.
In the end after ludicrous emails about going to swear I was me at a commissioner for oaths, they saw sense and had to agree that the grant of probate had been made to the satisfaction of one of Her Majesty's courts, they believed I was me. Not to mention that the solicitors would get the money before I did.
In my case my "legal" address does not match my postal address. If you have a map showing post code boundaries and borough boundaries, they are frequently not the same for those of us living in "the edgelands". If you find such an anomaly you can try to get it highlighted on your records, but that does mean that a human has to have cognition of what they are reading on a computer print out.

Did not have a problem opening an account a Holborn thought:D

CIS

If you have a map showing post code boundaries and borough boundaries, they are frequently not the same for those of us living in "the edgelands"

Not just at the edges - 1/2 of Tyne and Wear still have 'Durham' postcodes from before the county boundaries were changed.

reclusive46

I just wish Metro Bank would let you open up an account online. Not much of a modern bank without it :P

John_Pierpoint

CIS wrote: »

Not just at the edges - 1/2 of Tyne and Wear still have 'Durham' postcodes from before the county boundaries were changed.

Do some people still live in the never never land Middlesex ?

Seemingly not, though some anomalies still exist:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesex#Former_postal_county

Wywth

Cathrin wrote: »

My attempt to open an account at Metro Bank in the Holborn store was nothing short of shocking.

Despite having my Passport, Driving Licence, Council Tax Bill, and Self Assessment status, they were unable to match me to my address, and declined my application before I even applied as they were unable to match me at my address.

When I demanded to know why, I was referred to a manager who advised me that they had not done a credit check or a search of the voters roll, but what they had done was get one of the credit reference agencies to check the 'inter bank database' which lists every account I had ever applied from from the age of 16, and that had flagged up a problem. This is despite there being no attempt to search at the main credit agencies, CIFAS or any other known agency.

I contacted CIFAS, the FSA, the FSO and the OFT who have no idea what this manager was talking about, I also contacted a couple of the Data Protection officials at the main clearing bank, who said exactly the same thing.

Anyone any idea what this guy is talking about - needless to say i wouldn't open an account with Metro Bank if my life depended on it

Good job it doesn't else you'll be in trouble.

John_Pierpoint

Just as any publican can ban you - so can any bank.
There are lots of others available.
[There are lots of "trouble makers" out there desperate to open a bank account - I have shared my use of both Alliance and Leicester and Nationwide with fraudsters and I do have some misgivings about the number of "street traders" who use Holborn, because the cash counting machine is useful.]

Care to share with us your youthful misdemeanours in the financial industry ?

When my mother hung up her driving gloves aged 80, her insurance policy still contained a clause saying her son could not drive that car, - aged 18 I had dragged dad's Ford Anglia past a concrete lampost.

There is almost certainly a regulation somewhere about how long companies can keep personal records - even criminal offences can be denied after the passage of time - but life is too short to campaign on every minor inconvenience.

Cathrin

Hi Doc,

Thanks for that - am already registered with both them and Privacy Guard - there is no issue with my Credit File - shows a pretty high score with both and confirms me on the voters roll

Still remain baffled - especially as Nationwide opened an account for me in 15 minutes the morning after, offered me a pretty high overdraft limit and an interest free credit card
C

matty747

Cathrin wrote: »

Hi Doc,

Thanks for that - am already registered with both them and Privacy Guard - there is no issue with my Credit File - shows a pretty high score with both and confirms me on the voters roll

Still remain baffled - especially as Nationwide opened an account for me in 15 minutes the morning after, offered me a pretty high overdraft limit and an interest free credit card
C

It sounds like they ran a check through national hunter without checking the CRA's but it is against the rules to decline solely on the data on hunter and I do not understand why they would not check the CRA first which everyone else does because it contains more relevant information.