Terribly rude service in Halifax - withdrawing money

leanne88

Hi there,
Today I went to withdraw £900 at my local Halifax branch.
I filled in a slip, had my provisional drivers license with me and of course my card.

The woman was very blunt and when I showed the slip, seemed shifty then asked me "where did the money come from?"

Surely she can't ask that!? How rude! I told her it came from compensation money, which it did! But then remembered I had transfered it from my current account that day. So I told her and told her I have 3 accounts with them.

She was still very rude to me then she counted out £700 not £900! So she did it again and still £700! To which she realized and then counted again and added the rest. Cheek of it!

Anyone else think this was incredibly rude service!?

alanq

The Halifax now has the Spanish Inquisition when withdrawing large sums in cash in order to give extra security. It happens increasingly other banks and building society too. How much is in the account? Where did you open the account? When did you open the account? What other accounts do you have with us? etc. etc. Don't blame the people on the desk they are only doing what they are instructed to do. Perhaps it is all part of a grand plan to get us to do everything online or by phone.

I am surprised that you were asked where the money came from when withdrawing. I thought that it was a question asked when paying in a few thousand pounds on bank notes.

What I find intrusive is when a teller asks for my plans for my money when making a withdrawal. They get a very curt answer!

iltisman

"What I find intrusive is when a teller asks for my plans for my money when making a withdrawal. They get a very curt answer!"
I usually think of some offensive answer eg. I am spending the afternoon with two expensive hookers.

Lokolo

No it's not rude, they need to counter fraud etc.etc.

ses6jwg

We are required to ask this for large withdrawals or where you are making a transaction which is not classed as "normal" for your account, for anti-money laundering and fraud purposes.

Audiman7

Of course, but I expect to be asked in a polite way. Which when I've needed to make large withdrawals I have, and I'm happy to answer.

It sounds as though the OP was treated in a less than polite manner.

But really if someone was going to be using the money the dodgy affairs they're not going to say anyway are they?

Arg

ses6jwg wrote: »

We are required to ask this for large withdrawals or where you are making a transaction which is not classed as "normal" for your account, for anti-money laundering and fraud purposes.

Both of which harrass your average joe more than any crook so I can understand the OPs annoyance.

Paul_Herring

ses6jwg wrote: »

We are required to ask this for large withdrawals or where you are making a transaction which is not classed as "normal" for your account, for anti-money laundering and fraud purposes.

No you're not. Or if you 'are,' your branch management are being over-zealous and over-reaching.

Anti-money laundering? I don't think so. How can you launder money coming *out of* an account? Depositing 'large' amounts of cash, I could possibly expect some subtle questioning, but certainly not withdrawals.

Fraud? How is asking such questions "countering fraud"? And this ignores the fact the customer had already arrived with identification.

Or is this the catch-all excuse for intrusive questioning which is none of the bank's business these days?

WHITEVANMAN

Paul_Herring wrote: »

Or is this the catch-all excuse for intrusive questioning which is none of the bank's business these days?

Sounds just like the b.s most supermarket checkout staff are told to spiel out in the name of customer service these days.

Waffle waffle waffle.....scan
Shut up and get on with scanning my goods :mad:

Everytime I go to the bank, before they finish the transaction im pretty much always told to see one of their salesmen to help me make the most of my money....:rotfl:

ses6jwg

Paul_Herring wrote: »

No you're not. Or if you 'are,' your branch management are being over-zealous and over-reaching.

Anti-money laundering? I don't think so. How can you launder money coming *out of* an account? Depositing 'large' amounts of cash, I could possibly expect some subtle questioning, but certainly not withdrawals.

Fraud? How is asking such questions "countering fraud"? And this ignores the fact the customer had already arrived with identification.

Or is this the catch-all excuse for intrusive questioning which is none of the bank's business these days?

Money laundering is the process of making dirty money clean and encompasses far more than deposits.

shortchanged_2

leanne88 wrote: »

Hi there,
Today I went to withdraw £900 at my local Halifax branch.
I filled in a slip, had my provisional drivers license with me and of course my card.

The woman was very blunt and when I showed the slip, seemed shifty then asked me "where did the money come from?"

Surely she can't ask that!? How rude! I told her it came from compensation money, which it did! But then remembered I had transfered it from my current account that day. So I told her and told her I have 3 accounts with them.

She was still very rude to me then she counted out £700 not £900! So she did it again and still £700! To which she realized and then counted again and added the rest. Cheek of it!

Anyone else think this was incredibly rude service!?

OP, you should have said that you had a small shipment from your Sicilian connections a couple of days ago.