Simple Problem for more than SIX MONTHS - Halifax CANNOT solve

Smurphxx

Hey, I hope I found the appropriate forum for my problem. I'm not sure what catagory it fits into. I apoligise its very long but I would appreciate anybody who can take the time to read and help me!! Basically, I have halifax online banking and I have opted for paper-free documents because it is more convenient, environment friendly and means I dont have to worry about shredding etc. For some reason, Halifax are still sending three statements every month and have been doing so for almost a year. No matter what I try, Halifax can not solve the problem or stop them sending and I have heard excuse after excuse, and had countless promises that it will not happen again. I have racked up phone bills calling their premium line number, It is such a simple problem why cant SOMEONE find me a solution after almost a year of phone calls and complaints. I sent this e-mail (to which I have had no response) which explains in further:

.ExternalClass .ecxhmmessage P{padding:0px;}.ExternalClass body.ecxhmmessage{font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;}.ExternalClass .ecxhmmessage P{padding:0px;}.ExternalClass body.ecxhmmessage{font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;}Dear Stephen,

I have been on the phone to the Halifax Online Helpdesk for over 6 months now trying to sort out the problem of my paper-free documents. Despite the fact I have opted for Paper-Free I am still recieving three statements in the post once, and sometimes twice a month. I have even recieved statements dating for only 3-4 days.
I have called at least 10 times to solve this problem, and spent money on your premium rate number for which I doubt will be compensated.

The first few times I called the Online Help Desk they simply said I needed to reset my settings, Change them to post - Log out - Log back in -change to online.

This failed to work, and a few people I spoke to even said to me, 'I really dont know, there is nothing I can do.'

Then I was told that Halifax had two systems and that on one system I was opted for online, and the other showed post. So i needed to remove all of my accounts and then put them back on again to get the two systems in sync with eachother. This failed.

The next time I rang I have been told that they havn't got a clue but will write it all down and get somebody to call me back.
Nobody called me back but when I next logged onto my online banking all my accounts had been removed, I assumed Halifax had done this to try to solve the problem but they had failed to tell me. And then Surprise Surprise, next month comes three statements through my letter box.

Next time I ring up I get a little Irate, I dont like to get angry or be rude but by this stage I am losing my temper. How hard is it to recieve a simple service such as paper-free. How hard is it to tell your computer NOT to send me a letter?! I realise it is an unusual situation, but surely one that is not hard to solve.

So then I was told it was because I have not provided an E-mail address, which I was confused because I was sure I did. I provided a new email address for the woman on the phone and she told me I would no longer recieve post statements. I genuinely thought this was the end of this nightmare.

Next week I recieve a statement in the post dated for only 3 days. I am so angry! I logged into my online banking and notice that my e-mail address is the one I had previous to the last phone-call telling me i had not provided an E-mail address. So i DID have an e-mail address before, and the woman on the phone TOOK MY NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS BUT DIDINT EVEN PUT IT ON THE SYSTEM BECAUSE MY OLD ONE WAS STILL THERE.
I thought maybe there is a problem with this e-mail address so I changed it for a new one and I have yet again recieved post statements.

I logged onto my online banking on Thursday and noticed all my settings had changed themselves to post, so I changed them back to online
Then I logged in on the following Tuesday, to find they have been changed back to post. I changed them back to online again.

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON

I am sick to death of this, it is a simple service you offer to all your customer why is that I CANT HAVE IT?? If you have to personally intercept my letters I DO NOT WISH TO RECIEVE ANOTHER STATEMENT IN THE POST. This has been going on since august/october last year. I dont like to lose my temper, and I am pretty patient but this is just getting ridiculous.

Please could you do something about this for me and I do not wish to waste any more money calling your premium rate number just to keep hitting dead ends and hearing people tell me they dont know what to do! Could you please reply promptly with a solution as I have been waiting far too long already for this problem to be solved

Thank you,

Since then I have rang Halifax a few more times, and I was on the phone for about 45 minutes after being thrown from one department to the next. I get through to Banking department?? Anyway they inform me that there is a security note on my account since 2009 and they can not take my problem any further. AFTER MONTHS AND MONTHS OF PHONE CALLS, AND 45 MINUTES ON THE PHONE BEING TOLD THEY CAN SOLVE MY PROBLEM, LEADING ME ON AND WASTING MY PHONE BILL!!! So I am told I must go into a branch to show ID and then they can help me.

I recieve a letter a few days later saying,
We are sorry to hear about your problem however it is the law for all customers to recieve statements blah blah blah. WHAT??!!

I dunno what to do.... Im getting so stressed over this, im not an impatient person but I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO??!

2ba3c

Change banks, I really would! (if you can) Or write to the CEO, if you can find their email address, paper address? :-/

I had a problem with British Gas once, whereby they were completely unable to set up a direct debit - and the scanario was pretty much as above.

After countless phone calls, emails, etc, I FINALLY (luckily) got through to someone in Customer Services who truly wanted to help. It turns out there was a technical glitch on their system which mean that everytime I called and request a direct debit, days letter it set itself back again. They had to cancel my account and start a new one in the end and it took a further 2 weeks to resolve.

But I would have just moved, because the stress wasnt worth it! I found with every letter, every phone call I got more and more irate and it wasn't worth it!

Smurphxx

I did write to the CEO,
I have considered it, but I want to stay with halifax. Besides this problem I like Halifax as a bank
I KNOW there is a solution but I dont know why nobody can solve it for me?? And should I be entitiled to some sort of compensation for the phone calls and inconvenience??

2ba3c

Can you close THAT account with them and open a new one, in case it is the same issue as a computer glitch? Try propising that to them!

G51shopaholic

Seems to be a problem since they joined up with Lloyds TSB system - I'm paperfree but keep getting statements I don't want.
I asked about this in my local branch and it seems the systems are having teething problems.
I used to be able to go into my branch and hand over my bill for payment direct from my account, now BOS has joined Lloyds TSB, they want
me to fill out a withdrawl slip to pay the bill.
It seems they've stepped back in time.

YorkshireBoy

Smurphxx wrote: »

I have racked up phone bills calling their premium line number

Get them to call you...

http://www.halifax.co.uk/bankaccounts/callback.asp

after almost a year of phone calls and complaints.

Why haven't you referred the matter to the FOS? Unless they treated your complaint as a 'grumble', rather than a formal complaint?

molerat

Send them a letter headead in big bold "FORMAL COMPLAINT" outlining the problem with bullet points (not ramblings) of what has happened so far and asking for re-imbursement of your itemised phone calls. Give them 8 weeks to fix it to your satisfaction if not pass on to the FOS.

jambosans

lippy1923 wrote: »

by law send you a copy through the post, if there are charges.

What law?

HBOS used to do a fine job at sending all correspondence via Online, AFAIK the changes to charge and interest notification was due to integration with ye ole Lloyds.

@OP: I echo other's points, make a formal complaint. Your e-mail is far too ranty, and although I understand you want to articulate your frustration, there are more concise and short hand ways of doing this. A general outline of the situation, your frustrations, summarise with bullets and also list your "demands" (i.e. what you want*) is best. Take the time to write a letter, send it recorded delivery, and simply wait.

*Also, don't be coy about asking for compensation, e.g. call costs, etc. reimbursed are all things a complaints department will pay out as goodwill - just don't over egg it.

DrSyn

Change to another bank!

If they are unable to fix this problem after 6 months why waist time with them. What other problems will they be unable to fix later, which may cost you time, money and worry?

Smurphxx

Thanks, I appreciate all the advice.
I have referred the matter to the FOS, I sent a letter a couple of weeks ago.

I understand my e-mail seems ranty, I'm not really too sure about banking complaints procedure but thanks for letting me know the best ways to deal with it.

I rang them up today, after I resolved the security problem on my account in branch. I was on the phone for over 2 hours, probably 50% of the phone call I was on hold.

They initially offerred to fill out a fault form?? and get back to me, I said No I would like it solved here and now, I have been promised call backs and they never happen. So the man on the phone said, he has been told that there is no other solution, and he could offer me £10 re-imbersment. HA! TEN POUNDS?! I told him where to shove the ten pounds (politely) and said there must be a solution can you please put me through to a manager or a higher skilled advisor. He then put me on hold, come back to me and said: Halifax have sent you a few emails from the resolutions department which you should have replied to. This is the first I have EVER heard of the resolutions department, and I have never been asked to respond to any e-mails. He said well you have to reply to get the problem fixed. I insisted the problem should be solved in this phone call. He offerred to get a manager to call me back within two hours, once again I refused this because I didnt want to end the phone call, only to find I do not recieve a call and then I have ring halifax and start from square one explaining my problem for the 100th time!! So I said I would wait on the phone until a manager is free. Anyway, after about 20mins he went and got a manager. I was on hold for soooo long when the man got back to me and said, we are just going to switch the settings so that you recieve annual statements, rather than monthly ones. AAHHHH, I said and also I would like some form of compensation. Off he goes again for another ten minutes on hold and offers me £50 compensation. I accepted the £50, do you think this is fair compensation??

We will have to wait and see if the problem is truly fixed next month whether i recieve statements or not. Do you think that is fair?? I know the problem is quite trivial but I just want to be able to recieve the paper-free service most other customers recieve!!

Thanks again

pinkdalek

If it is a simple problem why not go into a branch and just do the job yourself?

It sounds like system issues with their current changeover with Lloyds.

They've had to make changes to their online banking which unfortunately means at the moment their paper free service has been withdrawn, does not mean it will not return though.

Banks are required under FSA regulations to send statements on accounts - either paper or electronic.

They will send you statements of any impending charges eg overdraft usage. Again a requirement.

If you don't want them, just shred them when you get them, at least you are getting statements, there is another post on here were someone is complaining that they are only getting statements quarterly rather than monthly.