Natwest- what a joke

MamaMoo_2

I went to use my new debit card in my card reader yesterday. It's about a week old, and I have been using it in shops, cash machines etc with no issues. However, upon attempting to set up a new payee online, I was told that my card was blocked for use.
I phoned up Natwest who then gave me several explanations for this, but eventually told me that their system had automatically set me up for an "online only" card, but no-one had bothered to send it out.
A little inconvenient, but I asked if I could set up a payee & make the payment over the phone. I was told yes.
As soon as I was put through to telephone banking, however, I was told that if a new Payee was set up today, they would not receive the money until Monday. I pointed out that about 3 weeks ago I set up a payee on my account and paid them, and the money was there seconds later. That was to my husbands account with Santander, this payment was to someone who banks with RBS! Apparently, this is because Natwest cannot perform adequate identity checks over the phone (?)
Then when I agreed to Monday's date (albeit extremely reluctantly) I was told I couldn't make a payment from my savings account. I asked them to tell me my last 3 transactions from my savings account. Two transfers to my Natwest current account, and one FP to my husband's Santander current account.
Regardless, they couldn't do this over the phone, and so I asked them to transfer the money over. Again, they couldn't do this. I had to put the phone down, transfer the money myself, and then call them back. Only then could they make a payment.
What sort of bank operates this way? How can their main call centre for telephone banking do less from there than I can do on my flipping iPhone? It's ridiculous.
Very unimpressed with Natwest...

jen245

I'm confused, are you trying to set up the payment from your current account or savings account? Which savings account do you have?

MamaMoo_2

jen245 wrote: »

I'm confused, are you trying to set up the payment from your current account or savings account? Which savings account do you have?

I originally tried to set it up from my e-saver, but then had to transfer the money into my current account, which wouldn't come out any sooner than Monday @

jen245

You can't make online payments from an e-savings account, unless its to another Natwest account in your name, or if its a joint account, the name of the other person on the account. Its in the T&Cs of the account. So you just transfer it into your current account, and set up the payment from there. Also depending on what time you tried to make the payment, Natwests systems automatically tick over to the next working day (I believe its after 6.30pm), so any payments made from the account or into the account after this time on a Friday, will be dated with Mondays date, although any fp out, will still credit the recipient account instantly

MamaMoo_2

jen245 wrote: »

You can't make online payments from an e-savings account, unless its to another Natwest account in your name, or if its a joint account, the name of the other person on the account. Its in the T&Cs of the account. So you just transfer it into your current account, and set up the payment from there. Also depending on what time you tried to make the payment, Natwests systems automatically tick over to the next working day (I believe its after 6.30pm), so any payments made from the account or into the account after this time on a Friday, will be dated with Mondays date, although any fp out, will still credit the recipient account instantly

Having made payments from my e-saver, I can promise you that it can be done. I have, on more than one occasion, paid my husband's Santander account (he is not named on my account) from my e-saver account.
Also, at 11am, being told that I couldn't make a payment until Monday, and that it would not l, user any circumstances go through as a FP is a bit crap, when I could do it online at 11pm if their systems hadn't blocked my card from the card reader for no reason whatsoever.

jen245

You must have an e-saver plus, that account does allow transfers to other accounts, e-savings doesnt. If you tried to make the payment at 11am I can't see any reason why it shouldn't have gone by fp, but it may work differently when using telephone banking. I always do it online, so have no experience with telephone banking. I guess its just one of those things really. Have they now sorted your card out?

Twister84

E-Savings are usually online-only accounts - you can only manage them online, and that includes money transfers. I know online when you make a payment to someone, it asks you what account you want to use. Online, this would list the accounts which are usable - this will include the e-savings - but in branch & on the phone, it probably wouldn't show up.

Regarding the FP, it may have something to do with the block put on your card.

YorkshireBoy

jen245 wrote: »

You must have an e-saver plus, that account does allow transfers to other accounts, e-savings doesnt.

I have an ordinary e-savings account, opened years ago, and up until last Autumn I was regularly making FPs from it to other banks outside the group.

Where is it mentioned in the T&Cs that I can't do this?

jen245

In the T &C booklet I have it says for the e-savings account

19.10 Withdrawals from from your account can be made:
(a) by electronic transfer to any Natwest account in your name ( or, if you hold the account jointly, to a Natwest joint account in the same names or a personal Natwest account of a party to the account); or
(b) by third party mandate to any other UK bank account.

19.11 Withdrawals will not be accepted by any other method

The section for the e-savings plus says direct payment to any UK bank account is allowed, so I assume OP has the e-savings plus

James129

I transfered 10k from Natwest e-savings account to Halifax web saver Saturday afternoon and it only took couple of seconds for savings to appear in the websaver account

noh

I too have a couple of ordinary e-savings accounts with Natwest and have always been able to make payments to any UK bank account.

From the FAQs for the account.
http://www.natwest.com/personal/savings/g1/instant-access/e-savings.ashx#16

"How do I make withdrawals?

Simply make an electronic payment from your e-savings account to any other UK bank account. To ensure your funds remain safe, you will need to use your card reader."



As other posters have said the account is online only therefore telephone or branch transfers are not possible.

For the new payee set up on the current account, via telephone, the first payment will most likely go by BACS rather than FP as a security measure.