Minister demands HSBC/Santander Post Office access

Stuart_W

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14970109

It seems that the Consumer Minister, Ed Davey MP, is asking HSBC and Santander to allow cash withdrawals from post offices.

Is it just me, or are all aspects of government determined to look like they are trying to tell the banks what to do?

What about the many other banking providers that don't allow post office access? Why single out these two?

Santander screwed over many ex-girobank customers by scrapping post office access - anyone that needed it would have surely walked then. They made a conscious business decision. Customers need to make a conscious consumer decision. There is plenty of choice out there.

As far as I am aware, no one is being forced to bank with HSBC or Santander. If you don't get what you want from your bank, move. I did.

I'm often stuck in little villages with no bank so personally value post office access - but given that locally to me even car parks and buses take smart card payments, debit card payments for small amounts are acceptable in local shops, cash access is becoming less and less important.

No doubt, give it a decade, and ministers will have got some regulations together about compulsory cash access by the time that cash is all but totally redundant.

JacksterD

Ed Davey's demands that HSBC and Santander allow customers to bank at the Post Office is fairly meaningless. As you said, if someone wants to bank at the Post Office it's not too difficult to switch to a bank which does allow you to bank at the Post Office.

For some reason, over the last few years the Lib Dems have decided to talk about Post Offices an awful lot. I feel quite let down to be honest - even though we have a Post Office-loving Lib Dem in charge of Postal Services, the Government is still pushing ahead with a little known scheme known as Post Office Main and Post Office Local. Basically, any new Post Office will be opened under these new schemes and they incorporate a new payment scheme for SubPostmasters. It used to be that they were given a core payment simply for running a Post Office and providing the community with an essential service, and they also got a small amount for every transaction carried out at the counter. These new schemes abolish the core payment and slightly increase the transaction payments - so in the future all SubPostmaster income will come purely from pushing products.

So basically, if you think PO Counter Clerks already hassle you too much when you're just trying to post a letter, it's about to get a whole lot worse.

System

Am I missing something ?

According to the Post Office's website, HSBC and Santander bank customers can get Cash from the Post Office using their Card and PIN.

The same website also shows that Santander bank customers can get their balance and also pay money in.

So, either the news story is wrong or the Post Office website is wrong.

alanq

You've missed something.

Current Accounts
Santander - Only current accounts opened with Alliance And Leicester before July 2010 can withdraw.

HSBC - Cannot withdraw.


Basic Bank Accounts

Santander - Only current accounts opened with Alliance And Leicester before July 2010 can withdraw.

HSBC - Can withdraw

http://www2.postoffice.co.uk/counter-services/counter-money-services/using-your-bank-account/which-bank-accounts

As others have said if the bank one is with does not provide a required service then one should move to one that does. It seems rich for the government to be telling banks to provide a Post Office service when governments have been responsible for taking many other services away from Post Offices and Post Office closures.

opinions4u

Perhaps this pointless Lib-Dem bank bashing will help HSBC decide to move its head office away from the UK.

Taking jobs and tax revenues with it.

When will politicians ever learn?

pmduk

He might be better telling the management of RBS, to sort out their their customer access via post offices, which I understand was originally promised for this month. So far, they've only managed basic bank accounts.

JacksterD

pmduk wrote: »

He might be better telling the management of RBS, to sort out their their customer access via post offices, which I understand was originally promised for this month. So far, they've only managed basic bank accounts.

They haven't actually managed anything yet - basic account access for RBS and Natwest customers has been available for a few years I think.