natwest are a disgrace

want2bmortgage3

i have banked with them since i was about 13 but now at 30 i have finally closed down my last current account with them.

they make a big deal about their customer charter, spending all this money on advertising but they can't compete with the other banks for customer service.

a few things:
-natwest online banking never allowed me to reduce my overdraft, which santander does, this meant i was stuck with £1000 overdraft that i wanted to reduce, it was a facility i didn't want but because it was there i kept using it
-every time i had to go to a natwest counter there is always a 5-10 minute queue
-to close my last current account i waited at the counter for 10-15 minutes while the cashier worked away (doing what i don't know) only to inform me i couldn't close it until i pay some interest i would owe on the next statement
-next visit to natwest to close this account (with the money i owed on me in cash) and i was sat down with a guy at a computer (which took 10 minutes to boot up and be ready to use) and he kept asking me questions about my finances and trying to sell me things and book me an appointment with an advisor i didn't want.
-when his computer eventually booted up, with a senior member of staff over his shoulder telling him what option to press, he told me to go to the counter and pay in the money (another 10 minute wait) then he would go upstairs to get a closing form for me to sign.
-after paying in the money i sat and waited with other customers, all the natwest staff except one lady had gone upstairs and she was taking names to put people in order of being seen.
-a name was called and then another customer got angry saying her name hadnt been taken. at the same time a man slammed a complaint form down on the information desk and walked out.
-it became apparent the members of staff were upstairs in an 'impromtu meeting' while the number of customers was rising.
-my name was called and i explained i am just here to close a current account and i was told i needed to sign a form which the guy had gone upstairs for. she told me to put my card in , pressed a few keys , i had to press yes on the keypad to confirm closure and that was that!
-so what should have taken 5 minutes took over an hour, to add to the imcompetence, i have recieved a voicemail about an appointment i made with an advisor (which i didn't) for a financial review!!!!!

stclair

Its a god job your closing your account then by the sounds of it...

Plus for your reference you can lower your overdraft limit online.

brokeinyorkshire

natwest online banking never allowed me to reduce my overdraft, which santander does, this meant i was stuck with £1000 overdraft that i wanted to reduce, it was a facility i didn't want but because it was there i kept using it

Why didn't you just pick up the phone and ask to cancel it???

Talk about blameshifting!!!

As for the other issues. Well why not just make a complaint through their online facility. I have done this myself and the complaint was dealt with as per their guidelines promptly and efficiently.

I agree that queues are a problem but it seems to be the same in all the banks in my town, not just Nat West.

I think you will find however that their Customer Service is streets ahead of the likes of Santander!!!

J

want2bmortgage3

I looked everywhere within online banking to find a way to change my overdraft but there were no options anywhere. on santander it was obvious and let me decrease it immediately.

I guess the branches vary but down here in Santander every time I have gone in there has been no queue at all. Every time in natwest there's at least 5 people in the queue already and only 1/2 cashiers dealing with them, even though there are about 8 different counters.

tagq2

So we can conclude that there is more than one branch per bank and some branches are better staffed and better managed than others.

Anecdotes along the lines of, "My branch of Bank Inc. in Lameton is great/rubbish!" therefore aren't indicative unless the reader also lives in Lameton.

opinions4u

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

natwest online banking never allowed me to reduce my overdraft, which santander does, this meant i was stuck with £1000 overdraft that i wanted to reduce, it was a facility i didn't want but because it was there i kept using it

So you're a bit weak willed. Unable to pick up the phone to ask / sort it out and silly enough to spend what you didn't really want to spend.

-every time i had to go to a natwest counter there is always a 5-10 minute queue

Try varying the time of day you visit, or even the day of the week you visit.

-to close my last current account i waited at the counter for 10-15 minutes while the cashier worked away (doing what i don't know) only to inform me i couldn't close it until i pay some interest i would owe on the next statement

Probably trying to find out what was needed ahead of closure.

-next visit to natwest to close this account (with the money i owed on me in cash) and i was sat down with a guy at a computer (which took 10 minutes to boot up and be ready to use) and he kept asking me questions about my finances and trying to sell me things and book me an appointment with an advisor i didn't want.

Like it or not, that's what banks do.

-so what should have taken 5 minutes took over an hour, to add to the imcompetence, i have recieved a voicemail about an appointment i made with an advisor (which i didn't) for a financial review!!!!!

Complain and specifically ask for compensation. You'll get £25.

chanz4

I just wrote to my local branch to close my nw joint account.

ecraig

So in essence you're saying that Natwest is a disgrace because when you kept going into your overdraft due to poor money management, you chose to visit the branch at when it is regrettably busy/low staffed, you chose to remain in the queues where you had to wait at a couple of desks to close your account and settle your debt? And at the same time this terrible bank were investing money into training a new member of staff?

Waiting in queues is all part of the process of being a customer. You could compare this any other type of retailing - the fact that the staff had a meeting during your visit could've been for any reason - ie these staff could've missed an earlier briefing about 'the brand new fantastic way to close customer accounts using the branch chip and pin machine once debts are settled'...

At least it's closed now. You can take your business to any other retail bank, but don't expect staff levels to always be high and customer volumes to be always low.

want2bmortgage3

why shouldn't i expect staff levels to be sufficient when this bank puts out so many tv ads about its wonderful customer charter and all the things they are doing to serve their customers, when they cant get the basics right? surely on a friday afternoon around 3-4pm all but one member of staff should not be called for an impromptu meeting when there are customers to serve. the meeting should wait!

steve1980

I'm not with Natwest, but my brother was, and the queues in the branch were absolutely horrendous, no matter what time of the day you went in. Always only 2 or three cashiers on whilst there were 15+ people waiting.