Lloyds TSB - Are all of their branches this bad?

Kilty_2

Opened an under 19's current account (despite one of the staff wrongly trying to convince me that the card for it is Visa Electron when it's not).

Went into branch today to request a cheque book (as it states you can do in the brochure they gave me when I opened the account)

Woman was adamant that I could not get a cheque book until I was 18. Asking to make an appointment with the manager seemed to magically make the option to order me a cheque book appear on her screen.... an option which she insisted was not there until I requested to see the manager.

Do all Lloyds TSB branches have such misinformed staff who don't have a clue about the products they are selling? (After all, they are a business selling a service, not doing so for the goodness of the customers). In any other retail industry a workforce who knows nothing about the product would be corporate suicide.

crawley_girl

Kilty wrote:

Do all Lloyds TSB branches have such misinformed staff who don't have a clue about the products they are selling?

Yeah, just about sums up Lloyds!

[Deleted User]

All I use LloydsTSB now for is use of their free cash machines in the foyer (nice and warm ) since A&L don't have a branch in my town.

Kilty_2

See, my local branch doesn't even have an ATM in the foyer, just one outside

someone

well, you know, i have asked in the past for a cheque book and they have said no (under 19's current account). They told me I cant get one until i was 18. Was the only thing stopping me moving all my banking to them, so i guess it was there loss

Kilty_2

Heh, should've asked to speak to the manager..

Depends how long ago it was though, I get the impression that there has been some recent changes to the account that the staff haven't been told about, I mean they have offered Visa Debit for at least 6 months now and the staff tried to convince me it was Electron.

It definately says in the brochure I was handed (aimed at those aged 16+ opening the account) that you can request a cheque book at any time you wish.

jonesMUFCforever

Whether it is called Electron or Visa debit it is essentially the same card (and performs as such).
A full Visa debit card has 3 functionalities ie a cheque guarantee card, a Cashpoint card and a Visa debit. The full card can be used everywhere you see a Visa sign.
The U 19 card is a 2 in 1 Debit card (no cheque guarantee facility) and it is a control card in that every transaction is checked to available balance before a transaction is authorised.
There was a poster on another board throwing a hissy fit because this type of card would not work with South Western trains automated ticket machines.This is because these machines do not have access to a terminal to check balances and therefore transactions will not work. This is similar to the way that Electron cards worked.
To answer OP yes you can request a cheque book at 16 but bear in mind you have no cheque guarantee facility so the places who will accept your cheque is very limited.
Let me know if you require any more information.

Hazzanet

Kilty wrote:

Heh, should've asked to speak to the manager..

Depends how long ago it was though, I get the impression that there has been some recent changes to the account that the staff haven't been told about, I mean they have offered Visa Debit for at least 6 months now and the staff tried to convince me it was Electron.

It definately says in the brochure I was handed (aimed at those aged 16+ opening the account) that you can request a cheque book at any time you wish.

I had a cheque book and a cheque guarantee card at 16 from Lloyds. That's when a cheque guarantee was a separate £50 card from the cashcard... no electron back then!

Kilty_2

ejones999 wrote:

The U 19 card is a 2 in 1 Debit card (no cheque guarantee facility) and it is a control card in that every transaction is checked to available balance before a transaction is authorised.

True, but I'm not going to have certain online retailers not accepting my card because it will show up on their merchant system as Visa Debit / Delta.

To answer OP yes you can request a cheque book at 16 but bear in mind you have no cheque guarantee facility so the places who will accept your cheque is very limited.

Yeah, I know that, going to be using cheques solely to purchase from small businesses who don't accept cards

Happy with the facilites, just wish the staff were better trained since that's what is making me dislike Lloyds after holding an account for a month.

jonesMUFCforever

Kilty wrote:

True, but I'm not going to have certain online retailers not accepting my card because it will show up on their merchant system as Visa Debit / Delta.


Yeah, I know that, going to be using cheques solely to purchase from small businesses who don't accept cards

Small businesses accept cheque without a cheque guarantee card?

Kilty_2

When purchasing from them via mail, yes