Abbey National – appalling customer service for bereaved people

Annie_Get_Your_Gun_4

I want people who have accounts with Abbey to know just how difficult it’s going to be for their families to get money after their death, especially if that money is needed to pay funeral expenses and the funeral director is chasing them for payment.

Here I am more than 2 calendar months since Abbey received the required documentation and no money!

My Mother passed away in September 2006 and I am trying to administer her Estate, but am being severely hampered by the incompetence of Abbey’s Probate Department.

On 5 January 2007 I took the Grant of Probate etc. to Northern Rock, Barclays and Abbey for them to send to their respective Probate Departments.

Northern Rock and Barclays cheques were received on 20 and 26 January 2007 respectively.

ABBEY IS ANOTHER STORY, AS FOLLOWS:

When I took the documents into the Basingstoke branch of Abbey I was asked to sign a form for each account in order to close them. The paperwork was then sent to their Probate Department which they received on 8 January 2007.

Having heard nothing from Abbey, I telephoned their Probate Department (tel. 0845 600 6025) on 16 January which, of course, was a call centre and was told that it would take “about another 10 working days before the documents would be logged onto their system as they had a backlog”.

I didn’t like that answer, so I rang again and spoke to Leigh who told me to ring her back on 19 January.

I rang on 19 January and spoke to Elouise who didn’t know who Leigh was! Elouise told me documents received on 2 January were being processed that day and I should ring again the following week.

Rang again on 24 January and spoke to Amanda who said documents received up to 3 January were being processed and to ring back on Friday, 26 January.

Rang Friday, 26 January – was told to ring back on Monday, 29 January.

Rang Monday, 29 January and spoke to Sandra who said the documents would be logged on the system by close of business that day and I should ring back on Tuesday, 30 January and they would be able to tell me when I should be receiving a cheque.

Rang on 30 January and spoke to Amanda who said the documents weren’t on the system and I should ring back at the end of the week. I said this was not good enough and was taking far too long, but was met with silence at the other end of the phone.

My brother rang the Probate Department on 1 February to be told the documents were being returned to me for him to sign as they need the signatures of both Executors and I should have been told that when I took the documents into the Basingstoke branch on 5 January 2007! My brother asked if the requirement for the signatures of all Executors was a legal requirement and was told it was not, just Abbey’s own policy. He told Abbey it was unacceptable that they had held onto the documents for a month before advising us of their error and that he wanted to speak to a Manager. Of course, they were all busy, but he was told a manager would ring him back by close of business the next day (2 February) – and he is still waiting! My brother got the number for Abbey’s complaints department, rang them and gave them the details of our complaint, but we’ve heard nothing from them either – surprise, surprise!!!

6 February - No documents received, so I phoned Abbey again and spoke to Amanda who told me the documents had been sent to my brother’s address, not mine as my brother was told by Alistair last week. As my brother is not living in his own house at present he had to go there to retrieve the documents.

If they make the cheque payable to both Executors, why is it necessary to have both signatures?

This incompetence is causing us financial hardship as we have to maintain my Mother’s house until it is sold, I am unemployed and my brother is self employed.

I think people should know about Abbey’s excuse of a backlog of work which they are using to hold onto people’s money far longer than is acceptable so they can get interest on it and their disregard for the additional stress and upset they are causing people who are grieving. I would also like to highlight their incompetence and ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude.

THE FINAL IRONY IS – MY BROTHER AND I ARE ABBEY SHAREHOLDERS!!!
:mad:

Jayar

What a dreadful tale. If I were you I would send the whole sorry saga for the personal attention of the chairman. Is it still Lord Burns?

CharleneUK

That is god awful, I'm sorry (hugs)

My nan had similar problems with Abbey when my grandad died November 2006, but I'd rather not go into it, as it'll just bring back all those horrible memories.

Sorry for the drama SHAbbey caused you, and for your loss.

x

alias7

Hi Annie,

I very nearly daren't say this, but I work for Abbey as a mortgage advisor.

Working in the company I've learnt that some people are just useless, and it seems that this just might be the case. Nobody in my building deals with any of the things you have described, but wherever they are, it sounds like they are running a complete shambles of a department.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation, but not all of Abbey are incompetent fools.

Abbey shares have doubled in the past three years, so hopefully you will have made some form of benefit from that!

Good luck with everything.

spacenase

Hi,

Something that often works with other companies is to find the name of the Chief Executive or whoever is at the top of the tree and write a letter of complaint to them. Although the main man doesn't deal with it directly, they often have a team who will take a complaint of this type seriously and make an extra effort to help. I don't know if this will work with Abbey though.

KEITH