£360 a year - Natwest won't freeze a/c in dispute

Agricolae

That sounds very much like Southampton Customer Service Centre.

Which department?

stclair

Agricolae wrote: »

That sounds very much like Southampton Customer Service Centre.

Which department?

Its a geographic number for Southamption CTC Press option 2 you get put through to Lending.

* there's a chance the number may get diverted to another CTC now wasnt southampton due to close or something!.

Yackm

Agricolae wrote: »

I'm not sure what the full story is here but it looks like someone at NatWest has made mistakes. The bank's policy is, as far as I know, to freeze an account immediately if one of the parties advises of a marital dispute. I do not know why they would have unfrozen it. Also, there are circumstances where only one signatory needs to sign in order to close a joint account.

There are several departments of the bank who would need to be consulted given that the issue has become more complex:
1. Mandates/Customer Records
2. Lending
3. Collections

This may be why the complaint keeps being passed around. Even so, that is not excusable.

If you have received a letter stating your Financial Ombudsman Referral rights then you are free to go to them for their independent adjudication.

However, it may be advisable to try getting Group Customer Relations on the case. Have you heard of executive complaints?

I have, though I'm not sure if I want to spend more time on this, we were contacted yesterday by a business accounts chap, but he said he dosen't know why it was passed to him, as the business account was already closed.

I also do not know why it was unfrozen, they keep saying, oops joint account, need both signatures to close it.

That is the thing, we have had NO contact from Natwest, besides yesterdays phone call, which was from wrong person anyway.

Yackm

stclair wrote: »

Which number of the charter is that out of interest.

You need to get on the blower and call 023 8022 6443 press option 2 then option 4.

Advise them of the circumstances and they will be able to put a "No Operations Marker" on the account. It also might be worth while arranging for any credits into the account to go elsewhere.

Thank you very much!

Would it be better to have it paid off and to have them put a no-operations marker on it then?

I'm only worried, we do that, and they then just say oops, need both parties to do so....take it off, and the ex-husband just withdraws more cash.

I've lost quite a lot of trust in Natwest at the moment, I have my own account with them, and they have been fantastic with me, but my gf is in tears as basically she cannot do anything and is at the mercy of the Bank and her ex-husband

stclair

Yackm wrote: »

Thank you very much!

Would it be better to have it paid off and to have them put a no-operations marker on it then?

I'm only worried, we do that, and they then just say oops, need both parties to do so....take it off, and the ex-husband just withdraws more cash.

I've lost quite a lot of trust in Natwest at the moment, I have my own account with them, and they have been fantastic with me, but my gf is in tears as basically she cannot do anything and is at the mercy of the Bank and her ex-husband

You can request a no operations marker and just come to some arrangement to pay off the overdraft as and when required. As its a joint account both parties will be liable for the debt regardless of who spent the money.

I would also arrange for and direct debits etc switched to another account etc. Lending are open now get the call made to put your mind at ease.

PS you could also ask for reducing overdraft so for example on the first of every month it reduces by 50 quid until it gets to nil.

Agricolae

Southampton is very much open - it escaped the chop. Plymouth and Liverpool were not so lucky.

Southampton now houses telephony service, sales and complaints. There are a few processing teams but they have mainly been absorbed into other departments or made redundant. I've never known the centre to deal with lending.

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Regardless, the OP needs to get a no operations marker put back on the account. If this hasn't been done properly then either there is some underlying reason or someone cocked up.

stclair

Agricolae wrote: »

Southampton is very much open - it escaped the chop. Plymouth and Liverpool were not so lucky.

Southampton now houses telephony service, sales and complaints. There are a few processing teams but they have mainly been absorbed into other departments or made redundant. I've never known the centre to deal with lending.

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Regardless, the OP needs to get a no operations marker put back on the account. If this hasn't been done properly then either there is some underlying reason or someone cocked up.

I'm not based in Southampton I'm based in the north west!!

I never post the 0845 numbers on here I like to keep the cost down for posters being money saving and all that lol

Yackm

Thanks everyone,

We waited another week to see if Natwest will call (and with all the issues that have happened with their IT infrastructure) My gf will call today, explain the issue and hopefully they will do something about it, at the very least set up an arrangement to pay off the debt whilst at the same time put on a no-operations market.

Thanks again!

pmduk

It's ironic, both non-geographic numbers I use for Natwest are for centres that are now closed, the Liverpool and Southampton ones.