Great 'Work in a bank? What should we know' Hunt

chambta

Kavanne wrote: »

I am a halifax customer and have tried at several branches to get change, even showing my card to prove I am a customer but they refuse to give me change. Luckily I have an RBS account and any Natwest or RBS branch WILL give me change!!

The only explanation I can think of is they don't deal with business customers generally but to me there's no excuse for that lack of basic service.

I had a year working in a Halifax call centre and the contempt shown for the customers by the majority of sales staff was staggering.

Kavanne

chambta wrote: »

The only explanation I can think of is they don't deal with business customers generally but to me there's no excuse for that lack of basic service.

Business customers? I only wanted change for a £20 note!!

ShelfStacker_3

chambta wrote: »

What you say about finding an account and paying into it not being allowed due to data protection is not true at all. Read the data protection act and you'll see nothing that could even be interpreted as covering what you say. As long as no information is revealed there is no problem whatsoever with doing this.

^^ this. It's a common query. I'd imagine paying in to the account would be fine, however giving out the account details themselves is a MASSIVE no-no.

You would honestly be surprised how many people try to get their wife/"wife"s balance or cash their "wife"/wife's cheques. Common sense? Nah.

cloudstrife_2

We where once a Building Society and I guess this is where some these things might still be around (coin, cash limits etc.). With the cash limits - its also for security I guess - think of it logically why hold up a bank with hardly any cash in it when the one across the road has more?!

As for the data protection, I have worked in 3 branches now which suprisingly all do things slightly differently but this rule has always been the same. We cannot simply look up the details of a customer unless they are stood in front of us (well telephone too is okay but still couldn't divulge any info to the person stood at the counter). I guess Halifax are simply taking the DPA and taking it a step further to reduce any possibilty of account details being inadvently handed over (such as a receipt which would show the account number & sort code or roll number).

As for change - if you mean taking in coin to give you notes this should be no prob and sometimes the 5 bag limit is not applied however some branches like the credit and debit made to the till actually being done through and account to have a trace of whats happened. As for notes being changed to coin again this should be no problem however business customers have priority and its actually better for us to get rid of as much coin as possible as it costs less to ship it out of the branch!!

Oh and shelfstacker that happens with us too 'its only my wifes account', still we can't tell you the balance!

Cloud

Kavanne

cloudstrife wrote: »

As for notes being changed to coin again this should be no problem

Can you please tell this to the Above Bar Street branch in Southampton? To be honest? They are terrible. Staffed by some of the dopiest women I've ever encountered. Sorry if you work there!!

chambta

cloudstrife wrote: »

We where once a Building Society and I guess this is where some these things might still be around (coin, cash limits etc.). With the cash limits - its also for security I guess - think of it logically why hold up a bank with hardly any cash in it when the one across the road has more?!

As for the data protection, I have worked in 3 branches now which suprisingly all do things slightly differently but this rule has always been the same. We cannot simply look up the details of a customer unless they are stood in front of us (well telephone too is okay but still couldn't divulge any info to the person stood at the counter). I guess Halifax are simply taking the DPA and taking it a step further to reduce any possibilty of account details being inadvently handed over (such as a receipt which would show the account number & sort code or roll number).

As for change - if you mean taking in coin to give you notes this should be no prob and sometimes the 5 bag limit is not applied however some branches like the credit and debit made to the till actually being done through and account to have a trace of whats happened. As for notes being changed to coin again this should be no problem however business customers have priority and its actually better for us to get rid of as much coin as possible as it costs less to ship it out of the branch!!

Oh and shelfstacker that happens with us too 'its only my wifes account', still we can't tell you the balance!

Cloud

It's quite simple. Don't give a receipt to the person paying it in!

Companies using the lazy excuse of 'data protection' really annoy me.

cloudstrife_2

Kavanne - its not good that you have had problems - with coin the only other thing to mention is Halifax branches simply cannot order it in like notes. This means we rely on customers depositing coin first to then give it out and if its a small branch its not easy espec if you have regualr business orders for coin too. I know in our small branch we actually could not even supply our own business customers with the usual orders once!! And I have been know to plead other banks to hand over their £5 notes before!!

But if they have it available they should be able to provide it and if its only £20 well I would have thought the cashier would have had it in their till's coin bag or the till itself!!

Cloud

cloudstrife_2

Chambta - I certaintly do not use it as a lazy excuse (others might, agreed) - when you have the threat of court action and fines etc against you personally you just have to follow the rules given to you. And yes true, don't give them the receipt is what I would do if I did do it, but hey thems the rules!

chambta

cloudstrife wrote: »

Chambta - I certaintly do not use it as a lazy excuse (others might, agreed) - when you have the threat of court action and fines etc against you personally you just have to follow the rules given to you. And yes true, don't give them the receipt is what I would do if I did do it, but hey thems the rules!

I wasn't referring to you specifically. But if those genuinely are the Halifax's rules then they are silly and plain wrong.

cloudstrife_2

Oh I gathered that it was not at me personally, just a little rant, apologies. I am actually going to double check tomorrow with the paying in rules as it did once cross my mind that logically I could not be doing anything wrong if nothing is actually given to the person in front of me (for example today a mum wanted to pay into her 7 yr olds account which was in the childs name only but had forgotten the account details and I had to turn her away :-( )Could just be scare tactics from the bosses!!