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

puddings_2

A quick tip: If you receive a cheque where your name is wrong or spelt differently from that on your bank account (for example if it's payable to Betty but on your bank account you're named Elizabeth) then you might find that the bank cashier will refuse to pay it into your account. If that happens use the automatic cheque deposit machines - the machine "reads" the value of the cheque but doesn't verify that the name matches the account holder.

Cheers
Ted
(or Edward as I'm known in the Halifax)

Tootsie_Roll wrote: »

Hmm....So in effect bite the hand that feeds you, open yourself up for gross misconduct and generally behave in a very dishonorable way.

Money saving ???

"Tootsie Roll" is an anagram of OTIOSE TROLL - how appropriate.
Otiose is an adjective meaning "with no practical purpose". We all know what a troll is!

regularsaver1

Paul_Herring wrote: »

Is the salary of a bank employee that bad??!?

lol cashiers don't really get that much once taxed

but my quote about the £1000 a month funding requirement scrapped is more that you can have more than one account - or use different banks if you want and still get the staff rate one

dawnrazor101

I am a branch manager with Lloyds TSB - am thoroughly p****d off with the bank and what it stands for. Top management now refer to our branches as 'Stores', which indicates the hard sell direction that the bank has moved in. Staff dissatisfaction my area is at an all time high, as is turnover of staff. Sales targets are at all time highs, and branch staff are put on performance improvement and threatened with dismissal for not hitting them. With this pressure comes the temptation to mis-sell products, which to my knowledge is rife. Here are my 2 cents to avoid being a victim.

Marketing Permissions - The bank is desparate to sell you its products and has currently been offering a financial incentive to its branches in my area to achieve targets for changing customers marketing permissions (i.e. if you have previously said you do not want to be contacted by telephone for marketing purposes). They are getting staff to override these marketing preferences by getting them to ask such questions as "If there was anything wrong with your account would you want us to tell you about it?" and other such vague statements. Being contacted for outbound sales calls is obviously not mentioned as the customer would more often than not say no! Little do these customers know they are setting themselves up for a barrage of telemarketing calls, all disguised as "customer service" issues. My tip here is say NO! If anything is wrong with your account the bank has a legal obligation to contact you whether you opt in or out of marketing calls.

Telemarketing

Telephone requests for 'Service reviews' or 'Account reviews' may be received. Don't be fooled by the service element mentioned. If you have been selected for one of these calls, service is the last thing on the bank's mind. Your account has been performance scored, and selected on the basis that you are eligible to be sold several products, typically personal loans, credit cards, or to upgrade to a fee paying current account. If you wish to run the gauntlet of a pushy sales advisor who is under pressure to achieve large sales targets then say yes to the call! Otherwise decline, and don't be afraid to ask for a marketing restriction to be put on your account. Legally, the bank cannot contact you for marketing purposes once this has been done.


Personal Lending

The bank is currently doing a lot of refinancing of its own credit card debt. Whilst in a lot of cases this is cheaper, its personal loan rate for refinancing is typically at least 2% higher than its lending rate for new borrowing. Don't be afraid to shop around and look for a lower interest rate before committing.


Beware Hidden Fees

Seemingly as a result of having to refund bank charges to customers previously overcharged, from next week Lloyds TSB has raised some of its charges for other services. The charge for writing out a bankers cheque/draft has doubled from £10 to £20 (bear in mind some financial institutions do not make a charge for this service), and the charge for Same day payments (CHAPS payments) has gone up from £20 to £30. If you read the spin the bank has put on this, they say it is to 'reflect the true cost we incur in providing these facilities'. I leave you to make your own minds up whether you believe this, but the office of fair trading warned against banks doing this in order to make back lost income on bank charges.....

Be Aware

Whenever you have an interaction with the bank remember all non sales staff have referral and/or sales targets and are paid for every successful referral and sales they make, and can also face disciplinary action for not hitting these targets. The pressure to sell throughout the network is intense. Don't be afraid to say no!

To finish, there are a lot of decent hard working people working for Lloyds TSB, who have a thankless job, striving to achieve impossible sales targets. My comments are not meant to detract from these people, but unless customers vote with their feet and say enough is enough, then I fear things are only going to get worse.

cocopops_4

I work for HSBC bank, In the Premier department, so luckily I have missed all the bank charge phenominon, as our customers very rarely get charged.

I also deal with credit cards, and very often deal with late payment and interest refund requests, If the customer explains their situation, I will gladly refund them, at the end of the day, the money isnt coming out of my pocket. However If they are rude and obnoxious, I will think twice about helping them, as I deal with too much aggro from customers who think you are the scum of the earth.

So the rule of thumb is be nice to the staff, they will help you if u r kind!

thebyp

smithja wrote: »

Hi

Can anyone who works for LloydsTSB tell me what if there are minimum requirements for a Gold Service Current Account. I am being offered a Select and Silver Account at the moment but no Gold although I have only had the account since 1 March.

I have been led to beleive where you live can affect your credit score, as I know someone with little income but a "good" postcode getting far more from the bank (offer of loans, credit card, account upgrades) than someone with a "bad" postcode but a much higher salary.

James

its based on your account throughflow.

FYI
Can i please remind everybody who has posted here about any of the policies of your employer that you are releasing internal policies which is in breach of your contracts. If you choose to do this it is up to you, but please just bear in mind it counts as gross misconduct for at least four of the big lenders, as such you are liable to loose your job with no recourse (unless anything you reveal is illegal).

mikeyboy

Hello,

I am a customer of Barclays Bank, and have been with them for coming up 3 years. I have a graduate account.

Since opening the account i have never been over my overdraft limit, the account sees at least £2500 a month in wages going though it, my credit files are fine. I also have a barclays savings account with £1500 in it.

However... I applied for a loan 4 months ago and was rejected.... I applied for a Graduate Barclaycard and was rejected etc etc. Even though the account it run well, and my credit files are fine!!! I cannot understand it!


I graduated in 2001, but my account is still badged as a "graduate account" doesnt this change to a standard account? I cannot establish why they wil not offer me extra facilities, in my eyes i am a great client!!

Any ideas on how i get them to investigate my account and see whats happening...?

thebyp

mikeyboy wrote: »

Hello,

I am a customer of Barclays Bank, and have been with them for coming up 3 years. I have a graduate account.

Since opening the account i have never been over my overdraft limit, the account sees at least £2500 a month in wages going though it, my credit files are fine. I also have a barclays savings account with £1500 in it.

However... I applied for a loan 4 months ago and was rejected.... I applied for a Graduate Barclaycard and was rejected etc etc. Even though the account it run well, and my credit files are fine!!! I cannot understand it!


I graduated in 2001, but my account is still badged as a "graduate account" doesnt this change to a standard account? I cannot establish why they wil not offer me extra facilities, in my eyes i am a great client!!

Any ideas on how i get them to investigate my account and see whats happening...?

a graduate account is just a type of account, a brand if you will. it doesn't differ in fom to any other account in any way other than the 'features' you get.

in regards to your credit issue, you say you are fine. what do you base this on? do you have a copy of your credit file(s) for example?

complete_banker

I work for Barclays.... it always makes me laugh when customers get really irrate because you don't give them the answer they want to hear (because of course the customer is always right).... then they play their master card..... OMG, they threaten to close their account.

Like I care!!

Just like the Tesco tips thread, do you think if you have a greivance with Tesco and threaten never to shop their again, do consumers really think that the worker on the till being paid £10k a year gives a stuff??

Its no secret that banks charge customers for going overdrawn without an agreement. If I took money from you without asking permission, wouldn't you be just a little upset? Banks are commercial organisations that are in the business of making a profit. If you dont want to pay charges, don't spend more than you own, simple.

Get even, play them at their own game, use Martins Money Tips to spot the deals. Open accounts for the freebies, then close them soon as you've pocketed the cash. Now who's the loser?

mikeyboy

thebyp wrote: »

a graduate account is just a type of account, a brand if you will. it doesn't differ in fom to any other account in any way other than the 'features' you get.

in regards to your credit issue, you say you are fine. what do you base this on? do you have a copy of your credit file(s) for example?

Hi,

Yes i have checked my credit files, all payments on time, no defaults, no ccjs etc.

I have £200 overdraft, hardly ever use it. Never had a cheque bounce etc etc.

I just dont understand it, i would have thought i would be a good risk for a bank, graduate earning good money etc etc. I also have bought my own house, got a mortgage, all up to date!

:-(

thebyp

so do you have your mortgage & a credit card and thats it? anything else in the past?

You may just be the victim of a low information profile.