Halifax to force Self-Service on Cardcash & Easycash customers

Kazza242

From May 2005, Halifax Cardcash and Easycash account holders will not be allowed to use the branch counter to make deposits :mad:.

Instead you will have to use the Self-Service 'Express' Pay-In letterboxes or in (some branches only) you will be expected to use their 'Intelligent' Deposit machines.

Halifax says: "You'll be able to take money out of your account in the same number of days as paying it in over the counter. You can also continue to use most of our cash machines to make deposits".

BUT, doesn't it take longer for deposits made via the cash machine to be credited to an account? Surely, the speed with which self-service deposits are processed, depends on how often branch staff empty/process items posted to the Express Pay-In letterbox?

They will enforce these changes between 23rd May 2005 and 23rd August 2005, which suggests that they are 'testing the water' seeing how customers react to it. I think it's outrageous and I'll be writing a letter of complaint to Halifax about this. My Cardcash account is used mostly to fund my Halifax 7% regular saver account via an internal standing order, but even so, I'm still annoyed with Halifax. Yet again, a big bank ignores it's customers' needs in order to maximise profits, profits, profits :mad: .

moggins

Okay, the facts are that they are trying to slide this in under our noses. Basically they are starting a 'pilot scheme' where this will be tried out in a few branches and if it is successful then it will be implemented across the country.

The pilot scheme is being tried in London! Where I should imagine that quite a few people actually shove their cheques in slots anyway because of busy lives. So Halifax can then safely claim that it was a successful scheme.

They have already acknowledged that there will be some complaints about this as their telephone operators already have a complaint form for this purpose. So all I can suggest is if this gets your goat and makes you feel as much of a second class citizen as it did me then either phone their complaints department or write to their head office and lodge a formal complaint.

MarkyMarkD

There's no reason why items deposited in "self service" machines at branches should take any longer to clear. They should be emptied and processed each working day and therefore be cleared no slower than items paid in over the counter.

moggins

It shouldn't but in actual fact it frequently does, I'm forever nagging the other half about this as he sticks them in the box saying that he doesn't have time to queue at lunchtime to pay them over the counter.

He enquired and the box is emptied twice daily, once before lunch and once at close of day, which means if he banks the cheque in the box at lunchtime then it doesn't get put into the system until 5pm. If you pay it in over the counter before 3pm then it gets banked on that day, so if he pays a cheque in at 1pm it gets taken out of the box at 5pm and goes into the system on the next working day. As they have already changed cheque clearing times to 7 working days for Cashcard accounts this now means it will take 8 working days for a cheque to clear.

That's not entirely the point though, the Halifax have already stuffed their basic account customers in two ways over the last six months, changing the length of time for a cheque to clear and changing the debit cards from Solo which was accepted all over the internet and most other places to a Visa Electron which a lot of places don't accept.

It's a slap in the face to the customers who are stuck with these accounts, it's almost like saying because you don't warrant a higher account we really don't want to see your face at all. We'd rather give our time to customers with better resources than you have! I don't mind using the box if I don't have the time to queue, what I don't appreciate is being told I don't have a choice in the matter.

MarkyMarkD

Well, given what you are saying, the statement Halifax have sent to their customers saying that it makes no difference to clearing times is false. In which case, I'd write a complaint letter to that effect and report them to the Banking Ombudsman if they fail to do anything about it.

kazooki

Halifax have continually enforced changes on their "lower earning" customers who use the CardCash accounts.

I was a victim of the cheque clearing crap only this easter.

I paid a cheque in on the 24th March and it didn't clear until the 6th April.

As Easter weekend fell during this period, they said it takes 7 working days for the cheque to clear, they didn't process the cheque until the 25th March the next 2 days where Sat & Sun, then only 4 days for the next week as Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon where non working days making it the 6th April before it cleared. 13 days!

Needless to say, even though the cheque was due to clear the next day, and they probably still got 13 days interest out of me, they still refused a Standing Order and a Direct Debit I had, and charged me £74.00 for the priviledge.

..

On the Visa Electron/Solo thing, Electron is being accepted more and more, and just a thought, if when your ordering something, instead of looking for Visa Electron option, and if you don't see it giving up, try the Visa option.

I ordered a CD off amazon.com (USA) a little while ago, went to pay, and realized they didn't accept Electron like the UK one does. So I tried the Visa option. It went through no problem, I got my CD for £13.00 delivered from the US 3 months before it got released over here and in around 2 days!

This has since worked on many sites I have bought from.

Only once have I have been rejected.

frepol

Kazooki - I'm assuming you complained about this - especially if these were your first charges on the account.

jimmyjim_uk

I've had to wait 4 days for cash to clear into my current account when using the the deposit envelopes.

Its quite a lengthy process and there is more room for error which could make you wait even longer for your money to clear.

Is making large deposits is it safe trying to put a wedge of cash into an envelope on the high street?

If they make it a permanent feature, upgrade to a current account (if possible) or go to another bank that does let you pay money in over the counter.

Kazza242

jimmyjim_uk wrote:

I've had to wait 4 days for cash to clear into my current account when using the the deposit envelopes.

Its quite a lengthy process and there is more room for error which could make you wait even longer for your money to clear.

I thought that would be the case. Not being able to deposit funds over the counter is going to be a serious hindrance for me. I have to know when my deposits will be credited to my account, because this is how I fund my Halifax 7% regular savings account. I fund it a few working days before my internal standing order to my regular saver is collected. If deposits will now take 4 or more working days to be credited to my account, then this could stuff up my regular saver bigtime, as there may be insufficient funds to cover the SO because of the increased time it will take to credit my account.

jimmyjim_uk wrote:

Is making large deposits is it safe trying to put a wedge of cash into an envelope on the high street?

I'm worried about this too, as my deposits are never less than £250.

jimmyjim_uk wrote:

If they make it a permanent feature, upgrade to a current account (if possible) or go to another bank that does let you pay money in over the counter.

I might just have to try doing that. I've been an Halifax customer for over a year now and have quite a few £££ in my savings account. I don't want to have my salary paid into Halifax, but if I paid in, say £50 per month via SO, would I qualify for their 0.5% interest Current Account?

jimmyjim_uk

Kazza242 wrote:

I don't want to have my salary paid into Halifax, but if I paid in, say £50 per month via SO, would I qualify for their 0.5% interest Current Account?

Can't see why not. If you pass the Credit Check you can pay as little as you want into the current account. There might be a clause somewhere if an account is inactive for a certain time they have the right to close it. But saying that, my mate had the 0.5% current account. He opened it for the £100 interest free overdraft (don't think they offer that anymore) but never bothered to get his salary paid into it (he stuck with HSBC :eek: ). He even withdrew funds, I think he had a balance of -£50 for a year or so before Halifax started asking for money!!!

arzosahr

Kazza242 wrote:

From May 2005, Halifax Cardcash and Easycash account holders will not be allowed to use the branch counter to make deposits :mad:.

Instead you will have to use the Self-Service 'Express' Pay-In letterboxes or in (some branches only) you will be expected to use their 'Intelligent' Deposit machines.

Halifax says: "You'll be able to take money out of your account in the same number of days as paying it in over the counter. You can also continue to use most of our cash machines to make deposits".

BUT, doesn't it take longer for deposits made via the cash machine to be credited to an account? Surely, the speed with which self-service deposits are processed, depends on how often branch staff empty/process items posted to the Express Pay-In letterbox?

They will enforce these changes between 23rd May 2005 and 23rd August 2005, which suggests that they are 'testing the water' seeing how customers react to it. I think it's outrageous and I'll be writing a letter of complaint to Halifax about this. My Cardcash account is used mostly to fund my Halifax 7% regular saver account via an internal standing order, but even so, I'm still annoyed with Halifax. Yet again, a big bank ignores it's customers' needs in order to maximise profits, profits, profits :mad: .

Well if this is true then Halifax aren't too hot on letting their staff know! I work for the Halifax on the Counter and haven't been told anything about the suggested withdrawal of counter service on instant saver / easycash / cardcash - as far as i was aware it was only counter withdrawals that customers aren't able to do. The T&Cs of said accounts have always been that withdrawals should be done via atm / post office /etc, it just hasn't been actively enforced - now we're clamping down on this and referring customers to the T&Cs. :mad:

Regarding deposits - cheques are normally unaffected by atm deposit, it's only cash that clearing time is extended as staff have to empty the machine and check all the deposits manually - you'd be surprised how many problems there are with miscounting (empty envelopes for £1000 are popular!) and postdated or even unsigned cheques!!! :eek:

The express cheque deposit box (in our branch) is emptied daily and keyed on the same day, so ALL cheque box deposits go off with the days banking, NOT the following day - the cutoff time was 3pm up until august last year i believe, and has since changed.