Super service NOT

Apreciar

Having three savings accounts with the bonus finishing at the end of the month I decided to approach Britania BS as they have one of the current best rates. I have always used internet accounts but was prepared to try this branch account, why did I bother? Called into the branch today to be told that the earliest anyone could see me is in one weeks time exactly. One week just to see someone and then take ID etc for them to fill in the form for me and then wait for the account to be opened. Think I will stick to internet accounts, open in ten minutes with no delay, transfer when I want without messing about in branches.

Miji

Typical. Co op - Britannia this is the reason for the mess they in. They cannot even accept new customers in a timely manner, just drive them away.

bowlhead99

As a generalisation, many banks don't want to make their highest paying products their most easily available. Anything that has you physically go into a branch may give them more of a hook to sell you other 'service opportunities' rather than imply you're a dispassionate internet savvy customer who will dump them in a heartbeat for a better rate a couple of clicks away.

So, a branch connection might allow them to pay you more out of their marketing budget, in the same way that banks offer high rates of interest (much better than savings accounts) on limited amounts in their current accounts if you meet their terms and conditions.

How good is the branch account? I was looking at the Britannia rates online on the Co Op site and the best they seemed to have was 1.4 on a limited withdrawal account which wasn't significantly better than anything else out there (Tesco is 1.35 and you can withdraw as often as you like). But it had an Apply Online button so I guess you're talking about some special branch-only one?

The fixed rate bonds weren't exactly market leading either, at 1.55, 1.8 or 2% on 1,2,3 year fixes compared to someone like Aldermore at 1.75, 2, 2.7% for the same time periods.

Arthurian

I applied online for this last week. You can either apply online or go into a branch. However, having gone through the online form, it then tells you to print it out at home, sign it, and post it to them (freepost). Then they will go through their security checks, and then they will contact you by post to let you know if they have been able to open an account for you. I'm still waiting, of course. Not sure whether to just open a different account online in minutes, or carry on waiting.

Thrugelmir

Apreciar wrote: »

why did I bother?

Use of branches is diminishing across the whole spectrum of financial services. So banks aren't going to employ staff to sit around doing nothing.

Just like the people that complain when there local pub closes. When asked if they frequent the pub regularly the answer is no.

If you don't use it then you'll lose it.