Its getting worse

shown73

So, off I go today to my local HSBC, been with them since it was Midland Bank, to pay in a cheque, simple enough. Only thing was, it was made out in Canadian dollars, which I have done several times before. Most transactions use the machines in the foyer, but I'm a wee bit mistrustful as it is not entirely straightforward, so I go to the counter. Handed over cheque and pay in slip, asked a question about filling it in, got a blank look. Oh well. Then girl gave me the paying in slip back, kept the counterfoil. Queried that, oh yes sorry, then calmly informed me that it would take six weeks to clear. Thought I hadn't heard right, but yes I had. Why six weeks? Its the holidays apparently. Pointed out that it usually only takes a week or so, bad enough as far as I'm concerned. Well, that's the maximum apparently, probably won't actually take that long. Bloody right it won't!!!
Will all go through smoothly? I can only hope. Not the first time lately I've had to deal with a young girl who obviously doesn't have a clue. Last time, other young girl, such a heavy accent I eventually gave up and left. That was just to query an ISA.
Not just moaning for the sake of it. Its come to something when even the banks cant be trusted with just the basics. Not just being sexist either, just seem to be mainly young girl staff now. Cheap??

mandragora_2

shown73 wrote: »

Then girl gave me the paying in slip back, kept the counterfoil. Queried that, oh yes sorry, then calmly informed me that it would take six weeks to clear. T
Will all go through smoothly? I can only hope. Not the first time lately I've had to deal with a young girl who obviously doesn't have a clue. Last time, other young girl, such a heavy accent I eventually gave up and left. That was just to query an ISA.
Not just moaning for the sake of it. Its come to something when even the banks cant be trusted with just the basics. Not just being sexist either, just seem to be mainly young girl staff now. Cheap??

Well, as long as it's not just sexism, then, that's ok.

grumbler

shown73 wrote: »

...Then girl .... calmly informed me that it would take six weeks to clear. ... that's the maximum apparently... Not just being sexist either, just seem to be mainly young girl staff now. Cheap??

So, how is it a fault of the young staff in a branch that the procedure can take so long?
Is it the girl that does all the job?
Should she have promised you 1 week only to be blamed later for misinforming you if it took longer?

w00519772

The banks have processes and procedures. Staff just follow them. It does not matter whether it is a young woman or an experienced member of staff.

colsten

Cashing foreign cheques is notoriously time consuming. If you want to receive your funds quicker, you should ask the originator of the payment to use an electronic transfer, either using the bank's electronic transfer service or one of the many specialist currency transfer services which you can google for https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=currency+transfer+comparison&oq=currency+transfer+comparison&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.9859j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

It is rather uncalled for to rant about young girls and their accents.

PeacefulWaters

shown73 wrote: »

then calmly informed me that it would take six weeks to clear. Thought I hadn't heard right, but yes I had. Why six weeks? Its the holidays apparently. Pointed out that it usually only takes a week or so, bad enough as far as I'm concerned. Well, that's the maximum apparently, probably won't actually take that long. Bloody right it won't!!!

Serious question. Let's say it's now 12th January and there's still no sign of the funds. What are you going to do about it? What do you expect the bank to do about when it's not actually something they will be able to influence?

Not the first time lately I've had to deal with a young girl who obviously doesn't have a clue.

With respect, it sounds like you may have dealt with more foreign cheques than she has. You could, perhaps, make her experience of dealing with it a little easier.

Not just moaning for the sake of it. Its come to something when even the banks cant be trusted with just the basics.

A foreign cheque isn't a run of the kill transaction. I probably only ever saw a dozen despite working in a bank branch for 20 years.

Not just being sexist either, just seem to be mainly young girl staff now. Cheap??

You may be coming across as ageist though.

NotRichAtAll

For future reference it really does pay not to vent your frustration here on the forum's because along comes the army of nit pickers who will pick your thread to piece's.
No doubt someone will take great pleasure in quoting this reply, i will be sorely disappointed if they don't. Gone are the good old day's when a spade was a spade and we all laughed at Alf garnet.




Merry Christmas

eskbanker

If people just want to sound off for the sake of it then there's a perfectly adequate venting board to do so, where they may indeed find a sympathetic ear and/or fellow nostalgists for the good old days!

However, when someone comes on a board like this one (i.e. that's more geared to sharing useful information than moaning) for a rant it's always likely that other posters will come along and offer explanations or the other side of the story, perhaps by virtue of being better informed sometimes. Whether or not OP chooses to take any notice is another story though, but it's a free country and all that, provided one stays on the right side of the line dividing trenchant opinions and bigotry of course....

Everynamestaken

Can you imagine if I went into your work, and you followed procedures and my reply was "not good enough, your accent is pretentious, and I want to speak to your colleague who is more local and will tell me everything I want to hear and then blame it on the head office when it doesn't happen".

Just to clarify, the cashier is not my partner. I just feel we're on a dangerous slope if people are still judging others by "heavy accents". It's a good job major companies don't have that outlook.

meer53

shown73 wrote: »

So, off I go today to my local HSBC, been with them since it was Midland Bank, to pay in a cheque, simple enough. Only thing was, it was made out in Canadian dollars, which I have done several times before. Most transactions use the machines in the foyer, but I'm a wee bit mistrustful as it is not entirely straightforward, so I go to the counter. Handed over cheque and pay in slip, asked a question about filling it in, got a blank look. Oh well. Then girl gave me the paying in slip back, kept the counterfoil. Queried that, oh yes sorry, then calmly informed me that it would take six weeks to clear. Thought I hadn't heard right, but yes I had. Why six weeks? Its the holidays apparently. Pointed out that it usually only takes a week or so, bad enough as far as I'm concerned. Well, that's the maximum apparently, probably won't actually take that long. Bloody right it won't!!!
Will all go through smoothly? I can only hope. Not the first time lately I've had to deal with a young girl who obviously doesn't have a clue. Last time, other young girl, such a heavy accent I eventually gave up and left. That was just to query an ISA.
Not just moaning for the sake of it. Its come to something when even the banks cant be trusted with just the basics. Not just being sexist either, just seem to be mainly young girl staff now. Cheap??

What on earth makes you think that employing young girls in bank branches is cheap ? They'll be paid the going rate for the job, which, funnily enough, will be the same for any young men working there.

As for your "bloody right" comment, i think you'll find that it will take as long as the bank wants it to take. If i was dealing with your cheque, it would take the full 6 weeks.

henm2

The OP might find this helpful from HSBC's foreign currency/international price list
"Negotiation of a Foreign Cheque
We may, at our discretion, credit a foreign cheque to your account without waiting for it to be paid.
Collection of a Foreign Cheque
If you or we, at our discretion, require confirmation that a foreign cheque has been paid, we will arrange to clear it on a collection basis. This means that the proceeds will be credited to your account only when they have been received by us"
I know that if a cheque is sent off on a collection basis it takes between 4 to 6 weeks for the proceeds to come through. The 6 week ones were usually US cheques.