Halifax did not want my money

stewart54

SevenOfNine wrote: »

How do the Halifax / Nationwide interest rates compare for the account? Hope Granny didn't cut off her nose to spite her face! (Though I can see it was frustrating not to just be able to walk in & get it done.)

Halifax were offering 6% for 1 year, then 3% variable. Nationwide 3% variable. We factored in that if we had returned home and came back we would have spent some of the interest we would have gained on petrol, wear and tear on the car, parking etc. Granny still has her nose!

stewart54

We were told the video lasted 30 minutes. Did you have a 4 month old baby with you and did you have a wheelchair user with you?

stewart54

haras_nosirrah wrote: »

Why did you not make an appointment

Would you turn up at your doctor and demand to be seen on the spot?
How about for a mortgage - would you phone first to book an appointment or have a huff because they couldn't see you straight away?

What is the difference in interest rate between Halifax and nationwide?

If I was seriously ill - yes. Many GPs have an on-duty GP or offer to see you at the end of the normal consulting period in the morning/afternoon/evening. With all due respect you cannot compare health issues with the provision of financial products

mrssjs

stewart54 wrote: »

We were told the video lasted 30 minutes. Did you have a 4 month old baby with you and did you have a wheelchair user with you?

Is this in response to me? No, but I did have a 5 year old and toddler with me. The video did not last 30 minutes, 3 minutes at the most. The appointment did take about an hour in total though. But I wanted to open the regular savers for them, so needs must.

mrssjs

It does say online that to apply you have to make an appointment in branch.

ApplyTo apply, make an appointment at your local branch.

Rollinghome

jennifernil wrote: »

I also find this "appointment needed to open an account" business really frustrating, especially if when you go in, there are no other customers.

And it's not only for new accounts if they can get away with it.

Some while ago I opened a new current account with Halifax and transferred in £200, which they then promptly lost. I tried phoning the branch but they were ignoring their phones. The call was then transferred to a call centre which said they couldn't help and I should to speak to the branch.

After more attempted calls using a second number the call centre gave me, that they also failed to answer, I travelled into the branch - to be told by a spotty youth that no one could see me without an appointment. I wasn't best pleased.

Even less so when I saw the branch manager lurking at the back chatting about her holidays. I made it clear to her that I expected her out dealing with their mess up within 5 minutes or less and would require payment for my time and expenses.

She got the message. My lolly was located the next day and they coughed up.

There was a time when we paid annual charges for current accounts and would have been just as amazed at the idea being paid interest as at the poor service they now often give. I guess something has to give.

haras_nosirrah wrote: »

Would you turn up at your doctor and demand to be seen on the spot?

Well that's exactly the way it did work until recent times. And it worked surprisingly well as I remember with no one spending hours trying to get appointment nor doctors complaining that many appointments aren't kept presumably because the symptoms are long gone.

lazer

OP - I went into to open a joint account on a Saturday morning and again they couldn't see and we had to make an appointment, the person responsible for opening accounts only worked every other Saturday and the next Saturday she worked was booked up, so it would have been a month wait.


Walked up the road to Santander and hey presto account opened!

In_For_A_Penny_2

stewart54 wrote: »

We were told the video lasted 30 minutes. Did you have a 4 month old baby with you and did you have a wheelchair user with you?

We had a 3month old with us when we went to halifax to open her JISA. The video was 3 minutes of disclaimers and information to protect themselves against any claims of mis-selling.

In todays claim culture and peoples general inability to read the small print about any product they are taking out it makes total sense. I suspect most banks will do that before long.

And yes I did make an appointment because on the website I was told I had to make an appointment.

Freecall

haras_nosirrah wrote: »

Would you turn up at your doctor and demand to be seen on the spot?
How about for a mortgage - would you phone first to book an appointment or have a huff because they couldn't see you straight away?

Hardly fair comparisons.

Branches of retail banks are just that - retail outlets.

So to re-write your question, would you turn up at your local supermarket or petrol station and demand to be served on the spot?

Join the queue, yes but an appointment sounds a bit over the top.

Vortigern

haras_nosirrah wrote: »

Why did you not make an appointment

Would you turn up at your doctor and demand to be seen on the spot?

You are comparing chalk with cheese. The OP makes a valid comparison of ad hoc in-branch service at 2 high street banks.

Clearly Nationwide have got it right.