How would you have answered?

7_week_wonder

I am opening a new current account with Halifax (to get the switching bonus) and having done the initial account set up successfully online I phoned to check something. I was asked some security questions:
1) What is your authorised overdraft?
Yep - I can answer that
2) How many accounts do you have with us?
I said "Well it depends what you mean by us: do you mean Halifax alone or do you count Bank of Scotland"

The Customer services person said she could only repeat the question so I tried "Well if you just mean Halifax I have 1 account, if you include Bank of Scotland I have 4". Customer Services person "I can only accept one answer". When I guessed what they meant by "us" I failed the security question

It didn't really matter, but it seems a bit of an ambiguous question - what would other people have said?

MrJester

When the representative says "us" it means and I would have understood it to mean just Halifax, as that is one business name and your account is with that business. Irrelevant of business groups that own multiple of the same etc.

MrSilk

2) How many accounts do you have with us?

Us = Halifax, the bank you're calling!!

7_week_wonder

Hmm - that's what I thought (Halifax only) and I answered based on that, but she said she couldn't confirm who I was based on my answers. Oh well never mind.

SevenOfNine

If they don't include the words 'banking group' then the answer would be one.

Try again, you'll get a different person in the call centre.

eskbanker

This issue is probably more significant for Halifax than others, in that they're a division of Bank of Scotland (i.e. sharing a banking licence with them, as well as online banking, etc) but are in turn part of the broader Lloyds Banking Group, so you potentially have a wide range of answers to the question!

Uxb

I was once asked as part of a security check if I had a credit card with any of......
one of those was on the list the CS rep said was "Bank of America"
Well I just happen to know MBNA (which was not on the list) is owned by BofA so likewise is the answer yes or no.

Andy7856

MrSilk wrote: »

2) How many accounts do you have with us?

Us = Halifax, the bank you're calling!!

Yup I agree. If you phone HSBC and they asked you the same question you would ignore any First Direct accounts, as whilst is visible (or used to be) on their screen also, they would be referring to the bank you have the direct relationship.


What was the outcome in the end?

pinkdalek

dunno is the answer guess it depends who you get

MARTYM8`

MrSilk wrote: »

2) How many accounts do you have with us?


Us = Halifax, the bank you're calling!!

Halifax is a division of Bank of Scotland plc. Just a division.

You cannot switch a BOS account to Halifax to get their £125 incentive either - it is ineligible

So its an understandable confusion.

[Deleted User]

I used to work somewhere that required me to ask those multiple choice questions. The options were usually so obviously stupid, that you could guess them. For example...

Who is your current account with?
*Bank of Baroda
*Coutts
*Lloyds
*Arbuthnot Latham and Co

What is the overdraft limit on your Lloyds current account?
*£250
*£100000
*£250000
*£500000

Your credit file indicates you may have a mortgage. Who is it with?
*Wonga
*Lloyds Credit Card Services
*Woolwich
*Brighthouse

Hmm... tricky... (worryingly though, so easy to "verify" that you were anybody by picking the obvious or most likely answers).