When is a letter box not a letter box?

Spanishomelette

ICan'tStandIt wrote: »

I'm referring to official complaints.


Getting nowhere with the branch manager is not an official complaint unless the customer makes it so.





An official complaint will get you a faster response as the Halifax have to get it resolved within two working days if at all possible.


Register a complaint tonight via the Halifax website and your phone will ring tomorrow.

Thank you for that. I will do it now.

ICan'tStandIt

boo_star wrote: »

Perhaps it was before the days of ATM deposits, or before that, when banks had a separate "letterbox" for depositing cheques.

I would never dream of pushing a cheque (in an envelope) through the front letter box, it just isn't an accepted form of paying in.

Then the bank branches need to remove them.


I've worked in a branch in the past, I will admit that it was years ago, and the post box was checked at the same time as the ATM.


Yes, most of the time there was nothing there apart from empty cigarette packets and half-eaten kebabs, but it was checked nonetheless.

Spanishomelette

boo_star wrote: »

Perhaps it was before the days of ATM deposits, or before that, when banks had a separate "letterbox" for depositing cheques.

I would never dream of pushing a cheque (in an envelope) through the front letter box, it just isn't an accepted form of paying in.

Thanks, boo_star. You're possibly right. It may be an "age" thing. It has never been publicised that this is no longer acceptable practice It used to be very common.

As I said previously, so few cheques cross my path these days that I had no idea. I know I'm a bit of a dinosaur, but I have never used an ATM outside a branch before to deposit a cheque, only the ones inside that copy the cheque. In fact, can I admit that I didn't even know you could do that?

ICan'tStandIt

Spanishomelette wrote: »

Thank you for that. I will do it now.

Good!


Let us know how it goes.


I registered a complaint with Lloyds (their complaints are dealt with by the same people as Halifax) and they wouldn't leave me alone the next day.


I was at work, so I couldn't take the call. I think they tried to call me five times, so desperate were they to pacify me and close the complaint.

boo_star

ICan'tStandIt wrote: »

Then the bank branches need to remove them.


I've worked in a branch in the past, I will admit that it was years ago, and the post box was checked at the same time as the ATM.


Yes, most of the time there was nothing there apart from empty cigarette packets and half-eaten kebabs, but it was checked nonetheless.

Why?

It's perfectly acceptable to post a letter/item through the letterbox if the bank is closed.

There's no expectation that the letter will be opened and action taken on the same day.

Being realistic, how many letters have you received that were opened immediately when you received them? Most certainly, but all?

xylophone

Being realistic,Being realistic, how many letters have you received that were opened immediately when you received them? Most certainly, but all? Most certainly, but all?

Opened immediately? Those marked SWALK......

Left to moulder on the hall table? The Final Demands, of course........:rotfl:

boo_star

Spanishomelette wrote: »

Thanks, boo_star. You're possibly right. It may be an "age" thing. It has never been publicised that this is no longer acceptable practice It used to be very common.

As I said previously, so few cheques cross my path these days that I had no idea. I know I'm a bit of a dinosaur, but I have never used an ATM outside a branch before to deposit a cheque, only the ones inside that copy the cheque. In fact, can I admit that I didn't even know you could do that?

It's not an age thing, I think my local RBS branch has a "letterbox" on the side of it as do a few others. You can still use them and they work. It's just that posting it via the letterbox is unsupported and may work, or may not.

ICan'tStandIt

boo_star wrote: »

Why?

It's perfectly acceptable to post a letter/item through the letterbox if the bank is closed.

There's no expectation that the letter will be opened and action taken on the same day.

Being realistic, how many letters have you received that were opened immediately when you received them? Most certainly, but all?

You seemed to be saying, unless I misunderstood you, that no one should ever use a bank branch's letterbox as a method of depositing a cheque with a bank.


Anyway, the cheques in question were put through the letterbox on a Saturday so they should have been credited on the Monday - which was the next working day.


A four day delay is not acceptable. The branch manager seemed aware of the letterbox's ledge that can cause problems and so it should be someone's job to check it more thoroughly.

EssexExile

In the early days of internet banking I asked Smile, via their secure messaging, for a bankers' draft to buy a car. As the day approached & no cheque arrived I phoned them & their excuse was that they didn't check incoming secure messages very often! Twenty mile return trip to a branch to pick it up.

boo_star

ICan'tStandIt wrote: »

You seemed to be saying, unless I misunderstood you, that no one should ever use a bank branch's letterbox as a method of depositing a cheque with a bank.


Anyway, the cheques in question were put through the letterbox on a Saturday so they should have been credited on the Monday - which was the next working day.


A four day delay is not acceptable. The branch manager seemed aware of the letterbox's ledge that can cause problems and so it should be someone's job to check it more thoroughly.

If they're sensible, no, they shouldn't.

It's not an officially supported way of paying in. It may work, it may not but you can't really complain if you pay in using an unsupported method and your money goes missing for a couple of days.