Anyone ever tried to cancel a switch...

Jackthedog

I decided to cancel a switch I have set up online. This required a phone call to Nationwide on an 0845 number... I found a local number to call... glad I did 30 mins to get an answer from the queue! Explained all to someone who forwarded me to the 'switching team' who fussed a lot.. despite them admitting I was within my rights and had done it in good time.. (Bit like a customer retention unit without the better offers!) eventually until I insisted and they said they would cancel it... HOWEVER they said I would have to contact the other bank to tell them not to close my account anyway! Mmm this doesn't seen right!

Ok then so I did phone the bank I was going to switch from originally and talked to a nice person at Clydesdale who said it was already marked to go through and that it may not be possible to stop it unless Nationwide had put the stop on it. Very odd way to get active to retain my account!

I really got the feeling it was all a re-enactement of 'computer says no' today...

Well after all my phoning we will see ...

Is this normal or am I transmogrifying into Victor Meldrew?

jimjames

I'm not sure it is possible to cancel a switch once it has been initiated.

According to this: http://www.santander.co.uk/uk/current-accounts/guide-to-switching-your-current-account

If you wish to cancel your switch, our dedicated switcher team will explain the options available to you depending on what stage your switch is currently at:

• Before Day 1 and up to seven working days before your switch date - we can stop your switch before it has started.
• Day 1 to Day 6 - your switch must still complete and your old account will close. We will cancel all redirection of your payments in and out from your switch date.
• Day 7 onwards - your switch will have already completed including any balance transfer. We will cancel all further redirection of your payments in and out of your new Santander account. This means if you wish to switch to another current account provider, you will need to instruct them to switch your Santander account to them.

Ian011

Jackthedog wrote: »

I decided to cancel a switch I have set up online. This required a phone call to Nationwide on an 0845 number... I found a local number to call... glad I did 30 mins to get an answer from the queue!

FCA regulations effective 26 October 2015 require an 01, 02, 03 or 080 number for contact by existing customers.

Most banks and insurance companies have complied. Make sure you check the 'contact us' page on their official website for the latest details.

Do not rely on numbers found on old paperwork, or on third-party websites or directly listed in Google search results. They are probably out of date.

In many cases the old 084 or 087 number has been replaced by the matching 034 or 037 number. In other cases a new 01, 02, 033 or 080 number has been chosen.

Calls to 03 numbers are inclusive from landlines and mobiles else charged at geographic rate, the same as 01 and 02 numbers.

Calls to 080 numbers are free from landlines and from mobiles.

Archi_Bald

Nationwide had 0800 302010 and 0800 302011 for several years.

pinkdalek

The easiest way is to go back to your original bank, open a new bank account with them and switch back.
This way the direct debits/payments and credits all get re-directed in the loop and at no hassle to you.

Jackthedog

I tried to stop the switch when I received an email on 8th Jan 2016 ..part of which is copied below...

.................

If you’d like to choose a different switch completion date, or you decide you’d prefer not to continue with the switch, please call us straight away on 08457 302010.

We’ve attached a guide to give you information about the Current Account Switch Service. You can also find this, along with a copy of your Current Account Switch Agreement, at nationwide.co.uk/7.

Thanks for banking with us.

................
So they are clearly still using a 0845 number.....

agrinnall

Ian011 wrote: »

FCA regulations effective 26 October 2015 require an 01, 02, 03 or 080 number for contact by existing customers.

I guess the argument is that the OP is not an existing customer of Nationwide until the account to be switched to has been opened, so use of an 084... number would not breach the letter of the rules (although it would breach the spirit, and I'm a bit surprised that Nationwide would do this given that they are pretty good with their phone numbers generally).

Ian011

They have changed their numbers. To not have done so would place them in breach of the FCA regulations that came into force on 26 October 2015. Even if the FCA regulations don't technically apply in this case, banks and insurance companies simply do not use premium rate numbers for new customers.

This will be a simple case that someone has overlooked updating the standard cut and paste wording that they send out for this enquiry. A further clue that this has been completely overlooked is that there are no details given for the call charges. Ofcom rules that came into force on 1 July 2015 require the Service Charge for all 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers to be declared 'in close proximity to the number wherever it is advertised or promoted'.

Previous experience with other organisations that have changed their numbers, in some cases more than two years ago, shows that even now the old numbers still appear in a few odd places on their own websites, document templates, invoices, email signatures, etc, and on a huge number of third-party websites - many of which will never be updated.

Given the various regulations now in place covering most sectors, it is now fair to say that you should treat almost every 084 or 087 number you come across as being out of date.

Responsible organisations place a free-to-caller announcement on the old number informing callers that they should hang up and re-dial the new number. Many others have overlooked this simple step.