Halifax cutting staff

poppasmurf_bewdley

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Aren't Halifax branches now highly automated?

Yes, the branch I'm talking about in Kidderminster has two machines just for depositing money and cheques as well as four (two inside, two outside) normal ATM's.

The problem the bright sparks who thought up installing all these machines forgot to take into account is that many elderly (and not so elderly) still use passbooks and need to deal with a cashier to either deposit or withdraw money. I myself still have two passbook accounts that I opened for my children when they were born between 26 and 30 years ago, and which I still pay money into.

In addition, I save £2, £1 and 50p coins and every month or so have between £50 and £80 to deposit in coins and these will not fit into the machines. I have now made arrangements with a friend of mine who runs a shop to exchange the coins for paper money, saving me time and him time and money.

What I think annoys Halifax customers more than anything is that they employ people to walk up and down the line of waiting customers, asking what they want and can they help them, instead of putting them onto telling.

Paul_1977

Worst bank going, staff so rude.

I don't have a problem with banks closing branches if they are hardly used, but they also seem to close branches which are used.

That aside Halifax is just a bad bank.

Passbook accounts should be converted. My father has a passbook account, they told him one time that they are now discontinued and that he could convert to an account with a card. He opted to do so, the passbook was canceled and taken by the bank, the new card got lost and he could not access his money until they sent another one.

Another family member went into branch and was badly told she had to use a machine. Not that it was an option, but she must use the machine. They also said the same to me, at which point all my accounts were closed. You do not dictate to me if I use the counter or the machine, I will decide. It's called customer service.

Another time I had to go into the bank to show ID, they took photocopies, and said that's all ok. Anyway a week later I call and they say I have never shown them ID.

The WORST bank, and to put the icing on the cake, every time you go in there the staff look as miserable as hell.

abicat

I think the only answered is to go back to keeping our money under the bed! if the banks didn't spend so much time and money on treating us like schoolchildren by holding up payments, asking intrusive questions about them etc, they could employ more people on the shop floor. Thank goodness they didn't do away with cheque books or we would have no control over our money, who receives it and when it gets to them. Customer service went out of the window when it was taken over by call centres.

henm2

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

What I think annoys Halifax customers more than anything is that they employ people to walk up and down the line of waiting customers, asking what they want and can they help them, instead of putting them onto telling.

Presumably once you have been shown how to use the machines a couple of times then if it is busy you won't need to queue for the counter again.

Operating without counters reduces costs and helps make a bank branch more viable and less likely to close.

worried_jim

abicat wrote: »

I think the only answered is to go back to keeping our money under the bed! if the banks didn't spend so much time and money on treating us like schoolchildren by holding up payments, asking intrusive questions about them etc, they could employ more people on the shop floor. Thank goodness they didn't do away with cheque books or we would have no control over our money, who receives it and when it gets to them. Customer service went out of the window when it was taken over by call centres.

Or you could just join the 21st century.

robwalker

Halifax have three branches less than five minutes walk from each other in Leeds city centre. Oh, and when walking between two of them, you'll go past a Lloyds...

Kim_13

They could make better use of these branches by allowing Halifax customers to use said Lloyds branches and the other way around, rather than just BOS and Halifax branches being interchangeable.

Beats keeping all the branches with minimal staff in each one.

PeacefulWaters

Kim_13 wrote: »

They could make better use of these branches by allowing Halifax customers to use said Lloyds branches and the other way around, rather than just BOS and Halifax branches being interchangeable.

Beats keeping all the branches with minimal staff in each one.

It might com to that.

But by retaining distinctly separate brands they keep the competition authorities at arms length.

securityguy

"Thank goodness they didn't do away with cheque books or we would have no control over our money, who receives it and when it gets to them"

Meanwhile, back in the 21st century, cheques are dead. I wouldn't do business with a company or tradesman that wanted to be paid by cheque, partly because I don't know where my old cheque book is, but mostly because why bother dealing with someone living in the past?

I've only been subject to fraud twice in forty years of having a bank account: both involved cheques.

Westie983

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

I hold my current account and several savings accounts with the Halifax in Kidderminster.

Up to about 12 months ago, this branch had 5 tellers windows, which were then reduced to three by blocking off the two outer ones. This month, of the three remaining windows, two have now been blocked off by advertisement boards, leaving one teller's window open. This has of course resulted in much longer queues and waiting times.

Yesterday, I was one of 15 customers waiting for the one teller on duty, and whilst I was waiting the manager came on and replaced the single teller so she could use the loo. If she can replace the teller in such emergencies, why can't she be telling for much longer periods?

I have in the past complained to this so-called Manager, who I think is really a glorified clerk, about this cutting down of service, only to be told it is Head Office making compulsory redundancies. Other customers yesterday were also making vocal complaints about the situation.

So I'm asking is every Halifax Branch cutting down like this or is Kidderminster an exception?

I'm on the verge of closing my accounts with Halifax despite having held several including three mortgages with them since 1977 if things don't improve PDQ.

Yes it company rules now to have one cashier serving, two at busier times, but only to hop on if the one cashier transaction is a lengthy one, like lots of payments, or CHAPS, or foreign payment.

The other members of the cashiering team is to meet and greet and to direct customers to the best placed based on their enquiry and transaction needed.

There is one manage role overseeing all the cashiers making sure they are in the right places and making sure the help and advice desk is manned and the paying in machines and ATM's are working and in service. Then you will have one or two cashiers on the help and advice desk and helping customers that don't need to do a cash transaction.

It has been deemed from footfall that there is less customers doing cash transactions at the counter that there is to be one on counter serving customers that have passbooks or children's accounts, cash withdrawals over £500 - £2500.

All other transactions can be dealt with by the help and advice desk or the responder whom has a room to help with those transactions that may take longer and need a room to transact in **note not all branches have this role as it depends on rooms and staff.

**Synopsis, is yes this is correct procedure for Halifax branches to have one on counter dealing with cash only transactions and everything else can be dealt with away from the counter.

This could be but not exhaustive list

*Statement prints
* Cancel/Amend SO
* Cancel DD
* CHAPS payments
* International Payments
* Change of address
* ID verification
* Appointment Booking
* Cancel and replace cards
* New Pins

** Most apart from ID Verifications can be done using the online and or mobile banking app.

So no need to go into branch if you are registered, and if you are not you can register yourself online using the website, and yes there is redundancies in the company the need for cashier are reducing due to customers having alternative channels to transact on their accounts, online and telephone banking and self serve machines, so the information given by your branch is correct, although staff will now have to spread thinner as they will be required to work in more then one branch, if applicable.

This said I don't think this is just a practice for Halifax I think the banking industry in general is going more self service just like the supermarkets have and the need for manned till has reduced just like they have in supermarkets where you now have scan your own shopping, and this has reduced the number of people sitting on a till to do the job for you, moving further into the digital age, just like other industries. another example is Libraries, I no longer have to get my library books scanned by a human now, I just put the books in a hole in a machine and they are checked out and back in again, with a swipe of my library card.