Nationwide: still the most needlessly inefficient process!

SouthLondonUser

I had completed the entire process to remortgage to FirstDirect.
Then, unfortunately, my situation changed, and I now need a mortgage with no early repayment charge. Yes, I know about portability, but what I might need in my case is to sell the property without buying a new one straight away. Yes, I know I might let out my property, but, again, it might not be an option in my case.

I narrowed down the choice to Nationwide only. Other lenders had similar rates but higher fees. I was skeptical, because I bought this property with Nationwide 4 years ago, and it was a real nightmare: they lost all the documents as many as 3 times [sic]: the first two times I had gone to a branch, the third it was via fax. I wanted to be hopeful, because Nationwide now lets applicants upload documents online (an option I didn’t have back then), plus I wanted to think mine was an unrepresentatively unlucky experience. Not so, evidently.

I received an approval in principle.
I then submitted pay slips and passport copies online a week ago. There was no indication whatsoever that I had to do anything else.

Today I call to chase, and they tell me that they have received the pay slips, but not processed my application because it still shows up as not submitted. I have to log in online and submit. I do that, and, much to my surprise, there is no apply / submit button, just a “Confirm your mortgage now that you have reiceved [sic] your lending decision”. Excuse me? Confirm what? Since when is an approval in principle a lending decision? Anyway, I click that, it asks me to re-enter all the information I had already provided (what product I want, my phone number, my employer’s details) then it asks me to confirm the address of the property I want to remortgage. This is where the system crashes. I enter my address, click continue, but I get an error message. The usual corporate bulls, ehm, jargon, about a technical error, we are aware and investigating, yadda yadda ya (yeah, right, I sure believe they are ‘investigating’).

I of course tried to re-enter my address in all the possible combinations (reshuffling around building name, flat number, etc), but to no avail.

I called Nationwide. It took me almost an hour to get to the phone with someone. I must say this person was kind and professional, even left me her Nationwide email address (after all, it’s not her direct fault), but all she could say was that she’d get her technical team to look into it.

By the way, the address is very straightforward: Flat X, YA Road name. The address mentions that in the Royal Mail database, The only hiccup I can think of is that there are two Flat X at the same postcode, one at Y Road name and the other at Z Road name, but it shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle, especially because Nationwide financed the purchase of that very same property 4 years ago!

PS I have just logged back in, and it now says “apply”, not “confirm your mortgage now that a decision etc etc”.

SouthLondonUser

They have replied.

"The application cannot proceed and will be cancelled,[...], however you can either visit your local branch or call us on ... to start a new application"

So, their stupid online system doesn't let me complete my application online, for reasons they cannot even describe, but I might be able to do it over the phone or in a branch. !!!!!!???

ACG

Im not a massive fan of Nationwide, but we have used them 4-5 times this year and every one has gone through quite quickly as far as I am aware.

Admitteldy our account manager is pretty good so I am not sure if he has any say in that, but I cant complain.

amnblog

Lenders struggle to get it right with us inputting the cases ACG.

Imagine the drama when the applicant inputs it themselves.

SouthLondonUser

My experience has been AWFUL.

4 years ago, when I bought the property, they lost the documents we sent (pay slips etc) as many as 3 times. 3! The first 2 times I had brought them to a branch, The third time it was via fax. Once, I can understand, but 3 times? How can you lose documents 3 times? What are the odds of that? We were this closing to losing the property because of those delays.

Now, well, I am speechless. There is an unspecified IT ****-up which prevents me from applying online, but which doesn't prevent me from applying over the phone or in a branch. For a property they already had a mortgage on. Over the phone or in a branch they only offer their 'advice' service and insist on booking an appointment of 2.5 hours to "go through all the options". I don't need to spend 2.5 hours with some kid if I already know what I want. Oh, it's a joint mortgage, and the lines are open till 8pm, so I cannot book a 6pm call as they need the full 2.5 hours. Come on, what on Earth do they have to ask me or talk through that requires 2.5 hours? When we did it with First Direct it was over in less than 45 minutes, and FD were way, way more thorough than Nationwide were 4 years ago.

SouthLondonUser

amnblog wrote: »

Lenders struggle to get it right with us inputting the cases ACG.

Imagine the drama when the applicant inputs it themselves.

Note that this has nothing to with my risk profile. There is no question about affordability or whatever. It's just that their stupid online system doesn't like my address and crashes when I enter it. I am biting my tongue not to say what I am really thinking...