Beware ING

elessm

I have just changed banks and the new bank handled the btransfer of Direct Debits. All was as smooth as smooth could be except for ING. They refuse to change my bank details without my sending them a cheque drawn on my new bank. I tried to reason with them on the phone to no avail so after a lengthy heated discussion I asked how I could close my account and was told I could do it now on the phone, whicch I did. The extraordinary thing is that they couldn't accept that I was not a fraudster on the phone replying to a letter they had sent me for my new bank details wwhich they also accepted that they had received from my new bank and I was able to confirm these details and yet thaey could accept my instructions to close the account.
Well i now feel better from having got that off my chest but I have successfully transferred 10 direct debits and the only Company to give trouble was ING so be warned if you have an account with ING don't change your bank account.

Milarky

I think they are treating this 'transfer' of direct debit to a new current account in the same way they would treat it if you went on to their website yourself and sought to add a 'linked' account - that is you submit the details and this generates a letter requesting you to enclose a cheque for £1 drawn on the new account to activate the link. Since this is how they do their 'money laundering' thing at ING and since current account transfers aren't that frequent it is not surprising that they processed this request (from the new bank) as though it came from you

planemad

They are protecting YOUR money mate that's all.
They need to confirm that any linked account is legitimate as i'm sure you will not be happy if someone fooled ING into linking your savings account to a fraudulent account over the phone and then withdraw your money.
Then you would really need to get some anger off your chest.

Pielander

Well they're skanking gypsies anyway, for letting their interest rates lag behind the market and relying on customer apathy to hold onto their existing client base. I don't understand why anybody would still be with them when there are several other comparable accounts offering interest rates around 1% higher.