Post Office savings - attempts to contact

Last Friday I opened a bond with the POSB. the money was transferred within 2 hours. However, the POSB website claims to be down and has remained down since then (5 days). Calls to the bank have been useless; long waiting times and no-one willing to help. currently I have not been able to speak to anyone about the missing transfer and have been given totally contradictory advice and numbers by POSB. I have just hung up on a waiting phone queue after a *very* long time.

I recommend caution when dealing with Post Office Savings Bank!!!:mad:

L D J Harris
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Comments

  • Audaxer
    Audaxer Posts: 3,547 Forumite
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    I'm surprised as I signed in to the PO Savings website yesterday.
  • msallen
    msallen Posts: 1,494 Forumite
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    ... and I logged in earlier today !?!
  • Westie983
    Westie983 Posts: 5,215 Forumite
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    I just logged in to pull some money from the nominated account.

    All fine.

    Westie983
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    Save 12k in 2023 #58 Total (£4500.00) £2500.00/£5000 = 50.00%
    Sealed Pot Challenge ~17 #24 Total (£55.00) £0.00/£500 = 0.00%
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    Total £4095.19/£7332.95 = 55.84%
  • astroL
    astroL Posts: 88 Forumite
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    Audaxer wrote: »
    I'm surprised as I signed in to the PO Savings website yesterday.

    Yes - I can sign in (!) but my account is not available and an error message claims that the system is down - and has been since Saturday.
  • astroL
    astroL Posts: 88 Forumite
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    msallen wrote: »
    ... and I logged in earlier today !?!

    Yes - see other reply from me.
  • astroL
    astroL Posts: 88 Forumite
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    I have just repeated the sign-in exercise again but as before they claim my account doesn't exist despite them assuring me that the account exists ....... The phone lines remain inaccessible to people with normal lifespans who can't wait until 10pm to get through.
  • msallen
    msallen Posts: 1,494 Forumite
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    Firstly I assume you are talking about the UK Post Office here (as it doesn't use the acronym POSB - POSB is a bank in Singapore).

    As you are able to log in I take it you have found the contact details and the number you have been trying to ring is the one mentioned there ...
    If you need to get in touch we're just a phone call away:
    •Servicing your account or if you'd like to complain, call us on: 0345 602 3409

    If that's the case, then it seems you have two other alternatives - either pop into a branch (I would suggest a large main PO only rather than a small sub-PO), or write to the address given ...
    You can also write to us at:
    Post Office Money Savings
    PO Box 87
    Armagh
    BT61 0BN

    I'm a little confused how you know that "the money was transferred within 2 hours" if it has never arrived - or do you mean you initiated the transfer from the source of the cash within 2 hours of opening the bond account? If that's the case then it is also possible that the hold up is somewhere en route rather than at the PO, and the reason the account appears not to exist is that it hasn't been funded yet. Being a bond account (which I don't have, so I'm guessing) it perhaps only allows a single deposit on opening and doesn't show up online until this deposit is received.

    Having said all that, I know other people have complained about delays in withdrawing money, so they are known to have issues occasionally.
  • astroL
    astroL Posts: 88 Forumite
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    msallen wrote: »
    Firstly I assume you are talking about the UK Post Office here (as it doesn't use the acronym POSB - POSB is a bank in Singapore).

    As you are able to log in I take it you have found the contact details and the number you have been trying to ring is the one mentioned there ...



    If that's the case, then it seems you have two other alternatives - either pop into a branch (I would suggest a large main PO only rather than a small sub-PO), or write to the address given ...



    I'm a little confused how you know that "the money was transferred within 2 hours" if it has never arrived - or do you mean you initiated the transfer from the source of the cash within 2 hours of opening the bond account? If that's the case then it is also possible that the hold up is somewhere en route rather than at the PO, and the reason the account appears not to exist is that it hasn't been funded yet. Being a bond account (which I don't have, so I'm guessing) it perhaps only allows a single deposit on opening and doesn't show up online until this deposit is received.

    Having said all that, I know other people have complained about delays in withdrawing money, so they are known to have issues occasionally.


    Firstly, I have done everything possible. Santander assures me that the money went to the PO account within 2 hours. No money is shown as having been received.
    The PO staff tell me totally contradictory things including 'it takes two weeks (their web site says 10 mins), and have also told me 'check Monday afternoon'. the web site shows the following since Saturday :

    "We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties with our site
    Please bear with us while we are trying to fix it as soon as possible. 'Alternatively if you would like to speak with someone now please call our customer service team. For savings call 0345 6023409** and for Credit Card call 0345 607 6500**.
    "

    Ringing the numbers offers an interdeterminate wait - so far 4 x 45 minutes. I am just disgusted that no-one there is willing to do anything!!!!!!!!!:mad:
  • BucksLady
    BucksLady Posts: 567 Forumite
    astroL wrote: »


    Firstly, I have done everything possible. Santander assures me that the money went to the PO account within 2 hours. No money is shown as having been received.

    I would ask Santander to confirm the account number to which the money was transferred, in case it wasn't the correct one.
  • astroL
    astroL Posts: 88 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    It is now a week later. The (UK) POSB returned the money that they had kept for the full week - no interest - claiming that it needed to be transferred a different way because they couldn't cope with normal transfers... After calling them at 0801am (there was an alleged queue ....) and was told that I should re-apply. I re-applied. They didn't take the money anyway despite thanking me for it (?????????????) Next day I received a POSB letter (!!!) referring to a conversation that had never taken place.
    On Saturday I again rang up at 0800am. The chap couldn't accept the account number that they had given me ("It's the wrong one") and said that money would take at least 2 weeks to move. This has to be the most incredible experience that I have had in 40+ years of simple money transactions. While the world transfers money in less than 10 minutes, the Post Office requires 14 days to even start thinking about it. Think very carefully before travelling this road .....!
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