MSE News: TSB customers stopped from switching after it told banks to suspend transfers

eskbanker

aj23 wrote: »

You can do CASS in branch. You just make an appointment and do it. If people are still wanting to switch to TSB, they can do that still. I did that with Nationwide.

The report that's the subject of this thread claims that TSB prevented (outbound not inbound) switches from happening by contacting other banks to put them on hold - it's nothing to do with whether they were initiated online or in branch, so the latter wasn't some some sort of workaround for the former for these switching issues, even if it was for some other problems....

Ashen

aj23 wrote: »

Which probably takes about as long as logging on and doing it online.

Hardly - you generally give the switching account details when you apply for your new account, with filling in a simple form online .

I don't know how you can conclude that something involving travelling to branch (some of us don't have branches nearby, and/or have to use public transport) and waiting in a queue to be seen "probably takes about as long" as filling in an online form. Is it *that* difficult for you to concede the point?

Ashen

phillw wrote: »

I switched to Halifax several years before the 7 day switching service was introduced and they did everything for me. They switched all the DD over first, then wrote to my employer to advice them to start paying into the new account. In the intervening period they gave me a free overdraft and gave me cashback.

I hated when the new switch service was introduced. Of course it's quicker, but you miss out on that free overdraft for the month when you can put your salary in a savings account.

You'd really prefer to have a few pounds of interest from taking time to use money from a temporary overdraft, to a proper switching service with guarantees, including redirection for payments to the old account number?!

phillw wrote: »

They did stop customers from switching. Now they have been caught out they claim it was because they couldn't process the switches due to a technical issues, all the while they have been keen to point out that they have been able to process direct debits etc. It certainly sounds worthy of investigation to see if they are lying.

If they'd announced it up front then I'd be more willing to believe them.

Caught out? I'm pretty sure they were aware customers would notice. And as for announcing things 'up front', you can't really do that before you've encountered a problem.

aj23_2

Ashen wrote: »

Hardly - you generally give the switching account details when you apply for your new account, with filling in a simple form online .

I don't know how you can conclude that something involving travelling to branch (some of us don't have branches nearby, and/or have to use public transport) and waiting in a queue to be seen "probably takes about as long" as filling in an online form. Is it *that* difficult for you to concede the point?

I have three direct debits, only one I filled a form out for. Gym membership, was only name, sort code and account number. Took about 10 seconds.

The other two for pension and mobile phone, they did for me. It's really not as difficult as you're making out.

Ashen

aj23 wrote: »

I have three direct debits, only one I filled a form out for. Gym membership, was only name, sort code and account number. Took about 10 seconds.

The other two for pension and mobile phone, they did for me. It's really not as difficult as you're making out.

Errr... you appear to have entirely skipped over the entire point about going to branch for some odd reason. I'm betting it might take longer than 10 seconds - took me over 3 hours to visit my nearest TSB last time, plus £6 for the bus journey.