Is it normal for a high st bank to refuse to exchange bank notes ?

badmemory

You don't know how lucky you are to get several £5s & £10s. I haven't seen any in an ATM round here since they went plastic & it is a nuisance always having to get out multiples of £20 regardless of what I actually want.

Flobberchops

There are at least three reasons I can think of.

1) You're not a customer, so you're taking a space in the queue that a customer should be in. All banks are a bit prickly about non-customers using their facilities these days as staff are usually stretched thin enough as it is. ATMs that are part of the Link network are an exception, but counter services are usually customers only.


2) Banks like to have an audit trail for security. Sleight of hand fraud is a serious problem at cash tills - say you were to hand over the two tens and six fives, receive five twenties in return, you surreptitiously fold one into your hand as you suddenly change your mind and decide you want five tens and a fifty and hand back the bundle of £80, you then compound your crime by loudly complaining that the ignorant "teller" has short changed you to the tune of £10 and she'd better rectify it right now, no time to balance the till... see where I'm going? For this reason even customers are obliged to deposit cash before drawing it in a different denomination. No swapping allowed.


3) You mention there was a drawer full of cash right there but in many newer branches this won't be the case - the drawer will be for coins (and occasionally damaged notes) and all the deposits and withdrawals are done with a cash counting machine with an internal cassette of notes. The only way to take cash in this circumstance would be to withdraw from an account held at the branch.

It might seem silly and pedantic, especially if it was an empty banking hall with no queue, but staff are told the bank policies and instructed to stick to them. If they breach policy and incur a loss they'll be personally responsible. Of course exceptions can be made at the discretion of senior staff, but that's by definition for exceptional circumstances, like "small child is cashing in piggy bank" or "distraught lone female tourist needs change for the last train back to the hotel". "Bloke slightly miffed with denominations of banknotes that he chose to withdraw" doesn't qualify.

Flobberchops

dunstonh wrote: »

The way Americanisms are creeping into our language is not great.

No kidding, I could care less for all this Americanization. Color me unimpressed.

Flobberchops

EarthBoy wrote: »

Not always they're not, it depends on the particular bank. Here in Yorkshire they're often referred to as minibanks, which is, or at least was, Yorkshire Bank's name for them.

Yes, but in Yorkshire they still call women "wenches", cars "horseless wagons", and the occasional plane passing overhead is called "eh up, barricade t'mill, yon dragon is back"...

knack92

eDicky wrote: »

The money I paid in to my RBS account in branch today is itemised in the app as a 'Teller Transaction'.

It's a "counter transaction" on my printed mini statements from 2010. I see they are "cashiers" on the RBS jobs website.