Nationwide Building Society Will not Let Me Close My Account and Are Charging Monthly Fees.

kentroup

I have had a Nationwide Flex Plus account since 2015. For a fee of £13/month it used to give 3% interest on sums up to £2500, free travel insurance and free vehicle recovery as long as I paid in £1000/month.

In mid February I checked the account to find that the 3% interest had been stopped last October even though I found adverts saying that it was still ongoing. I complained bitterly via their website, stopped the £1000 payment and emptied the account. Little did I know that they kept the account open and continued to charge me £13/month on the empty account. I made numerous more complaints during March  but they just said that they had no proof that I had wanted the account closed. I then found a link to close it online but they wouldn’t let me do it unless I paid the extra £13. I refused and demanded that they close it immediately. On 1st April I got charged another £13. They are utter pigs and I have complained to the Ombudsman but it looks like they are going to be months getting round to it.

I've closed all my other Nationwide accounts now but I'm stuck with this one. I'm so angry at these money grubbing cheats.

 

[Deleted User]

It doesn't sound as if you closed it properlythe first time. Emptying the account doesn't count as closure

Obviously then refusing to close it by not paying the balance always meant you would have further charges.

Pay the balance and close the account now. You can still complain, though keep your expectations modest.

dunstonh

Little did I know that they kept the account open

That is easy enough.  Did you instruct them to close it and did they confirm closure?  The answer seems to be no to both.

but they just said that they had no proof that I had wanted the account closed.

That sounds like a reasonable response when your own words indicate you didn't ask them to close it.

I then found a link to close it online but they wouldn’t let me do it unless I paid the extra £13. I refused and demanded that they close it immediately. 

An account with a positive or negative balance cannot be closed.  It needs to be brought to zero first.

 They are utter pigs and I have complained to the Ombudsman but it looks like they are going to be months getting round to it.

They do not appear to have done anything wrong though.  

 I'm so angry at these money grubbing cheats.

Or is it perhaps that you are deflecting your anger onto them when in reality it is you that you should be angry with. After all, this is all down to you. Not them.

[Deleted User]

kentroup said:I complained bitterly via their website, stopped the £1000 payment and emptied the account. 

 

Did your "bitter" complaint actually instruct them to close the account though? If not, then you can hardly make a further complaint that they didn't follow your instructions! 

Referring to them as "utter pigs" and "money grubbing cheats" will get you nowhere too. 

As an aside, have you been able to find another Bank offering a better return currently? If so, whom?

Neil49

Deleted_User said:

It doesn't sound as if you closed it properlythe first time. Emptying the account doesn't count as closure

Obviously then refusing to close it by not paying the balance always meant you would have further charges.

Pay the balance and close the account now. You can still complain, though keep your expectations modest.

The above response sums up the situation perfectly. 

Emptying an account doesn't close it.

Quite frankly I don't think you will get any compensation whatsoever. Just close the account properly and get on with your life. There are more important things to consider at the moment. 

-taff

You agreed to their services when you opened the account. The account had T&Cs, Your failure to follow the T&Cs is your fault. If you had closed the account properly instead of emptyin it in a  fit of pique that you hadn't received interest even though you obviously didn't check it for over 5 months, nor read any of the info they would have sent you regarding this, then you wouldn't be in this position. Read the small print next time.