Lloyds Bank local branch

SevenOfNine

I'd like to keep our local Lloyds branch, it's been there years, but it seems the staff feel differently, clearly happy to end up out of work!

I pop in because I need a cheque book to distribute inheritance funds to beneficiaries.  First I'm grilled on why I want one (the a/c is in my name as Lloyds were reluctant to open an executor's a/c & it only holds estate funds). When I politely explain it's time to pay beneficiaries, she adopts a rather haughty tone & tells me I "should do bank transfers".

A bit taken aback I then explain that I need to transfer £91k each, to 3 people & don't want to spend a week doing it in £££ bits as I can't exceed Lloyds daily transfer limit. To that she replies "well cheques will take a week to clear anyway".  I resort to my own frosty tone & tell her to please request one because I want one.

Moving on from that unwelcome exchange. I pop in to pay in a small cheque, the auto machine isn't working so I go to the cashier (a different one).  She asks if I bank on-line, to which I reply I do for some things.  Then I'm asked why don't I have the Lloyds app as I can pay-in the cheque via that.  She's friendly & polite but now I'm obliged to explain that I don't want the Lloyds app, I don't want to bank via my mobile phone, I don't want to access my bank a/c via it even to just look at the a/c.  I do some banking on my home PC & a some in branch - because that's how I like to bank. 

So when the branch has seen off all it's customers, it can close & the staff can join the unemployed scrap heap - everything everywhere automated & ripe for an electronic meltdown. Rant over.

lincroft1710

You should have asked them for the address of the nearest Barclays (other High St banks are available) as that is where you will be transferring your a/c if their customer attitude doesn't improve.


I know standards have changed in the half century since I worked at Lloyds, but if the sub manager or even worse, the manager had overheard those conversations, the cashiers would have been in serious trouble.

jon81uk

lincroft1710 said:

I know standards have changed in the half century since I worked at Lloyds, but if the sub manager or even worse, the manager had overheard those conversations, the cashiers would have been in serious trouble.

I would expect its the opposite at the moment. Staff are likely being told to promote the app and online banking and their manager may tell them off for not mentioning the new technology.

lemondrops69

Banking app is the way to go, like it or not thats how it will be in the future. I was miffed when they closed  my local bank, but honestly I rarely used it, plus there is nothing i cant do on the app that I'd need the bank for, and you dont get an attitude problem on the app. Once the last of the oldies have shuffled off this mortal coil the high street banks will be as dead as they are

Tokmon

SevenOfNine said:

I'd like to keep our local Lloyds branch, it's been there years, but it seems the staff feel differently, clearly happy to end up out of work!

I pop in because I need a cheque book to distribute inheritance funds to beneficiaries.  First I'm grilled on why I want one (the a/c is in my name as Lloyds were reluctant to open an executor's a/c & it only holds estate funds). When I politely explain it's time to pay beneficiaries, she adopts a rather haughty tone & tells me I "should do bank transfers".

A bit taken aback I then explain that I need to transfer £91k each, to 3 people & don't want to spend a week doing it in £££ bits as I can't exceed Lloyds daily transfer limit. To that she replies "well cheques will take a week to clear anyway".  I resort to my own frosty tone & tell her to please request one because I want one.

Moving on from that unwelcome exchange. I pop in to pay in a small cheque, the auto machine isn't working so I go to the cashier (a different one).  She asks if I bank on-line, to which I reply I do for some things.  Then I'm asked why don't I have the Lloyds app as I can pay-in the cheque via that.  She's friendly & polite but now I'm obliged to explain that I don't want the Lloyds app, I don't want to bank via my mobile phone, I don't want to access my bank a/c via it even to just look at the a/c.  I do some banking on my home PC & a some in branch - because that's how I like to bank. 

So when the branch has seen off all it's customers, it can close & the staff can join the unemployed scrap heap - everything everywhere automated & ripe for an electronic meltdown. Rant over.

Why would you want to waste your free time going into a bank on multiple occasions to do things like requesting cheque books and paying in cheques that can be done in a couple minutes from the comfort of your own home?

MattMattMattUK

SevenOfNine said:

I pop in because I need a cheque book to distribute inheritance funds to beneficiaries.  First I'm grilled on why I want one (the a/c is in my name as Lloyds were reluctant to open an executor's a/c & it only holds estate funds). When I politely explain it's time to pay beneficiaries, she adopts a rather haughty tone & tells me I "should do bank transfers".

A bit taken aback I then explain that I need to transfer £91k each, to 3 people & don't want to spend a week doing it in £££ bits as I can't exceed Lloyds daily transfer limit. To that she replies "well cheques will take a week to clear anyway".  I resort to my own frosty tone & tell her to please request one because I want one.

You can ask them to raise the transfer limit...

lincroft1710

.

jon81uk said:

lincroft1710 said:

I know standards have changed in the half century since I worked at Lloyds, but if the sub manager or even worse, the manager had overheard those conversations, the cashiers would have been in serious trouble.

I would expect its the opposite at the moment. Staff are likely being told to promote the app and online banking and their manager may tell them off for not mentioning the new technology.

Mentioning them is fine, being condescending or rude to customers is not

username

There is no need to have the sniffy tone from the branch staff - fair enough, do the sales pitch for online banking etc but ultimately service the client as they so wish.

SevenOfNine

Tokmon said:

SevenOfNine said:

I'd like to keep our local Lloyds branch, it's been there years, but it seems the staff feel differently, clearly happy to end up out of work!

I pop in because I need a cheque book to distribute inheritance funds to beneficiaries.  First I'm grilled on why I want one (the a/c is in my name as Lloyds were reluctant to open an executor's a/c & it only holds estate funds). When I politely explain it's time to pay beneficiaries, she adopts a rather haughty tone & tells me I "should do bank transfers".

A bit taken aback I then explain that I need to transfer £91k each, to 3 people & don't want to spend a week doing it in £££ bits as I can't exceed Lloyds daily transfer limit. To that she replies "well cheques will take a week to clear anyway".  I resort to my own frosty tone & tell her to please request one because I want one.

Moving on from that unwelcome exchange. I pop in to pay in a small cheque, the auto machine isn't working so I go to the cashier (a different one).  She asks if I bank on-line, to which I reply I do for some things.  Then I'm asked why don't I have the Lloyds app as I can pay-in the cheque via that.  She's friendly & polite but now I'm obliged to explain that I don't want the Lloyds app, I don't want to bank via my mobile phone, I don't want to access my bank a/c via it even to just look at the a/c.  I do some banking on my home PC & a some in branch - because that's how I like to bank. 

So when the branch has seen off all it's customers, it can close & the staff can join the unemployed scrap heap - everything everywhere automated & ripe for an electronic meltdown. Rant over.

Why would you want to waste your free time going into a bank on multiple occasions to do things like requesting cheque books and paying in cheques that can be done in a couple minutes from the comfort of your own home?

Why would you waste your 'free time' being bothered enough to comment on my choices.
As stated, I requested a cheque book so I could PAY BENEFICIARIES their inheritance from what was the estate account. Alternatively, you're correct, I could do that from home by bank transfer, £91K per person,  £25K + £25K + £25K + £16K, same for all 3 people taking 11 days to complete. So much more convenient than a stroll to the bank to get a cheque book...NOT! 1 cheque each to go with a copy of the accounts & a short note stating that cashing said cheque would be taken as confirmation that the accounts were in order (not legally binding but they don't know that).

As for paying a small cheque in, I don't care what you do, try not to care what I do, my 'free time' is my own to spend as I like, it doesn't need your approval, perhaps you've got a bit too much.  For the record it was cheque BOOK & paying in a CHEQUE - neither has an 's' on the end making it multiple times.

IvanOpinion

I read an article a while back that basically said that branches were a profit drain on banks.  Basically a loss making part pf the business, so it is in their (and their customer's) interests to minimise interactions so that they can focus on more profitable and used areas.  In particular cheques are an expensive way for a bank to do business (cost measured in £'s rather than pennies for electronic).  From a staff point-of-view maybe they want to be employed in more modern areas of the business and don't want to be stuck behind a counter servicing fewer and fewer customers.  You may not be doing them a favour by insisting on using branch facilities.

I am inclined to think that, within the next decade, today's branches will simply become advice offices with limited ability to transact .  Those customers that still need to use face-to-face interactions will use consolidators like the Post Office (who will offer minimal services).

giraffe69

It's routine when change happens that there are the "Rage against the machine" types. Many people have stopped using cheques and using their local branch more than once in a blue moon. There will be a period where there are those, typically quite elderly, where the internet revolution has passed them by but gradually they will become fewer and fewer. There will also be those who resist even though they are capable of using at least some of the technology. The amount if cash being used is sharply declining so we are going to have to get used to a newer and different way of doing things and as said above cheques are a remarkably expensive to transact in this day and age.