Problems with NatWest Bank coin counting machines

Just_the_Man

Is it just me? I have recently started depositing coins at NatWest for our church and regularly find that the thrice counted coin total does not match what the machine says - this week it was £4.00 short. I checked the rejected coin tray which was empty. This type of error has happened frequently to the chap depositing the coins before me, so we have taken to keeping a bag of change to ‘top-up’ what the machine says so that it balances with our paying-in book.

There does not seem to be any recourse to challenge the ‘great machine’ and no option to pay in cash manually. We are required to use NatWest by the church authorities.

Is anyone else having similar problems or is it just me?

thanks 

S

eskbanker

Just_the_Man said:

We are required to use NatWest by the church authorities.

Maybe escalate via the church authorities then?  There's always going to be a bit of 'one word versus another' in this sort of thing but if there's a high level business banking relationship then that may carry a bit more weight than an individual complaint....

phillw

Have you said to them "I want to make a complaint"?

turnitround

Ive only used the machine once when I had collected £460 in £2 coins. It showed £428 when it finished counting. However I had not noticed the reject coin tray! 
When I got the coins out of there they were boiling hot, so hot I could not hold them and had to wait for them to cool but when I put them back in the count was correct.

ischris85

Could the church register to pay in the coins through the post office?
https://www.natwest.com/business/ways-to-bank/post-office.html#:~:text=We've increased the number,with a paying-in slip. 

rothesy

My branch has 2 machines.  One where you take a print out to the teller for them to deposit the cash after it has finished counting the coins.  The other machine deposits it to the account automatically.  This other machine, actually has 2 rejected coin slots.  The 2nd one is very low down the machine almost nearer the floor.  When I last used it, there was £12 in 50p pieces inside the slot as the previous user had only checked the first slot.

[Deleted User]

They're done by weight that is the problem. If you look, some 10p coins are thinner than others, other coins wear down over time. It may be best to put it in bit by bit and demonstrate it with a staff member

General_Grant

I have used the coin counting machines a few times.  Once there was a discrepancy (maybe something like 20p).  I hadn't realised there was a rejected coin section and, when I took the slip to the teller, she did not mention this when I said it had not counted up to the amount I expected.

I don't intend using the coin counting machines again but will certainly look out for rejected coins if amounts do not match if I do use them again.

Just_the_Man

Thank you for all of your comments. There is only one machine at the branches we use and we always check the one rejected coin tray. There is no facility to pay in coins manually at NatWest now.

We shall certainly investigate the Post Office alternative, although we suspect we not be allowed a debit card, but we can ask and check the paying in book for a bar code.

we will ask the Diocese to ask if other churches are having the same problems.

Roast_2

I do not trust the machines at all.  Have had issues on several occasions.  I am a treasurer to a society and so all money is counted prior to going into branch.  The first time I had to use the machine the assistant helping me said you just put all the money in and any rejects will show..... out of several hundred pounds of pre-counted coinage - £52 down on what I should have had with no explanation other than they suggested I had counted the money incorrectly.  So out of my pocket I had to put £52 back to the society account.  The second time I had to use the stupid machine I emptied each bag in individually [some of them unopened bags direct from the bank] the first time a £20 bag of £1's recorded £10 I asked for the machine to be opened, low and behold in the bottom of the machine below the spinning bowl were my coins, this happened several times until eventually all bags were emptied and accounted for I could then join the queue with my several bits of printouts to bank the money.  Today, frustratingly, was told to use the machine, first £20 in £2 account for ok, second bag £20 in £2 just £8 account for.  Once again I asked for the machine to be opened, initially told any money would be rejected, as non was told that I must have counted it incorrectly etc etc as this isn't how the machine worked and that they couldn't open the machine, I told the assistant that they have opened the machine previously, I refused to move until the machine was opened.  Eventually the assistant returned with the key and would you believe it, there was my £12 in £2 coins along with a number of other coins in the bottom of the machine.  Who / where / what happens to this money?  I frequently see people just empty a whole piggy bank of money and never question the result that comes out, as the teller said today, no one has ever said anything before, my reply was how many people count?  This surely is theft!?  Sorry for the rant! 

AmityNeon

Roast_2 said:

The second time I had to use the stupid machine I emptied each bag in individually [some of them unopened bags direct from the bank] the first time a £20 bag of £1's recorded £10 I asked for the machine to be opened, low and behold in the bottom of the machine below the spinning bowl were my coins

...

Eventually the assistant returned with the key and would you believe it, there was my £12 in £2 coins along with a number of other coins in the bottom of the machine.

How did the bank react each time, when they opened the machine and realised there was in fact, missing money?

I always count my coins and fortunately the machines have always counted correctly (a mixture of different coins of all denominations).