Can I close an account if there is an ongoing complaint?

trashedteen

As above, I have been having issues with my bank for nearly 4 months and have just made an official complaint to the financial ombudsman. 

I have currently been holding for nearly 2 hours to get through to someone as I would like all my direct debits to come out from another account. I know I can use the switching service most banks offer but that would mean closing the account down and I'm not sure that's a good idea if there's an ongoing complaint?

I know there is also a partial switching service but that means opening a new account. Ideally I would just like to move everything to one of my existing accounts. I have spoken to the bank which I would like everything moved to and they have explained I need to speak to the bank that I want everything moved from but I am finding it impossible to speak to anyone. 

wizzywig27

I wouldn’t think it would make any difference to the outcome, however if you are due any sort of compensation then it would speed up that payment maybe 

HobgoblinBT

Which bank are you holding on for? The one you want to move from or move to?  

You should be able to do a partial switch, ie standing orders and direct debits only by engaging with the bank you wish to switch your standing orders and direct debits to.  

trient

trashedteen said:

I have currently been holding for nearly 2 hours to get through to someone as I would like all my direct debits to come out from another account. I know I can use the switching service most banks offer but that would mean closing the account down and I'm not sure that's a good idea if there's an ongoing complaint?

I know there is also a partial switching service but that means opening a new account. Ideally I would just like to move everything to one of my existing accounts. I have spoken to the bank which I would like everything moved to and they have explained I need to speak to the bank that I want everything moved from but I am finding it impossible to speak to anyone. 

Looks like you have two options.

Manually switch your DDs into your other account or do a partial switch into your other account choosing the payments that you want transferred (I don't believe a partial switch requires the target account to be newly opened).

The former is something you do with your service providers, the latter is something the target bank does for you.  I don't believe the outgoing bank needs to (or even can) do anything about your DDs.

km1500

not sure why you are calling the bank - just call the companys who the DDs are from and give them your new sort code and account number

DullGreyGuy

trashedteen said:

As above, I have been having issues with my bank for nearly 4 months and have just made an official complaint to the financial ombudsman. 

I have currently been holding for nearly 2 hours to get through to someone as I would like all my direct debits to come out from another account. I know I can use the switching service most banks offer but that would mean closing the account down and I'm not sure that's a good idea if there's an ongoing complaint?

I know there is also a partial switching service but that means opening a new account. Ideally I would just like to move everything to one of my existing accounts. I have spoken to the bank which I would like everything moved to and they have explained I need to speak to the bank that I want everything moved from but I am finding it impossible to speak to anyone. 

There is a school of thought that a company is going to look more favourably on existing customers than ex-customers and so you shouldnt move away until the complaint is settled. However, if you have legitimately now escalated to the ombudsman (rather than one of those that contact before they are entitled to escalate) then its no longer in their hands and the ombudsman will be agnostic to if you are still a customer or not

wmb194

km1500 said:

not sure why you are calling the bank - just call the companys who the DDs are from and give them your new sort code and account number

I can change most of mine online.

trashedteen

After holding for 2 and half hours I finally got through and was told they could not do this. They suggested a partial switch but this would involve opening a new account which I do not want to do as I'm applying for a mortgage soon. 

In the end, I had to contact each company individually and move the DD. Some had an online system but most were long waits to speak with customer service. Except for DVLA who just had an automated notice to say they couldn't help at this moment and hung up!

I will keep all my DDs in one place from now on.

km1500

wmb194 said:

km1500 said:

not sure why you are calling the bank - just call the companys who the DDs are from and give them your new sort code and account number

I can change most of mine online.

Even better !

I do agree with @trasheen in that all.my DDs are from a totally separate bank (Lloyds) which I never touch

pridehappy

I believe you can still do a partial switch even if you’ve had the account open for a while, at least Nationwide allows you to. Maybe contact your bank to find more.

[Deleted User]

My 5p worth is that partial switches do more harm than good. They’re unregulated, done on a best endeavour basis, and offer no guarantee like a full switch does. Better to do it manually for that extra peace of mind. 

Though once a complaint is with the FOS I don’t personally see why you’d need to stay with the bank. I certainly haven’t.