How can Natwest be this bad?

[Deleted User]

They're in the top 10 for service - 57% rating - so not great but not the worst.

The card reader issue sounds like a Royal Mail problem rather than a bank issue.

SevenOfNine

NatWest can easily be "that bad". They decided (for no valid reason except 'age') that my elderly mum liked to go in for more years than I can remember to draw pension cash for her 'spends' once a month.

Out of the blue, for whatever random reason they decided to class her as vulnerable, so getting her own cash became an unpleasant experience. Questioned, kept waiting ages while the cashier went off to "make a phone call". In the end adult grandson started to accompany her - but still this fiasco carried on.

She became too frightened to go in, even when I started to take her, so I had to draw her cash for her from an ATM. Her bit of elderly independence removed at the whim of NatWest.

When she died they got EVEN WORSE. By then I was a named person on her a/c (with a debit card), but they proved completely incapable of freezing her a/c on my authorisation & with sight of the death cert. Had about £20k in there but they wouldn't release it until probate granted. Wasn't bothered, just paid for everything myself & told them to keep it if they needed it that badly.

Formal complaint did get compensation though, paid into her non frozen bank a/c, but all round very unpleasant experience when my mum had just died.  Frankly, I wouldn't touch NatWest with a 40 foot bargepole.

Xenon

I have had a positive experience so far since opneing my Natwest Account (backup current account)
Pretty smooth with no issues so far

ZeroSum

Have to say, I'd agree with OP having had similar experiences when switching.

Had a right faff on transferring the money out as couldn't do it online due to them not sending out card reader despite me registering for online banking & them being mandatory. Then customer services lying to me saying I could transfer small amounts without one (think they actually meant on the app). The app didn't work on my phone despite it only being 18 months old.
So in end had to do a debit card deposit into building society, wait 2 days to clear, then withdraw to nominated account. I'm sure there was something else, but can't remember.

Only held the account for a couple of weeks, before switching it to FD who are just as bad, but at least they give you £25 ever time you complain about something 

Bridlington1

I can't say I've had any issues with Natwest myself but one thing to note regarding card readers is that if you have a card reader from another bank they can be used interchangeably. When I opened a Barclays account last year I was able to get into online banking and make transfers out using my Nationwide card reader without issues. It just makes things a bit easier for you if your Natwest card reader is never sent out/is caught up in postal strikes.

username

For anyone that's not received a card reader, if you have one from Nationwide or Barclays they will work too as they are all based upon the same system.

I did have issues receiving an HSBC secure key device in the mail once and I went into a branch as I was passing, and they had some spares and happily gave me one.

MrFrugalFever

I’ve banked with NatWest for over 17 years now and have never had a significant problem that I can recall. 

I also have had a few fintech app only bank accounts over that time (the latest being Kroo) purely for backup but so far so good. A shame your experience (and some others reading the posts) hasn’t been quite up to the mark!

Fighter1986

ZeroSum said:

Have to say, I'd agree with OP having had similar experiences when switching.

Had a right faff on transferring the money out as couldn't do it online due to them not sending out card reader despite me registering for online banking & them being mandatory. Then customer services lying to me saying I could transfer small amounts without one (think they actually meant on the app). The app didn't work on my phone despite it only being 18 months old.
So in end had to do a debit card deposit into building society, wait 2 days to clear, then withdraw to nominated account. I'm sure there was something else, but can't remember.

Only held the account for a couple of weeks, before switching it to FD who are just as bad, but at least they give you £25 ever time you complain about something 

Mmm.

I raised a formal complaint about this with Natwest.

They agreed their service was sub par and offered £70 redress.

The thing is - while they agreed with and upheld my complaint - they still didn't provide me with a way of using my account properly! No offer to make arrangements for a card reader in branch, no offer to send one out via a different delivery service, no referral of my issue registering biometrics on the app to their dev team, no offer of a callback to arrange setting things up over the phone, nothing.

Just "Yeah, we messed up so here's some money but we ain't gonna fix your problem for you".

Great way to cause thousands of switchers to cut and run. Bravo. 

[Deleted User]

Fighter1986 said:

Deleted_User said:

Sounds like the local post is bad. Dealt with RBS a number of times and never had issues. I do with my post though. 

That may be the case, but that doesn't justify the app not working correctly with biometrics in a timely manner, nor does it justify the slackjaw approach of the telephone advisor I seemingly dragged out of bed.

Can you elaborate please?

Can't register for biometric approval on their app despite having used the app a lot over the last two weeks.

Do you get an error?

I see all these types through the prism of Barclays, who I recently dealt with and are the worst bank in the UK.

ZeroSum

Fighter1986 said:

ZeroSum said:

Have to say, I'd agree with OP having had similar experiences when switching.

Had a right faff on transferring the money out as couldn't do it online due to them not sending out card reader despite me registering for online banking & them being mandatory. Then customer services lying to me saying I could transfer small amounts without one (think they actually meant on the app). The app didn't work on my phone despite it only being 18 months old.
So in end had to do a debit card deposit into building society, wait 2 days to clear, then withdraw to nominated account. I'm sure there was something else, but can't remember.

Only held the account for a couple of weeks, before switching it to FD who are just as bad, but at least they give you £25 ever time you complain about something 

Mmm.

I raised a formal complaint about this with Natwest.

They agreed their service was sub par and offered £70 redress.

The thing is - while they agreed with and upheld my complaint - they still didn't provide me with a way of using my account properly! No offer to make arrangements for a card reader in branch, no offer to send one out via a different delivery service, no referral of my issue registering biometrics on the app to their dev team, no offer of a callback to arrange setting things up over the phone, nothing.

Just "Yeah, we messed up so here's some money but we ain't gonna fix your problem for you".

Great way to cause thousands of switchers to cut and run. Bravo. 

At least you got compo.
All I got was a 'we can understand your frustrations, but we're not altering our procedures, so tough ****'