Nationwide rebranding

flaneurs_lobster

2010 said:

I think you`ve missed the point of my post.
If a company wants to hide it`s name by using an obscure addres, it sort of loses it by then printing it`s name further down the envelope.

The post was nothing to do with paperless or if genuine.
Usually when I get letters from NW all it says as the return address is Swindon. (where their HQ is).
That`s why I was curious about a return address I had never seen before.

Clearly I have missed the point.

Are you suggesting that legitimate companies are using obscure return addresses as some kind of security measure? 

Or are you suggesting that if a letter proports to be from Nationwide and shows a return address that is not Swindon then it is suspect?

Or is there some other point I have misunderstood?

HHUK

NATIONWIDE

Mailing Address

My other half received a letter about the rebrand today. It arrived in an envelope with the return address Communisis Manston Lane Leeds LS15 8AH printed on the back.  According to their website, Communisis 'deliver memorable brand engagements in print, in-store, online and through live experiences':

https://communisis.com/our-services/

My partner believes she may have had a mortgage with Nationwide in the eighties - many years before she came to live with me here at the house I've occupied since 1990, but nothing since then. The only explanation we can think of for their having a record of her at this address is that she would have been named on the annual travel insurance policy we took out in 2016 through my packaged FlexAccount Plus current account.

Card Readers

Yesterday I tried to access my Saffron BS app and was told I needed to update it. When attempting to do that I was advised it wasn't available for my (Android Version 9) device. Hanley Economic's won't work on Android versions older that 10 either. I did ask Saffron to send me a new phone to enable me to continue to use the app, but they politely declined!
 
When logging on to the websites of First Direct and HSBC they require a Digital Secure Key accessed via the relevant app. How long will it be until my ancient phone won't allow me to use this facility?

Perhaps there is still a use for card readers after all.

WillPS

HHUK said:

 
When logging on to the websites of First Direct and HSBC they require a Digital Secure Key accessed via the relevant app. How long will it be until my ancient phone won't allow me to use this facility?

Probably sooner than later.

2010

flaneurs_lobster said:

2010 said:

I think you`ve missed the point of my post.
If a company wants to hide it`s name by using an obscure addres, it sort of loses it by then printing it`s name further down the envelope.

The post was nothing to do with paperless or if genuine.
Usually when I get letters from NW all it says as the return address is Swindon. (where their HQ is).
That`s why I was curious about a return address I had never seen before.

Clearly I have missed the point.

Are you suggesting that legitimate companies are using obscure return addresses as some kind of security measure? 

Or are you suggesting that if a letter proports to be from Nationwide and shows a return address that is not Swindon then it is suspect?

Or is there some other point I have misunderstood?

flaneurs_lobster said:

2010 said:

I think you`ve missed the point of my post.
If a company wants to hide it`s name by using an obscure addres, it sort of loses it by then printing it`s name further down the envelope.

The post was nothing to do with paperless or if genuine.
Usually when I get letters from NW all it says as the return address is Swindon. (where their HQ is).
That`s why I was curious about a return address I had never seen before.

Clearly I have missed the point.

Are you suggesting that legitimate companies are using obscure return addresses as some kind of security measure? 

Or are you suggesting that if a letter proports to be from Nationwide and shows a return address that is not Swindon then it is suspect?

Or is there some other point I have misunderstood?

Yes
Yes             
No
Everything

2010

WillPS said:

2010 said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

2010 said:

Had a letter today with a return address on the back that I didn`t recognise.
Googled it and discovered about 22 companies using this address, none of which I knew.
In the fight against fraud,companies do use obscure addresses when sending mail.
I thought this was a good idea for added security.
I had not opened the letter yet, as I glanced towards the bottom of the envelope looking at the recycling icon where it boldly said.
Nationwide cares about the environment ----------------------- etc.

The return address may not be the source of the mail.

Lots of banks, utilities etc outsource printing, envelope-stuffing & mailing to specialist companies. Probably why that address is shared, it will be a mail processing centre.

Can't really see that checking the return address is of much use in determining if a letter is genuine.

Have you chosen to turn on all possible paperless options on your Nationwide account?

I think you`ve missed the point of my post.
If a company wants to hide it`s name by using an obscure addres, it sort of loses it by then printing it`s name further down the envelope.

The post was nothing to do with paperless or if genuine.
Usually when I get letters from NW all it says as the return address is Swindon. (where their HQ is).
That`s why I was curious about a return address I had never seen before.

I think the point you're missing is that Nationwide aren't trying to obscure their address at all, that's a bad assumption on your part.

If a company is sending important letters, documents, credit cards, debit cards etc. it would be a good idea to "obscure" who it`s from on the envelope.
And that it seems is exactly what they have started to do.

unprinted

Amusingly(?) in the very same post as the 'we're spending hundreds of thousands (millions?) of your pounds on changing our logo to look more like NatWest's' letter was the debit card for a new current account with them..

.. in the old style.

I have to say that if I were going to pick a bank to look like, NatWest would be below the collapsed BCCI in the list of ones I'd pick. Not corrupt, just so awful.

Someone clearly thought 'we got away with annoying all our members who don't have a current account with us by throwing money at the relatively few earlier this year, let's waste their money again!!' I was astonished at how few people voted against the board at this year's AGM, but clearly that's given them the green light to do this sort of thing.

unprinted

HHUK said:

Yesterday I tried to access my Saffron BS app and was told I needed to update it. When attempting to do that I was advised it wasn't available for my (Android Version 9) device. Hanley Economic's won't work on Android versions older that 10 either. I did ask Saffron to send me a new phone to enable me to continue to use the app, but they politely declined!

It works the other way round too: one metropolitan travel authority's app won't install on recent versions of Android.

robatwork

Not heard of Communisis before. Have they been reliably combining the best of Communism and Isis?

HHUK

I hope never to hear from them again. Have seldom seen as much managerial-speak / meaningless twaddle as appears on their website

Lions_89

It’s been a week and I still don’t like the logo much. It has grown on me about 5% but they should abort the rebrand.