Warning to Nationwide customers and a big step backwards

Saltfish

Shocked to find Nationwide have 'switched off' their sms notifications for insufficient funds, without telling me! I noticed two Council tax direct debit payments bounced but, only after a month, as the council did not notify me either. In the past, I have always relied upon Nationwide's sms message alerts to give me the chance to top up funds the same day to avoid missed payments.

Having phoned Nationwide customer service today, I was told that I will only receive sms alerts, if I switch off all notifications for my app in iphone. The reasoning is apparently that all notifications will be delivered by the app. However, I have never received an 'insufficient funds' push notification in my iphone app - wonder if anyone else has?

Upon reflection, I am now concerned that by switching off all notifications for my nationwide app, I will be compromising security!

So it seems, where previously we had a system where we could have both banking app notifications and sms alerts, now we can only have one or the other - a big step backwards in my view, as this compromises on either security or financial planning.

eskbanker

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/current-accounts/help/text-alerts/ does explain their stance on SMS:

We’ll send alerts as text messages if we have your mobile number, and you don’t have our app installed

but this does seem to have changed earlier this year from what they'd previously published.

They do also say that "If you have the Nationwide app on your device and notifications enabled, you’ll get alerts as notifications" though, so if you're saying that you weren't notified via either method, then that sounds worthy of a complaint…

Ayr_Rage

I remember NW advising a change to the way notifications are sent some months ago, I guess you must have missed it.

flaneurs_lobster

as this compromises on either security or financial planning.

Not sure that I would call SMS messages from my bank because my Council Tax DDs have bounced "financial planning".

Personally I'd notice if a couple of hundred quid had not left my account as expected.

It's a fixed amount, leaving your bank account on the same date each month, not sure how much planning you need to do other than have the money in the account on the day.

Believe that iPhones have calendars with notifications built in, why not use that?

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81968292#Comment_81968292

On the subject of financial planning for DDs and insufficient funds, there is one forum regular who routinely relies on such notifications, although that's not to say it's recommended!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81918912#Comment_81918912

Saltfish

re:flaneur lobster -

fair enough 'financial planning' was a bit of a euphemism - more like 'crisis management' ! However, you might be in a more fortunate position to be able to plan effectively, in our case, we have just received a £12,000 roofing repair bill, have salaries that , like many other people, have failed to keep up with inflation over a decade, have many expenses and activities with two children and use this account as our joint account for regular outgoings only, like mortgage and bills, most of which have just gone up again (including c-tax); with ever rising cost of living we have not been able to keep it topped up with a comfortable buffer like we managed to just about a few years ago, so the sms alerts are a useful service for us..I did notice, but a little later, which is why I queried it with Nationwide as soon as

flaneurs_lobster

I'm certainly not unsympathetic to anyone who is juggling many disparate financial commitments but Council Tax is the one obligation that you really need to prioritise - it's the one where non-payment has consequences quickly, first of which will be taking away payment by installments, and further penalties up to and including (in England) imprisonment.

HillStreetBlues

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81968288#Comment_81968288

What form was it notified? as if removing SMS, then the best way would be to send a SMS about the change.

Renfrewman

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81968408#Comment_81968408

For you…for me email would be best, but I don't need reminding. I know when the direct debits are due and how much they are and cover them in my account on time. I think that's how most people deal with it. I rely on me as it's my responsibility and mine alone.

Rob5342

Why not switch to Monzo or Starling? You can see the direct debits a few days before they are taken and get app notifications if you have insufficient funds to cover them.

Jami74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81968857#Comment_81968857

OP missed two, which suggests he didn't check the account/app for more than four weeks, so a different type of account wouldn't have helped. One that sent him an SMS saying "Put that mince and potatoes down, your kids will be fine with spaghetti on toast again and the cubs subs can be 'forgotten' again this week because council tax has just been taken" is what he needed. And there's absolutely no need to judge, when you've got your finances in order it's incomprehensible that someone would go a month without checking a balance and noting when bills are due but having grown up in a household where finances very much weren't in order and there simply wasn't enough money to cover everything I can confirm that things got buried, hidden and ignored while fingers were crossed and prayers were said.