Privileged to be a customer.....

PhoneGuru

This year I decided to move my previous years ISA and open a new higher interest one to get the best out of my savings. I've become extremely un-impressed with both Abbey and Alliance and Leicester in the process and thought I would document.

First I contacted Alliance and Leicester to open their ISA. They were more than happy for me to do this, but I would need to visit a branch, between 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. For me, this is completely unrealistic as I could be working anywhere in the UK at very short notice. The only time I can get to a branch is a Saturday as I can garantee I know where I will be.

Alliance and Leicester could not offer a way around this, I have to show up in person with my ID and there was apparently no other way to do it. As such, they don't get my business.

Then, today I visited my local Abbey branch to open a Direct ISA. Again, more than happy to do this if I could visit them during the week as they could not do it today, explaining that I have to be "interviewed to open an account with them" and they couldn't guarantee a Saturday appt for the next 5 weeks!

Is it just me, or does the financial industry have a serious problem. I have a good few years of ISA savings that I have been happy to invest with two different suppliers. Neither of them could accommodate my needs to open the account, I am more than happy to provide ID in any form they require. I was quite annoyed to be told I had to be interviewed. I distinctly get the feeling that I should feel very privileged that any of these institutions will allow me to store my money with them.

Given the current credit crisis, shouldn't they be jumping to get my money? Since when does the financial industry have it's head so far up it's own backside that it can't find simple ways to accept money from people who want to invest. I understand they have rules to follow in terms of fraud etc, but it seems to me that the whole system has just gone too far.

As it stands, I will either open a Tax Haven ISA with Barclays who my current acct is with, or a new FirstDirect ISA where my current ISAs are and given the customer service I've had from Firstdirect I'm tempted to just keep everything there, having to visit any branch of any bank in the UK is turning into a stressful trip I would rather avoid.

All in all, very annoyed. If every industry in the UK behaved like this nothing would ever get done. Just wondered what your experiences where on this front?

Neiliboy

Amen Brother......

with the way globalisation is working high street banks are probably the last ones to change in terms of openening hours for customers.

My current account is with FD and I find the experience faultless. My business bank account is with Abbey and they are quite frankly rubbish.

I have a branch of HSBC near me who i sometime need to use to pay in stuff to my FD account....the useless b*astards have opening hours of 10am - 3pm.....monday to friday. How rubbish is that?? Surely bearing in mind the costs assciated to running a branch they need to keep keep their doors open as LONG as possible to maximise money coming through the door.

The main Cambridge Branch of HSBC has their counter SHUT on a saturday - the day most people, like you are have time to do their banking - instead you have to pay everything in via their machines. Utter rubbish if you ask me

High street banks quite honestly do have their heads shoved firmly up their backsides.