Age Friendly Banks

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JanieRich
JanieRich Posts: 1 Newbie
in Budgeting & bank accounts
Does anyone have any recommendations for an Age Friendly bank? My parents are with HSBC and are struggling with their account security and poor customer service.
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  • jonesMUFCforever
    jonesMUFCforever Posts: 28,898 Forumite
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    In what way?
    I can't remember the last time I had to contact the bank for anything.

    All banks are driven by 'digital' this and that because they think it will work out cheaper.

    I can't think of any bank that favours us oldies.
  • xylophone
    xylophone Posts: 44,412 Forumite
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    edited 19 October 2019 at 3:31PM
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    Does anyone have any recommendations for an Age Friendly bank? My parents are with HSBC and are struggling with their account security and poor customer service.

    Can you say more about the difficulties they are having?

    Can you assist?

    https://www.hsbc.co.uk/help/life-events/assisting-someone-with-their-money/
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
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    My late father was with Nationwide (as am I) and he thought they were excellent - very friendly and very helpful. To be fair he did use the branch regularly so the staff knew him (although at 93 he was also checking his balances on my tablet, and also able to draw cash out of an ATM machine). I also found them to be extremely helpful after he died.

    I read somewhere that some of the Nationwide branches have comfy sofas and coffee. Ideal for weary legs during a shopping trip into town.

    I must stress that I do not work for Nationwide and never have done. I am just a very happy customer.

    As far as HSBC are concerned I have had limited dealings with them, during my tenure as a Treasurer for an club, and have to say that they were the most disorganised, slow and generally useless financial institution that I have ever had to deal with - in fact I could have probably written a short book on my disappointing experiences with them while I was waiting for the right person to come and talk to me, or even the wrong person). To quote Monty Python "run away, run away".
  • born_again
    born_again Posts: 14,435 Forumite
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    JanieRich wrote: »
    Does anyone have any recommendations for an Age Friendly bank? My parents are with HSBC and are struggling with their account security and poor customer service.

    What type of banking are they looking to do?
    Branch, Internet, App based or phone based?
    Life in the slow lane
  • Gers
    Gers Posts: 12,031 Forumite
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    edited 19 October 2019 at 4:58PM
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    Mrs_Arthur_Crown wrote: »

    As far as HSBC are concerned I have had limited dealings with them, during my tenure as a Treasurer for an club, and have to say that they were the most disorganised, slow and generally useless financial institution that I have ever had to deal with - in fact I could have probably written a short book on my disappointing experiences with them while I was waiting for the right person to come and talk to me, or even the wrong person). To quote Monty Python "run away, run away".

    My recent, and on-going, experience with HSBC totally reflects what is written above. Can't say anything about age related interactions though.

    In this day and age it's difficult to build up a relationship with bank staff generally. My own branch has only two staff and operates out of a very small space, I've seen bigger kitchens. What it means is that staff know their customers and offer support when needed. There's even a direct phone number to call the branch, so bypassing the call centre if needed. TSB if it helps!
  • colsten
    colsten Posts: 17,597 Forumite
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    @JanieRich, do you, or someone else, have PoA for your parents? If not, it seems a high priority to sort one out. Two, actually. One for each of them.

    As others have already asked, what are your parent's requirements? What would they consider Age friendly banking?
  • worried_jim
    worried_jim Posts: 11,631 Forumite
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    Wouldn't First Direct be suitable as they can call 24/7?
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
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    worried_jim wrote: »
    Wouldn't First Direct be suitable as they can call 24/7?

    Being a sub-brand of HSBC UK, they will deal with the same delightful people in-branch as before - who will have even less interest in helping them than before.

    Perhaps not the best idea ;)

    I would go with Nationwide or Metro Bank.
  • BooJewels
    BooJewels Posts: 2,863 Forumite
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    My elderly father is with Santander and they were fabulous with him about 18 months ago when his account was compromised (someone tried to use a cloned debit card to buy something expensive) and because he'd just been in branch and was known to them, when the fraud team rang the branch to ask about it, the lady that dealt with him knew who he was and was able to confirm immediately that she'd just seen him at the counter, so couldn't have been trying to buy a quad bike 200 miles away.

    I've since engaged the LPA he'd set up around that same time and have been using his branch, as mine has closed down and again, have found them extremely sensitive to the situation and most obliging. I feel that I've got proper old fashioned service and courtesy - which is unfortunately becoming a bit of a scarcity these days.

    I too would suggest the OP looks at her parents setting up an LPA, it has taken a real burden off my father that I've been able to just take over certain tasks for him, that he can just forget about. It's hard work for the attorney, as whilst it makes things possible, it doesn't make them easy either, so it becomes quite a task and responsibility, but I shudder to think what kind of a mess we'd be in just now without it.
  • Ben8282
    Ben8282 Posts: 4,821 Forumite
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    How do you define an Age Friendly Bank?
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