Natwest

[RobM.]

Alliance and Leicester here, no complaints really - apart from the automated "help" lines but they're everywhere now.
Ironically enough, have you ever tried to ring BT? It's impossible!

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Einstein @ Feb. 18 2005,12:30)]

Quote[/b] (glasgowsufc @ Feb. 18 2005,12:02)]It just sums up any part of the RBS Group for me, speaking as a former employee.  Their inflexibility & arrogance in approach to customers is shocking.

However I would now never bank with HSBC. It started as a principle due to moving all the jobs to India. You cannot even understand them when you call up now.  It is also their 'customer service' which is the most useless I have ever encountered with Banks or any other kind of service I have been after.  I had a long running dispute with HSBC that lasted nearly a year due to their incompetence. This was within Branchs, Call Centre's, Head Office and at all levels of 'management'!

This is coming from an ex-employee of RBS Group also agreeing that while RBS are far from being the best, HSBC are by far the worst IMHO.

I think at the end of the day all financial institutions are one step away from pulling a fast one on their customers. It's why they try & dazzle everybody with red tape & hope that pages & pages of terms & conditions will either earn then some extra unexpected income or will restrict how many customers they lose as it's so difficult to switch accounts.

I had a good 10 years problem free with RBS until a) the fabulous Credit Card centre (even though it's based in Southend) tried to defraud me & b) I started to work for them; in the fact that they spin me all this rubbish that an employee account would be better for me than a standard one, even though I WASN'T allowed to transfer branches. To cut a long story short it took over 6 days for one RBS cheque to clear in another RBS account. Scary in their incompetence!

 

[Mad Cyril]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Feb. 18 2005,13:44)]

Quote[/b] (sufcintheprem @ Feb. 18 2005,12:55)]Does anyone actually think positively of their bank?

Yep.  I'm with Barclays, and they've been the mutt's nuts with me.

As a 16 year old, through a failure to add up properly - and through someone failing to cash a cheque for about 2 months - I went £9.72 overdrawn.  I was with Shat West at the time, so naturally had no overdraft.

They charged me £25 overdraft fee... which in 1990 was quite bloody expensive.  They refused to withdraw the fee - so I closed all my accounts.  I have never, and will never, darken their door again.

The following year, I made a similar mistake - this time with Barclays.  I complained, pleaded my case... and the manager said "OK, but please try not to make the mistake again... and come and see me about opening a student account with an appropriate overdraft."

He waived the bankcharge.  14 years later, I remain with Barclays.  They treated me well as a student, gave me an overdraft, and even now - I still have an account with them, with an overdraft, into which my salary now goes...

Looks like Barclays have sussed that having a human face, and doing the occasional sensible and human act, means that customers stay with them.  It's why, unlike Shat West, they don't need to spend loads of money on TV ad campaigns, pretending that somehow they're a "human" or "local" bank... adverts which, frankly, are bullsh*t from start to finish.

I also have another account with Citibank and I feel pretty positive about them.  They have an instant access interest account paying well over 4%, which is linked to three interchangable current accounts - Sterling, Dollar and Euro.  With a phone-call, I say "link my card to my Euro account please" - so that when I go over to Europe, I draw Euros out of my Euro account and pay no commission and no charges.  Same goes for the US and my dollar account.

Again, I'd say that was pretty damn good.

Matt

I used to be with Barclays at University. In 1992 I made the mistake of trying to extend my overdraft whilst drunk and some spiteful witch of a student business officer snatched my connect card from me.

I never forgot the wicked gleam in her eyes as she leaned over the desk and snatched the card out of my hand.

I vowed that I would one day stop banking with Barclays.

I admit, it took me another 13 years to get round to closing my account but they lost my business due to a bad customer service incident.

Also, MTS, how can you say NatWest ads are bad when you look at what that Barclays turn out. Also, who do you think is footing the bill for Samuel L Jackson and Donald Sutherland to appear in them?

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Mad Cyril @ Feb. 18 2005,14:09)]Also, MTS, how can you say NatWest ads are bad when you look at what that Barclays turn out. Also, who do you think is footing the bill for Samuel L Jackson and Donald Sutherland to appear in them?

Ah, but that's for Barclays financial services... not their customer banking.

Still, the moral of the story is:

(a) all the banks suck, to a greater or lesser extent;
(b) your view of a particular bank is likely to be extremely subjective, based only on your experiences of it...

Matt

 

[Birri]

I worked for natwest when I left school it was sh*te! I saw just how bad the banks are they couldnt give a toss. The shame is that all the rest are not any better!

 

[Guest]

I have banked with Natwest since I was 17. I am now 31. I have never had a problem with them. I have always found the staff at the Basildon Branch to be very helpful and friendly. To be totally honest they are everything a bank should be. Kind helpfull and understanding.
Fined by them once as an 18 year old. Their mistake and a full refund three days later

 

[canada shrimper]

Quote[/b] (sufcintheprem @ Feb. 18 2005,12:55)]Does anyone actually think positively of their bank?

My wife and I both have separate accounts and a joint account with the Bank of Montreal and they have been great since day 1.I also have a Royal bank of Canada account and they are great as well.