Have you struggled to switch bank account?
Moved from Abbey to Alliance Leicester, whose Switching Service was supposed to make it easy. When the new account was opened direct debits with the new bank were active without being cancelled at the old bank, resulting in mortgage and one other payment being removed from both banks. Standing orders were not transferred. Main source of income was paid into the old bank leaving the new account short of funds. Alliance Leicester blamed Abbey, who had apparently released insufficient information. When I asked Alliance Leicester to sort it out with Abbey their Switching Service refused, claiming they could approach Abbey once only and citing the Data Protection Act which I thought was a lot of nonsense. Got it done eventually but found it stressful, time consuming and not as easy as first claimed. Hard to believe that these two are the same company!
Fri, 09/10/2009 - 14:05
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had a HORRIFIC experience with Alliance and Leicester!
We went in to open several accounts -- both personal and business, current and savings -- and found a better place to live about a week after filling out the paperwork. (We were told it would take 2-3 months to open the business accounts.)
Notified A&L on the phone, in writing, and a fax (I am American so I cover all bases; learned to do that ages ago, to be sure you CYA.) -- yet they not only opened the accounts at the old address, but sent all our paperwork there! Account info, debit card, credit card, and PIN numbers as well!
I only found out because I called them months later to learn the status of our accounts! Can you imagine if I had opened the accts by giving them money? How stupid can they be?? To send all my details to the old address?!???!!!
And when I told them, their answer? Wait till you hear this!
WELL WE HAD TO OPEN THE ACCOUNTS WITH THE OLD ADDRESS BEFORE WE COULD CHANGE THE ADDRESS ON THE ACCOUNTS!
Needless to say, I immediately closed everything with them. And I never so much as got an apology or a call back from a higher up (manager) as I'd requested!
Scratch THEM off any "decent bank" list!
Fri, 09/10/2009 - 17:39
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When I´ve switched bank accounts, it has been by closing my old account, and physically going over to a new institution and opening a new account.
However, I find banks make it very difficult for you to close an account with them. First they keep re-instating direct debits, even if you cancel them, then they threaten you with black listing you if you don´t pay their charges and closing your account, and when you try and close it, they say it wil have to wait till the end of the month, owing to some other charges to be calculated.
They are not in control of their system, their computers are. - Banks are the real cause of the credit crunch, and why people are so badly in debt, as they attack those who are on the lowest wage, and can least afford it (so they can buy all that Champagne and Caviar for the fat cats and pay their undeserved bonuses.
What is needed, is a website where the customers give the banks a credit rating, based on their service. - I´m sure the post office account would rank #1, and those who promise extra, would be ranked as having given their customers an extra pain in the wallet.
Which begs the question: "What´s in your wallet?" - Eh?
Fri, 09/10/2009 - 19:36
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An investigation by the Office of Fair Trading last year found that just 6% of customers had switched current account in the previous 12-month period.
It also found that this apathy was largely down to banks making the switching process more complicated that it needs to be.
As a result, it has now forced banks to overhaul the way not only the way they move customers over to other providers but also be clearer about their current account charges and interest rates. Read full story here
Have you ever moved current account? How easy was it to do, and did the banks manage to seamlessly transfer your direct debits over with the minimum of fuss?
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