Beware of Yorkshire Bank

[Guest]

We decided to change our car and yesterday was the day for collection and payment. To try to make sure all went smoothly we took special pains to ensure that there were sufficient funds in the account to cover the balance.

Neither we, nor the salesman, were perturbed when a security check was made to verify my debit card payment but we were outraged when the bank refused to authorise the payment. On ringing customer services I was appalled to be told that the bank's record of my date of birth was inaccurate.

It turned out that the pathetic set of numpties at Yorkshire Bank had recorded my wife's date of birth against both of us.

So, if anybody else has the misfortune to bank with the Yorkshire, Clydesdale or any other part of that dis-organisation it would be well worth checking if any of the information they hold for you is actually correct.

I've sent a strong e-mail sent off to Lynne Peacock, the CEO asking:
a) what she proposes to do to compensate us for the embarrassment and trouble which her bank has caused us
b) what, if any, reason she is able to give me to prevent me from making a formal complain to the Information Commissioner about her bank's sloppy working practices.

Graham

[Ladkyis]

Do they still call it computer error? Back in 1982 the Co-op bank lost £35 from my husband's only bank account. They claimed that the computer had put it into the account of someone with a similar name. This was after denying that we had ever deposited the money. Thank goodness for counterfoils! Eventually we discovered that the money had been paid into the account of someone with the surname EVANS.
Now correct me if I am wrong but that name does not begin with M does it? and even in those far off days our surname was printed onto the paying in slips.
Banks? I have never trusted them since.

[Guest]

Santander Pam? You're absolutely right. That pathetic bunch are just as bad. When my Dad died and the joint account was changed to a single one for my Mum they deleted Mum's birth date and left Dad's recorded as hers.

Add to that the fact that I get about half a dozen spam e-mails supposed to be from Santander every day (against virtually none from any other bank) and they would be the last we would switch to.

[Ken_R]

Last year my sister died and I was named as the Executor to her Will. Her accounts were with Barclays hence, so I thought, it would be a simple matter to open an Executors Account with Barclays and get the funds transferred.

Whilst not myself being a current customer of Barclays, I did, for many years, have an account with them and I knew that they still held my details. Armed with a copy of the Will and the Grant of Probate, I opened the account, a simple process. Paying-in and Cheque Books arrived a within a few days of opening the account.

But getting the money transferred. That was a different matter.

It went on, and on, and on. In the end I think it took over three weeks despite a number of phone calls. The ridiculous thing about it was that as soon as the money was tranferred I wrote a cheque (for the majority of it) to her husband (my brother-in-law) who then paid it into, guess where,


Barclays. The same Branch from which it had been transferred into the Executors Account.

Whereupon, because of money-laundering concerns, he was quizzed as to where he had acquired such a sum of money.

They just couldn't (or didn't want to) grasp that the cheque was issued by "[name] executor of [name] deceased."

In this instance, it didn't matter, as all Funeral expenses had been paid but, for surviving relatives on a limited income, having to take out a loan to cover such expenses, the delay could have resulted in an expensive cost burden.

[Guest]

No response to my e-mail to the CEO after 24 hours so I forwarded it to an address on the YB web site <customer.engagement@eu.nabgroup.com>.

I know they've got it now because I received an automated read response.

If they think they can ignore me they should think again

[Mutley]

I can pay a UK Sterling Barclays cheque (or any other bank's cheques) into my Portuguese Euro bank account, no problem at all.
However,
Barclays UK would not accept a Euro cheque from my Portuguese bank account to go into my daughter's Barclay's account made payable to her. They said they did not recognise it. (huh?)

I thought both countries were part of the EU?

I've banked with Barclays (business and personal) for over 50 years but they don't know me and I don't know them any more.

[Guest]

Got a reply just now trying to fob me off with their normal complaints procedure which is for financial matters and not breaches of the Data Protection Act.

Seems Lynne Peacock has left but they are such numpties that they can't even reset her e-mail address so that messages such as mine are either rejected or redirected elsewhere instead of simply being left in limbo.

Replacement seems to be a David Thorburn so I've copied my response to two possible e-mail addresses for him as well as the person who wrote to me. Hopefully that will identify a valid address and I can update the people who run the CEO web page.

[Liane Hawes]

I'm also like Ladykis haven't trusted banks for many years and I'm only 41.

When I was a student I went to the cashpoint at Lloyds (my bank at the time) to withdraw some money to be told there was nothing in there. According to the clerk I withdraw £33.33 from the cashpoint. Forgive me if I'm wrong but when did cashpoints dish out coins - took weeks to get to the bottom of it - computer error obviously but in the meantime I had to codge money of my mum (again!). Hence to say I'm not with Lloyds anymore but are any of the others better.........

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

[Kerrywood]

I'm not with Lloyds anymore but are any of the others better.........

Halifax takes some beating for poor customer service, not to say insensitivity.

I have power of attorney to manage the account of an elderly relative, in her 90s. One day Halifax took it into their heads to close the account. When I asked them why I could no longer access it, they flatly told me 'She's deceased'. Fortunately, I knew she wasn't, as I'd spoken to her that day!

It has taken two months of argument for me to regain access to the account. I've just received a £200 cheque in compensation from them. It was worth taking the trouble to complain in writing before I moved the balance elsewhere. ................

[JohnN]

I'm sure this behaviour of the banks is deliberate.

It's now more than 20 years since was awarded 'early retirement' from what was then the New Zealand subsidiary of Lloyds. I was eased out with the explanation that my approach to banking belonged in the past. This was the approach which had been drummed into me through constant training over the previous 28 years by that same bank: that excellence in customer service generated customer loyalty which automatically created profits for the bank.

This was all to be changed; banking would in future be totally different, and I was too old (at 50) to adapt to the new regime.

It's been tough at times, but I thank the stars that I got out when I did!