Barclays / Woolwich (Lounged)

[Marmora Man]

I visited the new Barclays today to help sons deposit Christmas monies into their savings accounts.

I read, with despair, that Barclays will from Sat 12th no longer be opening on a Saturday. The Woolwich & Barclays promised no diminution of service when the two sites were combined but not opening on Saturdays is a serious reduction in service levels. Visiting the Woolwich on a Saturday with children was a good way to develop their savings ethos. No longer will this be possible.

[Domitianus]

I was formerly a customer of Woolwich and frankly the change to Barclays has been nothing short of a nightmare. I agree that the Woolwich branch was friendly, helpful and had short queues. Barclays staff may do their best but the ethos of the bank as a whole is frightful. When all Woolwich customers were shifted across to Barclays the new account I was given had no Electron or Switch facility which was a major inconvenience for me. Also, Barclays now charge for issuing counter cheques whereas Woolwich always had the option to waive such charges if the customer did not operate a current account. Also the quesues i Barclays are atrocious. I would love to close my Barclays account and tell them why but, frankly, the hassle of moving is just too much bother.

In short - Barclays stinks!

[KalamityKel]

Have these views/opinions/grumbles been mentioned to Barclays/Wooliwich? I mean officially? Would be interesting to know their response :-)

[char1ie]

You go into a bank? Crazy. The world of online banking and cash machines is your friend.

Charlie

[Louisa]

It can also be your enemy char1ie as i've found out on two seperate ocassions now, hence why I now only visit a branch!

Louisa.

[Jeremy]

"new Barclays"?? What new Barclays?

The one on LL has never been open on Saturdays as far as I know. In fact I don't know of any barclays branch which is open on a Saturday. I know it's awful...

[Domitianus]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Have these views/opinions/grumbles been mentioned

> to Barclays/Wooliwich? I mean officially? Would

> be interesting to know their response :-)

Might as well talk to a tree I suspect. I saw one old lady in the queue close her account. The girl asked her why she wanted to do so (politely, I must say) and the lady stated that she did not like Barclays and did not want to bank with them. This explanation was accepted without batting an eyelid and no further clarification was asked for. I see little point in writing a letter of complaint in order to simply received a smoothly crafted response full of platitudes. Banks/insurance companies/airlines = barstewards!

[SteveT]

It can also be your enemy char1ie as i've found out on two seperate ocassions now, hence why I now only visit a branch!

Louisa.

I was considering banking on line though not so sure now, do you have any inclination to elucidate Louisa?

[Domitianus]

SteveT Wrote:

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> It can also be your enemy char1ie as i've found

> out on two seperate ocassions now, hence why I now

> only visit a branch!

>

> Louisa.

>

> I was considering banking on line though not so

> sure now, do you have any inclination to elucidate

> Louisa?

I would love to elucidate Louisa. Just give me a time and place.

[SteveT]

I would still like to know the drawbacks to on line banking as I was recently recommended to do so by a computer geek friend.

[landellite]

I don't think anybody could say that internet banking is 100% safe and guaranteed to protect your heard-earned dosh - but then neither is getting cash out of a cash machine. It's just a different type of threat. Banks are spending a lot of money on making their online services as secure as possible, and although I know there are others here who have had bad experiences, my own experience (with Natwest, over the last 10 years) has been entirely good and I've never had any fraud problems.

For me, there are a few key rules I follow.. I use a different password from my other internet services (email, Amazon, etc), I avoid writing down my login details anywhere (and destroying the piece of paper sent to me with them on originally), and try and use a banking service which gives you a physical 'token' which reads off a set of digits for you to type in when you login (sometimes called 'two-factor authentication'), as these involve more sophisticated security.

Not to say that others here who have had problems haven't done exactly the same things.. I just think these are good things for a first-timer to aim for. A lot of problems you hear from others others citing fraud through internet banking are just as likely to be due to them purchasing from less reputable online stores who don't transmit and store your credit card details securely.

[char1ie]

Why would anybody bank in person? You have to queue. You waste time. You can't do your banking whenever you want as you have to go to the bank when it is open. And you have to deal with surly miserable staff. Who are miserable because they work in a bank.

Online and phone banking is instant, 24 hour, based at home and at your convenience.

If someone steals money from a bank they are stealing from the bank, not from you.

Charlie

[mockney piers]

"If someone steals money from a bank they are stealing from the bank, not from you."

err...unless it's being stolen out of your account. If spotted the bank will usually refund, but I know people who've been stitched up good and proper, and my own experience of being cloned, it took 6 months to get that 500 quid back!

[Jeremy]

Kids can't pay "Christmas monies" into their account via online banking though, can they? Perhaps the the aunties and uncles could have transferred the money into the kids' accounts directly?

[Domitianus]

I went into Barclays today to lodge a cheque (can this be done online? perhaps it can!) and to make matters worse, those boxes full which are meant to be full of free pens were completely empty!!!

[Siduhe]

If spotted the bank will usually refund, but I know people who've been stitched up good and proper, and my own experience of being cloned, it took 6 months to get that 500 quid back!

For me, this is where internet banking comes into its own. I now check my current account and credit card online every other day. About six months ago I spotted two small transactions (?15 and ?20), a couple of days apart, that I didn't immediately recognise (one for petrol and one to a mobile phone company). I phoned my bank, never once imagining that this was fraud, more that I'd forgotten something I'd brought. They put a hold on the account as a precaution. Six hours later, someone tried to buy a ?2,500 computer online using my credit card details.

As MP says, I would have got the money back, but I'd rather not have gone through that kind of stress. The fraud department told me that it's common for people who buy cloned credit card and current account details to put a couple of small transactions through to check they are genuine and haven't been flagged up yet as stolen or cloned.

I also use a unique password (alphanumeric) that isn't my home address or a birthday/name combination for online banking and never ask the PC to "save my details" (as anyone with a bit of computer knowledge can bypass the login password on a Windows PC).

[andypandy]

I agree about the Barclays issue. The Woolwich was great - sort of a bit like stepping back to the 1980's but great never the less. Since our childrens' accounts were moved over the road we haven't been in once. I'd just like to move the kids accounts somewhere else now... can anyone recommend an account somewhere that's gives reasonable rates and is geared up towards kids?

On the subject of Internet and Telephone Banking

I can wholeheartedly recommend First Direct who have been great since I switched to them about 4 years ago. Their telephone staff are all UK based and their online banking is also good. You can pay in a cheque at the HSBC or I tend to pay in cheques by post. Best of all I have noticed that they give you ?100 if you start up an account. The are confident that you will stay but if you aren't happy after 12 months and you want to leave then they will help you move to another bank and give you another ?100.....It was my 70 year old mother in law who recommended them to me. She doesn't use the internet banking and frankly if she can do it anyone can..... I also know that the CO-OP (Smile) are supposed to be good I know that the rise of the internet has been a factor into the decline of high street banking but I suggest kicking Barclays into touch and welcoming someone else on board. If Barclays are forced out perhaps we can have another Foxtons to balance out Lordship Lane - that would make my year.... (not)

[Marmora Man]

andypandy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I agree about the Barclays issue. The Woolwich was

> great - sort of a bit like stepping back to the

> 1980's but great never the less. Since our

> childrens' accounts were moved over the road we

> haven't been in once. I'd just like to move the

> kids accounts somewhere else now... can anyone

> recommend an account somewhere that's gives

> reasonable rates and is geared up towards kids?

>

> On the subject of Internet and Telephone Banking

>

> I can wholeheartedly recommend First Direct who

> have been great since I switched to them about 4

> years ago. Their telephone staff are all UK based

> and their online banking is also good. You can pay

> in a cheque at the HSBC or I tend to pay in

> cheques by post. Best of all I have noticed that

> they give you ?100 if you start up an account. The

> are confident that you will stay but if you aren't

> happy after 12 months and you want to leave then

> they will help you move to another bank and give

> you another ?100.....It was my 70 year old mother

> in law who recommended them to me. She doesn't use

> the internet banking and frankly if she can do it

> anyone can..... I also know that the CO-OP (Smile)

> are supposed to be good I know that the rise of

> the internet has been a factor into the decline of

> high street banking but I suggest kicking Barclays

> into touch and welcoming someone else on board. If

> Barclays are forced out perhaps we can have

> another Foxtons to balance out Lordship Lane -

> that would make my year.... (not)

Agree wholeheartedly about First Direct. HAve been using them for 14 years with never a problem - even arranged foreign currency for a ski trip on Christmas Day once just to check out their 365 24/7 claim.

[Marmora Man]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Have these views/opinions/grumbles been mentioned

> to Barclays/Wooliwich? I mean officially? Would

> be interesting to know their response :-)

As the notification was handwritten on a flip chart (brand name "flipping good ideas") I took the opportunity to add my own comment to the flip chart using a free BArclays pen. Others had done the same. More will. I am sure, follow.

[SeanMacGabhann]

another thumbs up for first direct from me. Been with them for about 15 years now and in all that time I kept expecting the initial "there isn't that much of a customer base - when they expand the service will go downhill". But it never has

I get any transactions texted to me each morning so if anything is amiss I know straight away and everytime I have to ring them up they have been as far from any other company as to be barely credible.... 10/10 in my book

There was a heated debate with them a good few years back when I wanted to move to a flat in Highbury and they wouldn't do the reference based on my outgoings and I had the hump with them briefly... but in retrospect they were right to block me.

[Asset]

I have a bank account with RBS but have rarely been inside my branch for over 5 years. They have had online banking for yonks and I have never had any problems with it. I post any cheques to pay in directly to my branch.

[mikese22]

I've online banked with NatWest for years - never a problem

My cashpoint card did get cloned a few years back and the service was excellent - massively extended overdraft whilst it was resolved, no charges and all sorted within a few weeks

The phone service is great too - you never have to speak to more than one person - who is (get this) actually in your branch! (either that or they've employed lots of people with the right accent for the north west Cheshire branch that I branch at from my childhood)

[Townleygreen]

I switched from Barclays to Virgin One a few years ago and it was really easy - I mean it. So don't hesitate to change if you are unhappy. I would recommend the One account too - I have nearly paid off my mortgage since I made that move.

[????]

I can't recommend keeping all your cash in sock under your mattress highly enough....alternatively I've heard in a biscuit tin by your kettle is good too

[dottyeel]

I banked with Woolwich for years and years and years. I used their online banking but never had a problem if I had to call or visit a branch. Now it's Barclays and it's a nightmare. Repeated written complaints are met with a standard pre-written letter explaining that there will always be 'teething problems' and they are sorry. That's it. When The Switch came about (and they had at least 4 years to prepare for it) it was a complete shambles. I the customer apparently didn't have to do anything. All DDs etc would be autmoatically transfered to my new account etc etc. Well no. My old Woolwich account disappeared and my new Barclays account failed to appear. Talking to someone in India who would only follow a set script was of no use what so ever. Multiple visits to Barclays in Peckham and LL and SIX WEEKS later I had a functioning barclays account. I use the word 'functioning' with hesitation - there are so many things that I can not do that were taken for granted with Woolwich.

It's the little things just make life awkward. You have different usernames and passwords for phone banking, online banking and if you 'just want to phone up with a qeury'. Barclays doesn't have 'funds avaliable' on the online statement. You get your current balance and your max overdraft limit and it's up to you to do the maths. The receipt from the ATM shows you have no money avaiable if you are into your overdraft, even if you do have funds avaiable - the Woolwich would tell you how much you had to spend. You can't go back more than a couple of months of statements online. Woolwich you could go back a year. Try printing out an online statement from the Barclays site - talk about appalling lay out and page wastage, unlike Woolwich. In Woolwich if you wanted to pay in money you handed over your card and the money. Done. Barclays, oh no you get to fill out a paying in slip using their non-exsistant free pens.

I get cheques in Candian dollars. First time I paid it into the Woolwich with no trouble, cashier didn't bat an eyelid. Took the second one into Barclays in LL and all of hell broke loose. They did not have a clue what they were supposed to do with it - one employee just said "oh, it's not English we can't handle that". (6) They were hesitant to even accept it incase it wouldn't be honored. The cheque was from The Great Lakes Fishery Commission of Canada, not from a private individual. It was only after I kicked off in front of other customers that I finally got to see the manager and they agreed to do the paper work. Two hours I was in there.

As I have just finished being a student my finances are not good shall we say and right now I can't switch to another account without loosing that all important student's lifeline, the overdraft. But trust me, the moment I can move banks I will.

D.