Banks
March 30th, 2010 @ 14:10 | permalink
I have had cause to deal with three of the four banks that I held money in recently and, as might be expected, my experiences varied.
In two of the cases I was closing down accounts that I had no reason - through lack of use - to keep open and transferring any remaining assets to my main current account. The first (Barclays) was easy: told them I wanted the account closed and where I wanted the remaining tuppence ha'penny to be sent and it was done at a desk without any paperwork there and then. Contrast this with Lloyds who required me to fill in a form and provide them with a paying in slip for the account where the remaining balance was to be deposited. In the days of electronic banking, why stick with the needless paperwork? Or is it because your systems are lagging behind?
That however was a trivial problem compared to dealing with my main bank (and credit card provider). When checking the balances of all of the accounts that I have with them online one Saturday I discovered that my credit card was no longer listed. Concerned I called them and learnt that there was a technical glitch affecting some customers but that my card was still working and I'd be contacted on the Monday when someone from IT had had a chance to check things.
Needless to say I wasn't called back and when I finally got around to calling them back on the Wednesday I was told that they couldn't resurrect the link between the two systems (hum, database backups anyone?) and that the only way for them to resolve the problem was for them to cancel my card and then issue me with a new one. Not issue a new card and let me cut up my old one when it arrives nor issue me with a new one with a new number when my current one expires at the end of May but instead to leave me without a credit card for a week or so.
The only good thing about the entire situation was that at least they let me choose when to have it stopped. I couldn't do it before the weekend just gone because I had to pay for my new hair and I'm now hoping that my new sofa (allegedly due soon after Easter) doesn't show up before my new credit card (allegedly due very soon after Easter)...
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