clucker1 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Hmmmm! I went into my not so local branch of Barclays Bank today in Guildford to deposit a cheque. There were several deposit machines, no counter service with a human being except the bureau de change. I visited the personal banking upstairs to be told all deposits no matter the size, had to be made via a machine. Yes, she told me she could show me how to work it and I'd even get a photo of the cheque. But I didnt want that, I wanted to deposit my cheque to a live person. I told the banker and said I'd take it to my local smaller branch where there are at least 2 counter staff if not 3 and I'll be called by my name, personal service. I know I should get used to this as it's the apparent way forward but when you are depositing money, is it too much to ask to see a human being? End of rant from Mrs Grump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Its your money and you are entitled to personal service. Its a gripe of mine that everything is becoming automated nowadays as this cuts costs which, in turn, allow these organisations/companies to make yet more money without providing a proper service. I refuse to use these machines and recently changed banks (with all attendant hassle) because the personal service had been taken away - and boy, did I make sure the bank knew it! Unless we make a song and dance about it it will continue to happen and all that will be left are machines, self service tills etc More problems occur when you go inot branch with a query and there is no one available to help you Drives me mad......just in case you hadn't noticed Rant over; off for a lie down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I took out a lot of money from my building society account and walked next door to a branch of my bank to deposit it to pay for my car I was changing. The cashier in the bank said she could not talk all that money as one deposit so I would have to to to the business banking desk. There was a queue there and as I was not a business customer I was not going to wait as I had to go back 20 miles home to my work and so ended up taking cash for the car after all. The local small bank in this village heard about it I can tell you and then proceeded to tell me that they should have taken it - told them exactly what I thought of their new open desks with absolutely no privacy in the larger branch also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Hmmm, none of this seems to work for us the poor customer who is paying their wages. My local branch of Barclays provides a very personal service, I've been a customer of theirs for 21 years since I got married. Off to bank my cheque tomorrow with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Well just for balance, today I had the opposite experience. I went into a bank (not Barclays, but not my local branch) to deposit a chq, I can't remember the last time I did this, must be something to do with Xmas! I used a machine, but being unfamiliar with it I put the slip in first, when the machine was expecting the chq (not that the instructions said which order to do things in) and the result was that the machine refused my attempt to pay in. There was a queue at the personned cashier desks, and I was just about to fume when I spyed a lady not doing much except waylaying customers and asking them if they knew about something or other. Anyway, much to my surprise she just took my paying in slip, and the cheque, stamped the paying in book and that was that, virtually instant service I have been with this bank for over 30 years, and they are not the best, but I was very pleasantly surprised today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 We hardly do anything with cheques here in the Netherlands. I have internet accounts for all my bank things. One reason why they have closed most bank buildings. It is problematic for older people though who aren't as internet savvy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 We run a business & on occasion we have to pay cash to a supplier - we pay it directly into their bank account with Lloyds. All was well until a few months ago when I went in with over £1800 in cash & was told to pay in via the machine. As I had already written out a paying in slip & didn't want to write out another (on the machine envelope), I challenged this. I was told that as I personally do not bank with them, then I could not use counter service!!! Even though I was paying in to one of their customers accounts. So, off I went to the machine, to see a sign that you couldn't pay in more than £500 in cash. So back to the teller (I was the only customer in the place & there were 2 tellers on duty), & she told me I would have to make separate deposits, each of £500. Not only this, but the amount was plus a few pennies & obviously the machine couldn't give me change. I was furious, & after EVENTUALLY paying it in I phoned Lloyds customer services & complained bitterly. They sent me a £50 cheque as an apology! Machines are all very well, but sometimes, just sometimes you need or want personal service, especially if the staff are just sitting their twiddling their thumbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 We have few cheques here also but we do have to use them sometimes and paying in cash is like you stole it for some reason and things have just gone backwards in my opinion. Our village branch went from 5 days to 3 days to two days 10am till 3pm and the staff said they wondered when they would be able to get their lunch as they now open over lunch time - its madness and I would think this branch will eventually close completely. We are in an area of whisky distilleries, shortbread factory and loads of other businesses which are doing well - so why do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 You are lucky if you have a local bank, there is no branch of any bank where I live, I'd have to go into the next town which is a bus ride/two mile walk away. And I don't live in a village, I'm in a heavily populated suburban area. It's a pain as I do need to pay cheques in regularly,although I've discovered I can do this at the Post Office. However until this year I've done almost all my banking online as most people do these days,so it's not surprising that branches are closing. The issue with paying in large amounts of cash is to do with money laundering regulations. I pay in cash from my choir tea fund and haven't had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 The issue with paying in large amounts of cash is to do with money laundering regulations. I pay in cash from my choir tea fund and haven't had a problem. ....I am busy constructing a short comedy in my head in which the choir tea fund DOES fall foul of the money laundering regulations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I'm sure there's a sit-com in there! It's a voluntary thing, people put money in the pot and we don't check it or ask for a specific sum. Every time I count it to cash it in, there's at least one foreign coin in there, often more than one! I have to assume innocent mistake on the part of the choir member. Don't I? I have just recalled that when I wanted to transfer some money into a savings account last year from my well-known internet bank I was told I couldn't transfer more than £5 k per day - oh, hang on, I could transfer a larger sum but only if I paid a fee. That annoyed me quite a lot, since it's MY money! It's not a problem I have very often though, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 OH is with Barclays and I found it amazing there were no tellers...then my beloved Natwest had a makeover and hay presto Natwest are now mostly automated, they have three tills staffed and a few walkers pottering and helping people use the machines but mostly automated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 My very first job on leaving school was working in a bank - I was in Aviemore when it was boom town and the pay ins from the hotels were huge. There were not so many credit cards then and no chip and pin!! We handled thousands every single day and the customer was very much first in our eyes. Now as you say they walk the floors asking if we need help when it would be really nice to have a teller at a desk as before to just take our money and give us money as we used to. After all it is OUR money and they are just holding it for us. I do loads online but still think there is a need for a branch - I live 2 miles from a village and our work pays in every week to the bank and if it were to close the nearest other branch is 18 miles or change to the other bank in the village which I dont want to do. Computers seem to make them more busy and have less time for the customer and that is the opinion I get when going into the branch. We have a post office but that closed and opened up in the newsagents so is really small. I would doubt they would be allowed to take loads of money either. This is supposed to be PROGRESS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Totally agree! The banks are cutting staff like mad to reduce their costs so that they can make more money with total disregard to what their clients (who are actually 'paying' them) want! And its all dressed up as 'progress' There is a niche in the market for a bank that provides a personal, local and friendly service - I would swap like a shot. At present I am with FD so can bank online but pay in via the local PO in the village tho there is talk of closing that so would mean driving to the next village or market town which does not help either the local economy or the environment. I have no faith in technology (look at the recent TalkTalk hacking etc) and am very worried that there will be some kind of melt down at some point which will leave everyone in total chaos - I think that this has already happened with some banks whose customers have been unable to withdraw/access their won money until it has been sorted out. Imagine if the whole of the global financial sector was affected....no wages/benefits paid, no access to cash, no card transactions processed......agggggghhhhhh ....sorry got to sign off as there is a van outside with some nice men wearing white coats knocking on the door Back soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 There is a niche in the market for a bank that provides a personal, local and friendly service - I would swap like a shot. At present I am with FD so can bank online but pay in via the local PO in the village tho there is talk of closing that so would mean driving to the next village or market town which does not help either the local economy or the environment. Metro Bank! There is one in Reading, & although they only have a few branches, the service is next to none. They are open 7 days a week, you can get an instant bank card replacement, & the online service is great too - The Husband banks with them & thinks they are great. This may also have to do with the fact that when he uses the drive through bank in another town (Slough, I think), they give hi a bag of treats for the dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 When I went to the drive through bank in America with my friend they also give the dog a biscuit if they see them in the car. In the drive through take away they give the dog a small dog size ice cream in a wee tub too! What a great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I must be a voice crying out in the wilderness- I quite like like the paying in machines, the not having to queue, thereby avoiding being goosed by other people's umbrellas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Don't get me wrong - I like them too, in fact I prefer them for my day to day normal banking. I LOVE the ones where you chuck all your change in to too I just couldn't use them for the business banking I had to do, & thought it was ridiculous that I was asked to use them when 2 tellers were sitting there doing nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 A big fNO from me Egluntyne, I don't even use those machines at the railway stations if I don't have to, they are so un customer friendly, I tiried buying a group ticket just before Christmas for 3 of us, a complete nightmare. Even techno OH agreed! Anyway, I digress, I tootled into my local Barclays last year and had a very nice chat with the very helpful cashier who advised me a couple of other local branches now have one deposit machine but still 2 cashiers per bank to pay the money into Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Many moons ago I worked for Barclays (before that I spent 2 years in Lloyds up in London - yuk!). Was with them for 12 years and I saw how good it was at the beginning and how awful it had become. Business customers accounts were sent from Feltham to Heathrow where they were supposed to have a special business needs banking branch. Customers hated it because they wanted to know information at irregular times that we could have sorted there and then. But they had to go via a call centre to get things done instead. Not good. Also not good was the pushing of savings accounts and mortgages that were asking for trouble. Targets started arriving for the staff on the counters. Our personal banker was told to go and hand out leaflets in the shopping centre - not in her job description to stand out in the freezing cold!!! However when I attempted to go back in a moment of craziness - why would I really want to go back? - I had to speak with this officious little darling who didn't like it when I said I had no targets to meet. You must have done she argued. Nope - I didn't have any targets to meet and we all worked as a team and helped each other. Not only that our customers were happy for the most part. I didn't get the job thank goodness. As for the sub branches, often there would only be 3 staff at any time. You need 2 keyholders present at all times so that pretty much wiped out lunch for us - we'd just eat our sarnies tucked out of view. I don't remember ever us closing down so we could have lunch - and for the most part we were on hand if there were any queues. As for anything automated - I hate it. I like seeing the cashiers in shops and I prefer to talk to someone for banking as well (although that's now for OH to do). Not having the personal touch just means people can be passed from pillar to post and the problems never get sorted and you just end up at the beginning, spending a fortune in phone calls and sending emails to people who never read them because you aren't a special customer. I also have a distrust of computers - I still like to use pen and paper to do my sums and make records! OH says I'm making more rubbish - but hey ho who's in trouble when the computer goes kaput eh eh eh Mr Smartypants!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
