To think this service was just terrible? This man was on a power trip

If I go to a supermarket I can scan stuff myself or I can take it to a human at a till. If I queue up at the till I don't expect the cashier to refuse to serve me because I could have scanned it myself.

I knew it would be NatWest. They are dreadful.

My DH has to go to a branch near on an hour away because the one that is 30 minutes down the road (the nearest one now) is full of little ignorant and rude wide boys who wouldn't know customer service if it slapped them.

DH has said his app doesn't do what it should and these little creeps are rude, and sneering. They act like he's thick. Whilst the older staff in the branch further away are stars and always happy to help.

In a time when so many branches are being ditched, we all should demand decent customer service and apps which work.

I've complained about NatWest and they don't care. They are appalling

Welcome to modern consumer banking. They are trying to phase out branches to reduce costs and clearly are deliberately making it difficult to do business over the counter. Until recently I was the treasurer of a small local charity and used to have to deal with cash which I regularly deposited in the local branch. Went in one day and they cheerfully announced that they no longer handle coinage over the counter and there was no way to pay it in the branch. They forced me to apply for a payment card on the account (took ages and we the had to get new cards when changed officers) (after first suggesting I deposit the cash into a personal account and then transfer it which is totally inappropriate) and then use the post office to pay in the cash. This was after starting to charge us fees on a charity account. Luckily I was coming to the end of my time as treasurer and my replacement has the joy of moving out accounts to a more friendly bank if she manages to find one.

I completely disagree.

It's unrealistic to expect other people to do absolutely everything for you.

If I go into a supermarket, and I ask the woman working there to pick all the items off the shelves, and put them into my trolley for me as I dont want to do it myself,

she would refuse, and she would tell me to get lost. As I can do it myself

Just because they are working there doesn't mean they have to do everything for you.

It's the same with banks. If someone can do something quickly on the app themselves, why go in and waste staffs time to get them to do it for you.

There's other stuff they actually need to be doing. For example, some fixed term savings accounts can only be opened in branch, so people do have to go into branch to do that.

Banks put huge amounts of pressure on their branch staff to get people to do stuff online. It's purposeful. Not specifically your case but they do not want walk-in customers anymore.

@ApplejackMoondancer did you find a better option? Wondering if HSBC is any better. My local branch looks like an Apple store, which suggests they might even tolerate customers.

We just moved from NatWest due to their awful customer service and downright rudeness from branch staff. I think I’m quite tolerant and give some leeway, ie don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life, maybe they’ve had a terrible day, etc, but the incident that was the nail in the coffin was unforgivable! So I say vote with your feet and move bank - and tell exactly them why you’ve left.

Entirely this

It's pretty telling when customers who actually want a human to help them are described as time wasters. Plenty of people including OP have given good reasons why they might not want or be able to use the app. Safety being one of them. But that aside, it's a service the bank claims to provide. So they should provide it. And as for comparing it to a&e, I can't roll my eyes hard enough. OP it's SHIT! And it's disenfranchising whole chunks of society, but it seems like that is not as important as bank guy's paperwork.

I think that’s really well put. It really is depressing reading the contemptuousness for the customers (the lols give it away) from those who speak for banks. And from those who can’t imagine a world where the absence of a basic service locks out some customers entirely, because the app is convenient for them. It really worries me

I think though it's all part of the same push to make it all completely removed from real locations with real people you can talk to.

why?

you're only making your own life harder

I think this is crap op and yes I would complain. I agree he's probably been told to behave like that but it is no way to treat a customer.

Barclays used to do that as well - go down the queue and try and get people to use the machines. I hate Barclays but it was the account the PTA used and I was Treasurer. They were completely useless when they gave internet access to the PTA accounts to a previous signatory (who'd been taken off years ago) and really didn't see why it was a problem to have ignored the 2 signature rule we had in place.

Barclays also suggested the Head (one of the other signatories) should accompany me to the bank during the school day!

I do wonder what older and disabled people do if they can't use digital.

From my own experience, banks often won’t help those who need their help because they can’t use the apps/digital access.

The shift to digital first is very hard for those who are independent enough to deal with their own affairs -and don’t want them taken over but aren’t digital savvy enough to cope with the modern requirements

Hmm I wouldn't say I'm institutionalised.

I'm just realistic about how banks work.

They care about efficiency over customers personal situations.

Right or wrong it is what it is.

Most companies not just banks , prioritise their profit and efficency over customer service.

At least more financial options are becoming available to customers.

Revolut is a lot more flexible for money options. However revolut have absolutely no customer service people either

"What is important to banks is getting rid of timewasters and being efficient."

@Kellyanne555 You sound a little institutionalised, and maybe even contemptuous of customers.

I was a contractor for a bank, not an employee, so I guess I saw things differently. I agree though, with what you said about banks planning to phase out branches altogether. The bank I worked for was considering offering banking services via corner shops, similar to customers using them for Evri drop-offs.

I think accessibility (and safety) for vulnerable or higher need customers is a huge issue, but it's not sexy like the rest of the ESG bollocks so it doesn't matter. Just use the app, shut up, don't bother us. Oh, you were a victim of online banking fraud? Your fault, for being stupid and confused by technology.

I don't think he'll be moaning at all if he has no job.

I used to work in banking, and I never ONCE thought, "if I don't help this customer I won't have a job".

It was actually part of my job description, and written in my training manuals, that i must direct the customer to use the app, if its something that can be done on the app

Banks can't do every little thing for customers. What is important to banks is getting rid of timewasters and being efficient.

It would be like if I went to a and e i. hospital with a small cough, I would be told to leave.

I remember when i worked in banking, i would direct people to where they could do what they needed on the app, and a couple of customers would say to me "i know I can do it there but I'd rather talk to a person. You know, I want to keep you in a job".

Like they were doing me a huge favour coming to me to get me to do it for them. Lol.

Them timewasting wasnt keeping me in a job. Me being effficient and prioritising customer needs was actually what was keeping me in a job.

We were checked on everything. And if I helped a customer where it was something that they could do themselves on the app, I would be marked down for that.

I have worked in banking before and the set up you explain sounds like he was manning the welcome/check in desk. When I was in banking it was procedure to not do services such as transfers from that desk as if lots of people were to come in it would cause a q.
He probably saw you had been waiting a while and did it to try and be helpful. Just for you to moan about it. Wish he bets he didn't bother

If he's sitting at the counter serving customers then he's well capable of carrying out a transaction for you.

He knew what you wanted done, he knew how long it would take, the paperwork could have been put to the side for 5 minutes especially as there was no other customers.

If the bank are offering a service then they should fulfil it .

He'll be the first one moaning when counter services are closed down and he has no job. It happened here in Ireland, pushing apps, ATM machines etc and then the government tell people there'll be no more counter services, yeah.. that didn't last long.

They really need to invent something other than old style banks anyway. That banking system is so old fashioned.

Revlolut is making a start in new banking practices. They let you transfer money to phone numbers

YANBU it's dreadful. I only use my local branch to pay in cash. They practically chase you out the building if you try to do anything else!

Well then why didn't you ask him? 🤷‍♀️

It sounds like you were being awkward for awkward sake.

That's why you ended up being there over half an hour so you brought it on yourself.

I don't mean urgent as to what you were doing it for.

I'm sorry to hear you are having an operation. But to be honest, what you are using the money for, is not what the bank is concerned about.

I mean urgent in the banks priority.

can this only be done in branch. That's marked as more urgent on the banks scale.

Certain things can only be done in branch

Can it be done on the app. That's marked as less urgent on the banks scale

I don't know for sure what he was doing. But you're missing the point. Banks have a system.

It's like when you go to a and e, the hospital will see the most urgent patients first.

Banks deals with the most necessary and urgent customer needs first.its not personal to you.

So if a customer came in after you to do something that can only be done in branch. He would probably be dealt with before you, who could do it on the app yourself.

I wouldn't take it personally. Its just how they work.

And they do a good job of it. They annoy people with less urgent tasks so much, that these people won't go back into branch in future