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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that banks should be open longer hours?

75 replies

SemperIdem · 17/04/2018 17:22

I find it really irritating that banks still close at 5pm mon-sat and are completely shut over sundays.

Should they not be moving with the times, as have other industries?

OP posts:
Bilbonaggins · 17/04/2018 17:24

Urgh agree. My local branch closes at 16:30 on week days so I’ve got literally no chance of making it after work and none near my office. Wish they would at least open late one evening a week!

RunRabbitRunRabbit · 17/04/2018 17:25

Online services are 24hrs. Same for cash machines and deposit machines. When was the last time you needed to go into a branch for something?

onemorecakeplease · 17/04/2018 17:25

Ours is worse
9.30-4.45
And shut on saturdays.

OliviaStabler · 17/04/2018 17:25

Why? You can pretty much do everything online.

Original poster
SemperIdem · 17/04/2018 17:27

In all honesty, I’ve started this thread on the back of the “why should supermarkets still do Sunday hours” threads that there has been an abundance of recently. It occurred to me that surely it is banks that inconvenience working people the most, as most people will work the same hours banks are open or be commuting or indeed, be working longer than those hours.

But nobody seems to complain about it!

OP posts:
onlyjustme · 17/04/2018 17:29

Agree in some respects... but 99% of bank stuff can be done on-line.
And I recently discovered that I can pay in at the post office! Life changing... the lady at the post office was really apologetic that the cheque would take an extra day to clear... but I was over the moon as it was about a month before I would be able to get to my "local" branch to pay it in!!!

TeeBee · 17/04/2018 17:29

You can't do everything on-line. For example, I have been waiting ages for the chance to open an account in my son's name, which he has to present for apparently. Difficult to get him there after school as I'm working and they close Saturday lunchtime (when he has football training), so I'd settle for them opening all day Saturday. They can have Sundays off :-)

APermanentlyExhaustedPigeon · 17/04/2018 17:30

I don’t think they should be doing open longer hours, as actually, the number of people using them every day is lower than it has ever been, and likely to keep dropping.

I do think they could explore different hours depending on location/customer base. So maybe open 11-7 on certain days, etc.

The problem you’d have with that is getting the staff to agree the necessary changes on contract if they have been there any great length of time!

nocake · 17/04/2018 17:36

I've banked for years with a bank that has no branches. Before the internet everything was done over the phone. I've opened accounts, arranged mortgages, organised credit cards, taken out loans etc etc. If your bank can't do those things without you going into a branch then you should try a different bank.

QueenDoris · 17/04/2018 17:37

Would you agree to pay a monthly fee on your current account for them to do this?

The problem is most people expect free banking - opening longer will cost more money

Justmuddlingalong · 17/04/2018 17:37

After doing up our local branch, RBS closed it. Ironically, they now park a mobile banking van in the carpark of their closed branch twice a week. 2.5 hours in total. It's mobbed and as they seem determined to make it nigh on impossible to deposit money, I'm in the process of switching banks.

dementedpixie · 17/04/2018 17:37

I got accounts opened online with Santander for my 2 kids. Needed a proof of ID (i used passport) and proof of address (used a statement from savings accounts they had). Both of these were uploaded so didn't have to visit a branch at all

DairyisClosed · 17/04/2018 17:38

But why? Why would you actually need to go in often enough for it to be an inconvenience?

SluttyButty · 17/04/2018 17:53

In our town all the banks bar one have closed, we now have to go a few miles to the next town if we want to actually go into a branch. We just do everything online, even opening a bank account for my dd was done all online.

hammeringinmyhead · 17/04/2018 17:55

I never ever need to go to the bank unless some company irritatingly refunds me £3.67 by cheque. Even then I don't think online banking for cheques is far away.

whiteroseredrose · 17/04/2018 17:56

Footfall is going down massively as everything goes online.

FelixBrown · 17/04/2018 17:57

I've changed to Metro back because they're open till 8pm. I think they're only around London, though

Alwayscommuting · 17/04/2018 17:59

Banking can be done over the phone and online. Also most of us are open at the weekend for just this reason. We have a city centre branch that opens on a Sunday too. 9-5 jobs in customer service are like gold dust. Please don't take this away from me.

Katjolo · 17/04/2018 18:00

I agree OP

DuchyDuke · 17/04/2018 18:04

Post offices can now accept cash deposite for most UK banks. Combined with 24/7 online banking and 8-10pm telephone banking, most people shouldn’t need to go to a branch at all.

Nothisispatrick · 17/04/2018 18:07

Mine is open 10am-2pm each week day, no weekends. Took me two months to order a new debit card when I cancelled mine and was told I could only get a new one in branch with ID.

Firesuit · 17/04/2018 18:08

Should they not be moving with the times

That is really funny, given that branch-free banking became a thing in 1989, when First Direct was founded.

Bank branches are archaic institutions serving archaic customers. It seems reasonable that they keep old-fashioned hours.

bubblybrit · 17/04/2018 18:09

I used to work in a bank that opened mon-sat 9am to 5pm. Most people work mon-fri therefore they have the full day on Saturday to visit their branch. Alternatively if they work the weekend then I assume that they are off on a week day and can do their banking then. Shift workers may also have the option to visit a branch before or after work.

Therefore I’m not sure that it is necessary to extend hours or open on a Sunday. Especially with the added additions of telephone/internet banking.

We trialed extended opening hours for one month - opened until 8pm on a Thursday and all day Sunday. Very few customers so promptly reverted back to previous timings.

MongerTruffle · 17/04/2018 18:10

I never ever need to go to the bank unless some company irritatingly refunds me £3.67 by cheque.

You can post cheques to your bank or pay them in at a post office.

Chattymummyhere · 17/04/2018 18:12

We had a little local branch shut due to not enough customers. The funny thing was the opening hours where 9am-4pm mon/tues/thurs/Friday so when people are at work. It’s bloody annoying when you get given a cheque (our local post office shut down due to the shop it was based it closing) or need to go in to provide evidence of X or deposit all those annoying coppers that gather up. Just one day of opening till 6 or 7pm and that 5-6pm/7pm would likely be their most popular time. Same with certain department phone lines in the bank. We need to open a certain type of bank account phone line shuts at 5:30pm for that department you can spend the whole 30 minutes on hold to be told try again tomorrow it’s closed now.