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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think a high street bank should be open on a Saturday?

73 replies

HelplessProcrastinator · 10/05/2021 11:19

So usual excuse bank only open Monday to Friday 10.00 to 2.00 due to ‘global pandemic’. This is main HSBC in a city centre. Apparently this is a local branch decision despite having amongst the lowest COVID rates in the country through the whole pandemic. I have $ cheques to pay in. My only options are to wait until annual leave or post them which I don’t feel comfortable doing.

AIBU to be fed up with this situation and shoddy customer service hiding behind ‘global pandemic’ generally?

OP posts:
PegPeople · 10/05/2021 12:27

I had to do a double take to make sure this wasn't a thread I'd started. I have exactly the same problem at the minute except the cheque is in my husbands name and despite the fact I can get to a bank in the middle of the week the bank won't accept me paying it in even though it's a joint account. Confused

I honestly have absolutely no idea how it's going to get paid in unless he takes annual leave to go to the bank in the middle of the day. The bloody bank also doesn't have a letter box so that's not an option either.

dementedpixie · 10/05/2021 12:32

@PegPeople

I had to do a double take to make sure this wasn't a thread I'd started. I have exactly the same problem at the minute except the cheque is in my husbands name and despite the fact I can get to a bank in the middle of the week the bank won't accept me paying it in even though it's a joint account. Confused

I honestly have absolutely no idea how it's going to get paid in unless he takes annual leave to go to the bank in the middle of the day. The bloody bank also doesn't have a letter box so that's not an option either.

Can you do that one through the post office if its a sterling cheque?
Bambam2019 · 10/05/2021 12:32

Banks on our local high streets (two separate villages within a city- we are in the middle of both!) are closing regularly- due to them never being busy. But again they open 10-2 which is when a lot of people are working.
I always thought maybe they should open 3-8 a couple of days a week as that’s a more suitable time to get there, but I’m sure someone will have thought of that idea before and there’s a reason why not!
Difficult to go in lunch break too, if you get 30 minutes and it takes 10 minutes each way to get there, plus time to actually eat!

Soubriquet · 10/05/2021 12:36

@Ilovemaisie

Ironically banks wanted to phase out cheques a few years back but to many people wanted to keep them so they backed down.
Even more ironically, the only people I have received cheques from in the last 10 years....is the bank itself giving me a refund Confused
PegPeople · 10/05/2021 12:50

Can you do that one through the post office if its a sterling cheque?

We have the same problem with timings sadly and despite their opening times listing Saturday 10-2 not one of the post offices near us appears to actually be sticking to these times and opening on a weekend.

BelleBlueBell · 10/05/2021 13:07

@Clymene

Don't you get a lunch break? Confused
Says someone who has no clue that loads of us don't live within lunchbreak didstance of a branch of our bank
BelleBlueBell · 10/05/2021 13:08

@PegPeople

I had to do a double take to make sure this wasn't a thread I'd started. I have exactly the same problem at the minute except the cheque is in my husbands name and despite the fact I can get to a bank in the middle of the week the bank won't accept me paying it in even though it's a joint account. Confused

I honestly have absolutely no idea how it's going to get paid in unless he takes annual leave to go to the bank in the middle of the day. The bloody bank also doesn't have a letter box so that's not an option either.

They must have a way for the post man to deliver mail so could you send it?
TwoAndAnOnion · 10/05/2021 13:10

We no longer have high street banks in our particular large city suburbs.

PegPeople · 10/05/2021 13:12

They must have a way for the post man to deliver mail so could you send it?

No idea where their mail actually gets delivered to but there isn't a letterbox on the bank itself. Although truthfully I'd rather not risk sending the cheque to them as its quite a large amount and I'd be very wary of it going missing in the post.

cupsofcoffee · 10/05/2021 13:26

Depending on the bank, you can pay cheques in via the Post Office. I don't think the currency on the cheque matters, but you'd need to check.

We don't have any banks in our town - the nearest is 45 minutes away Hmm

cupsofcoffee · 10/05/2021 13:28

@Clymene

Don't you get a lunch break? Confused
I do, but the nearest branch of my bank is a 45 minute drive away.

Our town no longer has any banks in it, and there certainly aren't any within walking distance. The closest is 20 miles away, which takes at least 30 minutes by car, often longer as it's on rural country roads.

Longdistance · 10/05/2021 13:33

I’ve paid cheques into a cash point before. This was with Nationwide. Not sure if HSBC cash points have that facility?

Flowerlane · 10/05/2021 13:34

We have had this problem over the last year I could understand at the beginning of the pandemic when everything was different and unsure what was happening but now there really is NO excuse for having reduced hours and not being open on Saturdays. Angry

Metro seem to be the only bank behaving normally am thinking of changing all my bank accounts to them.

VeganVeal · 10/05/2021 13:35

If you message HSBC maybe they could open the branch on a Saturday just for you?

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 10/05/2021 13:37

I pay all mine into the post office. Its annoying I rather have bank transfer but a lot of people mostly elderly still only use cheques.

TheFlis12345 · 10/05/2021 13:37

This is why we opened a Metro Bank account, they are open long hours and all day Saturday and Sunday.

NotGenerationAlpha · 10/05/2021 13:39

Is it because it's a foreign currency check? (You said $ cheque). Can you deposit one into a normal UK current account? I've never done it. Otherwise, you can deposit a cheque using the app.

MissConductUS · 10/05/2021 13:41

@HelplessProcrastinator

Yes US $. Large US based financial institution can’t cope with bank transfer 🤣. They are very old fashioned.
This is silly. Any major American bank will do foreign transfers routinely, in any currency you like.

www.bankofamerica.com/foreign-exchange/wire-transfer/

The organization I work for does them routinely. If whoever is paying you is insisting on mailing you a paper check, it's to avoid the fees.

CounsellorTroi · 10/05/2021 13:45

@Ilovemaisie

Oh I missed the bit about it being $s. Do you mean US dollars? Having watched many episodes of Judge Judy they seem about 30 years behind with banks in America. So many people with ordinary normal jobs don't seem to have bank accounts - they get their 'pay check' go cash it in and pay all their bills in cash !! The concept of regular direct debits for bills or bank transfers seems alien.
Aren't they a bit behind with chip & pin/contactless payments too?
mainsfed · 10/05/2021 13:47

I've always hated using the machines for paying in cash/cheques.

I know it's probably fine 99.9% of the time, but I always prefer going to the counter and queuing (although it does annoy the the queue manager!

Also, the Halifax app is other wise brilliant but their scanning is not great for some reason.

colouringindoors · 10/05/2021 13:57

yanbu. I need to go into my bank to sort out something that needs to be done in person. I work. There isn't a branch in the town I work in and can't get to the next one and back in my lunch break. It's a PITA. One weekday where they stay open late or heaven forbid, open for a couple of hours on a Saturday morning?

MissConductUS · 10/05/2021 13:58

Having watched many episodes of Judge Judy they seem about 30 years behind with banks in America.

Judy Judy started filming in 1996.

Aren't they a bit behind with chip & pin/contactless payments too?

Nope. All credit and debit cards here have been chipped for years. Contactless cards started rolling out 2-3 years ago. I normally using Apple Pay with my Apple watch.

Original poster
HelplessProcrastinator · 10/05/2021 14:00

MissConductUS It’s not a bank but is ‘a financial services provider’ and I can assure I have asked repeatedly for them to pay into my account but they refuse to do it. And yes, it
pushes the fees on to me.

Today 13:35 VeganVeal

If you message HSBC maybe they could open the branch on a Saturday just for you?

Because I’m the only person in the whole city inconvenienced by the bank being shut? Right ...

OP posts:
Original poster
HelplessProcrastinator · 10/05/2021 14:03

My bank has confirmed I can’t use the post office or an app. In person or by post only.

OP posts:
Abouttimemum · 10/05/2021 14:09

I agree. Needed to go to Lloyds because they won’t allow the opening of a joint account online, so we both had to go to branch together. Only open 9-2 Monday to Friday. DH works all week. Also took me a million hours to get through to anyone on the phone (who told me to go to branch)

He got a couple of lunchtime hours free (tied it in to a docs app) so we went along, handed in the ID and then we had to make a telephone appointment the following week with the bank manager before they could open it. Again between 9-2, when DP is at work. I’m aghast to be honest. How is anyone supposed to get anything done any more??