What's going on with Banks?

[dottypotter]

Had to go into the bank today and went to the counter to wait my turn.

Was approached by a man with an I pad and when I told him what I wanted to do, he told me one of the staff who floats around with an ipad would have to do it. I couldn't do it at the counter.
Why wait till your in the queue to tell you?
Where are the signs telling you where you must wait for different things?

Anyway told me to take a seat and someone would come along but nobody did.

He took me out of a queue I was in, just to sit and wait for longer.

Eventually got seen and business done on I pad.
Have no switched bank accounts.
What is it now
with staff now with I pads?
Why aren't they behind the counter?

Shambles.

It’s been like that in a lot of banks for a long time it’s nothing new. You’re lucky they are still open! Out of the main high street banks we only have one left now.

*in my town

They do dress down Friday in one bank.... and float around telling you what to do at the machines. Apparently I'm the crazy one for thinking this is a massive security breach lol.

Have you been in a coma for the last 10 years?

No. She hasn't missed anything. Only some banks do this, and only in certain branches. My local nationwide, Lloyds and Barclays doesn't. But HSBC in the next town does.

It's been similar at my bank for a good few years now.

These days, the opening times are so limited- if I recall correctly It's 10am-2pm Mon-Fri except Wed when it's 10am-1pm. So, if you work Mon-Fri, full time, it's very difficult to even visit the branch!

Thankfully, I rarely need to actually go into branch and go the vast majority of things on line.

I've had this before in Virgin - lots of staff floating around wearing jeans and trainers while the queue moves at glacial speed. We closed the account, but had to go back a couple of hours later to do it. Unbelievable.

Your comment is so stupid. So many people bank online and don't have to go to an actual bank. The last time I went to an actual bank is probably 7 or 8 years ago. Did you have a lobotomy before you read this thread?

I worked in a bank in the 80s and 90s. In those days customers could approach the enquiry counter and open a bank account there and then. These days you have to go to the enquiry counter and make an appointment for about a month's time to see the "account opening specialist " (insert wanky job title here). No thanks, I'm not wasting my valuable time and fuel-because my nearest branch is miles away - just because you can't empower your staff to close the deal at first contact.

I went in to open an account the other day and was told I had to do it online!

I was told that a while back for one of my kids but the facial recognition camera wasn't working when we tried online so they were forced to do it in the bank. They probably didn't have a clue how to open one 😂

But that's the whole reason why banks are shutting.

They use the excuse that no one is using them and are actively pushing people away from using the counters for service.

It's been going on for a while, but you'd only notice if you regularly use the bank.

But if you have only been to the bank once after 8 years- can you really complain about the service you've had?

Branch introduced to digital…

ipad is to introduce customers to the online banking platform so ultimately they can do it themselves and not have to come into a branch.

branch networks are costly to run, digital challengers have gained significant market share without a branch footprint. Branches are becoming more and more obsolete

I went in to pay cash in a few weeks ago and was told I had to go around the corner to the Post Office to pay it in!

I'm not complaining. I don't give a shit if every bank in the country closes tbh.

How rude coma.

Tell them to shove it and go elsewhere, there are plenty of banks where you don't have to go online.

Makes me laugh, pushing online, no wonder so many fraudsters, didn't have this years ago.

There was none of this online fraud about, so has going online been that good?

Don't go online, you won't be scammed.

Was it Metro bank? I had exactly the same experience and ended up spending 55min of my lunch break in there (of which 45min was waiting for someone to deal with me while 3 of them hung around at the counter but apparently none of them were able to sort my simple issue!)

What difference does if they are behind a counter make?!

What part of that do you think is a security breach??

I don't understand what the problem is op.

A member of staff was making their way along the queue and directing you to the place.

Worse to queue to the counter only to be told that you're in the wrong place surely.

I suppose they were trying to keep the queue moving by having the counter only doing services that could be done quickly - withdrawals, paying in etc.

Annoying that you had to wait for a bit then of course.

Eh? Unless they're broadcasting your bank account details how is this a security breach?

Point was if you read, that you start to queue at the counter, think its you turn next. Then some mos with an I pad appears and said I can help you with your task, but you'll need to take a seat. Jeremy, Felicity or Rupert will see you soon.

So you are taken out the queue, sit down and nobody appears, or they appear after a while, you might have to get up and enquire.

You were already in the queue, it was nearly your turn to be seen.

Why not just put more staff behind the counters, instead of having I pad floaters, who want to move you out the queue?

Its extremely irritating 😠 the few times I've needed to visit a branch I tell them if they approach me that I'm not willing to discuss personal matters in a queue on the banking floor and will wait to see the teller.

I've not set foot in a bank for 15 years.

I'm genuinely not sure what scenario would see me needing to do it.