To think the closure of many bank branches has lead to those which are still open being staffed by numpties.

[confusedabouthormones]

There is Only 1 branch open near me. It's 15 miles away and the next one is over 80 miles away.

Recently I had to go into the branch to lodge a special currency check which doesn't happen often So I didn't mind going in. Except when I got there none of the 4 staff knew how to process the check and I was put on the phone
To a customer agent who then
Explained to the girl in branch what to do.

Then yesterday I went in to pay off my mortgage. Wanted to do it in person so I could have some questions answered. When I got there that couldn't answer my questions. They said they don't hold our deeds. Yet we have an email from when we took the mortgage saying the deeds would be sent to them!

Anyway is this an unusual experience or is it deliberate to dissuade us from going to branch.

The staff are not numpties. They are just poorly trained by their bank. If you want to do business with someone who knows what they are doing you are better doing business with an online operator that will have specialists in a call centre- you may get passed around for five minutes, but a small bank branch may not have a mortgage or FX specialist on site.

I really do think they're trying to put people off going in to branches so they can justify closing them all. And the staff seem to be co-operating, like turkeys voting for Christmas.

When we still had our NatWest branch in town, I went in to ask about a letter we'd received from the bank which looked like a scam - it was a bad photcopy, crooked on the paper, and suspicious in a number of ways.

I went to ask if it had in fact been sent by NatWest, and no-one, including the manager, was willing to help. They just shrugged and said they didn't know.

Un-be-bloody-lievable.

I've found them painfully unhelpful too, and it's actually across the board. I've had negative experiences in JL and M&S recently too, I think these jobs are just not providing the benefits they used to in order to retain good staff. It's a shame.

I'm just about old enough to remember when banks had cash and the like.

I popped in my local branch last year, queued up as you do, go to the 'CASHier' and said,

"Can I withdraw £10 in £1 coins please?"

Well... You'd think I'd asked if I could kick her kittens or something..

"What?"
"Can I have a £10 in £1 coins please? I need to use the launderette"
"We don't have £1coins... "
"What?.."
"We're not a business bank.. "
"What's a business bank?"
"Like where businesses bring their cash..."
"What?"

Well this went on for a little while until some one else got involved and did me a big favour by going and having a look if they had any pound coins in their special drawer..

"If I can't get cash from a cashier at my bank, where am I supposed to get it?"
" You could use cash point and the buy something so a shop would give you change.."
"Good idea..."

And the about a fortnight ago, I went to my bank and said...
"I'd like to open a bank account here for my daughter..."
"We don't do that type of thing here..."
"What? You're a bank...
"We don't do that here"
"What? I don't understand.."
"If you want to open an account you'll have to go to Coventry and make an appointment."
"Oh... Ok.."
"But they can only open them on a wednesday and a Friday"
"Oh... Thank you very little"

Whether the staff are good or not seems a lottery.

Our nearest M&S is absolutely dire, staff really couldn't give a toss, always grumpy and unhelpful. Great surprise when we were away in another UK city to find the M&S staff were all amazingly friendly, helpful, etc. Presumably same wages for same level of staff, so you can't say it's down to money. I think it's a kind of attitude - if staff see other staff being friendly and helpful, they'll follow the lead, but if there's an "air" of can't be bothered, that will also spread to other staff.

Same with our nearby Tesco - mostly really nice and friendly staff at the tills, and the click n collect bays, but ironically in the same other city as the M&S mentioned above, the Tesco staff weren't remotely interest, were grumpy and unhelpful, etc. Likewise, I think it's the same thing of new staff following the lead of the other staff and acting like them. Again, with Tesco, presumably same pay in different stores, so you can't blame that for whether staff are helpful or not.

I am no fan of most commercial banks but I will say it's easy to deposit a cheque using the online banking apps (well, it is with Nationwide and HSBC, their mobile apps can do this and are easy to use, despite being somewhat limited in function.)
However, DH has had endless problems with LLoyds TSB over proving his identity when he wanted to change the address on his account after we moved and he had forgotten his PIN.
All about money laundering, apparently...

We've no bank at all in our little town, but the nearest (8 miles, and there is a bus service) are really helpful. So its not everywhere, but we might be just really lucky.

It might look like numpties (and that’s putting it mildly!) but it’s probably part of a strategy to wear down the general public and convince them that it’s not worth going to a branch to try and get anything done. Then they can close all the branches down, which was their master plan all along.

I can clarify the deeds situation, they are electronic now, you don't actually receive them

My bank branch has changed a lot with no desks as such just machines but the staff they have are very helpful. There are still also people upstairs for more complicated transactions.

It's a very scary place for those left behind. Unfortunately there will always be those who are. I never thought it would be me. I live alone . Visually impaired now and cannot drive and public transport is difficult. I could however manage banking on my smart phone ,just about. . Until I had issues. A neighbour tried to help via chat and i had tried phoning but couldnt understand accent of person on the other end. ( not their fault obviously) .i was eventually told I would have to make an appointment at store in city centre . Was told when to go and then found out the trains were on strike. Neighbour drove me but there was nowhere to park,there was a big event on and lots of roads closed. He dropped me off at the store and went to park . I was told by shop.to "pop back in on Monday " it was then Saturday . I went outside in pedestrian area and waited and waited . The area was packed . No sign of neighbour ( eventually found he had had to park miles away. Of course I couldn't phone him )?. At least it wasn't raining . Suddenly it began to rain and thunder and start to get dark. Some drunken revellers pushed past ,didn't even notice me and bumped into me ,hurting my arm. I thought, I will get a taxi ,go home and get neighbours partner to phone him to explain. .Realised my purse was gone. Luckily my bank card was in my pocket . There was a bank opposite. Tried to get some cash for a taxi but it didn't work . Later found that it had been cancelled in error. So when I got home I had the humiliation of trying to explain my situation to someone at the bank who i couldnt hear properly and who did not seem interested. Could see staff inside the bank but they were closed. I was soaked ,dying for the loo ( there wasn't one.thats another story!) Couldn't see properly .Got no money. No phone. Felt humiliated. Frightened. Could see taxi other side of busy road but didn't dare to step out in the road. Just then I heard my neighbour shout. The relief! Not the banks fault . Not the phone company . Probably mine . But that was how it felt to be left behind .

I think you're right!

bostonchamps · Today 14:25
Did you really not think anything would have changed in the last twenty years though? We've had a huge technological revolution, I don't understand people who don't just google these things before they leave the house.

Either move with the times or get left behind...

I think that's really harsh. If you know anything about history you'll know that sometimes technology develops slowly and things don't change much, and sometimes we go through a rapid transformative period in which some people get 'left behind', as you say. We've been going through a time like that over the last 20 years or so. Society and governments needs to be understanding about this - and not allow people to become 'left behind'.

Some people alive today were born in the 1920s. They've seen unimaginable change, and let's face it, technology (especially if you try to keep up with the latest devices) is bloody expensive. I remember thinking (in about 1999) that, were people really suggesting that we might have to buy a new device, costing hundreds of pounds, every couple of years? It seemed unbelievable in those days, but that's what's happened - with knobs on! We've now been lured into thinking this is OK, but I'm old and I don't think it's OK! And once you get used to a new system - it becomes obsolete at a rate unknown in history.

It's not OK to think it's OK that some people will get left behind.

@Toiletbrushdisaster that's horrible, I'm so sorry.

Easy for those who are fit now to say "get with the times" but my DM (former website designer so IT literate) lost her ability to use a computer with Alzheimer's and online and phone banking were too confusing. Nationwide were dire in helping - the staff were pleasant and not numpties, but were really badly trained.
Some people who think others need to get with the times may themselves be left behind in their old age.

I've just had this with Nationwide, wanted to remove someone form joint account, had to fill in a form signed by both me and the person being removed, but the person remaining on the account had to take the form inot branch to have the person being removed signature verified (by whom I have no idea, not do I have any clue as to how they verify it without them there)

Issue also being that the local branch is now only open 2 days a week, none of those days are a weekend and the opening times are 10-2:30. It is actually easier to close the account and go elsewhere!!!

Oh - just an eg of how unwise surrendering to new technology can be...

We've had a landline phone when nearly everyone else has got rid of theirs, and I guess we'll ditch ours too but it does scare me. Do you remember a couple of years ago when a storm hit the north of Scotland and people were without electricity for over a week? They couldn't re-charge their phones (or other devices) and were left absolutely out of contact with the world.

I'm very wary about this kind of thing. It's fine as long as everything works. I think the 3rd World War will be about technology - with hostile powers having control over access to it, and we've become so reliant on IT that it's quite terrifying to think of systems going down.

@CoffeeCantata The new type of landlines won't work in a power cut either, unfortunately. The type that used to work anyway are being phased out.

People working in banks used to earn a decent salary. Now it's pretty much minimum wage as far as I can see.
Lots of everyday banking [deposits, withdrawals, cheque lodgements] can be done at a Post Office but they don't actually have access to your accounts so can't reset a PIN for example.

For the vulnerable bank customers and indeed vulnerable people who consume government services the lack of a physical access point and digital assistance is a huge issue. Most PO's are small business many of whom have owners and staff who go out of their way to help their customers but this isn't paid time.

Labour gov have committed to the expansion of banking hubs and while the footprint is still relatively small, they will have bank staff in attendance who can take away more complex issues to resolve.
https://www.postoffice.co.uk/bankinghubs

Personally I recommend First Direct. They've never had a branch so their operations are all designed to be by phone, web or app. Call centres are UK based and they have won every service award going in the past 20 years.

In most European countries you need a degree to work in a bank. I think the difference is stark in this country, most bank workers come under low skilled and under trained here and it clearly shows.

They used to have banking exams in banks I thought ? I admit I tried for a call centre job in 04 and failed the test on the computer once , was 'gutted. Guess I was never cut out for banking work. It wasn't easy to get these jobs back then

@CoffeeCantata

We've been going through a time like that over the last 20 years or so.

It's not just 20 years though. More like 40! Cash machines, credit and debit cards, first started becoming popular back in the 80s. Mobile phones and telephone banking in the 90s. There was a massive societal change in the 80s from people being paid in cash to being paid by BACS. "Home" computers first started appearing in 1980 (hence the ZX80!). Remote controlled TVs and videos and HiFis in the 80s too! The internet and websites started being rolled out in the late 90s.

Yes, it's awful when people are "left behind", but most older people who aren't IT literate today would have been young-middle aged back in the 80s, and most "could" have started using tech more whilst they had all their faculties, and keeping up with change as it happens is far easier than getting left behind and then having a mountain to climb.

Obviously, disabled people for whatever reason are different, but, to be honest, a lot of disabled people would have struggled in the old "paper based" World too. My MIL used to go to the bank every week, write cheques to pay bills, etc., but can't do any of that anymore, not because the bank isn't there, she's just lost the ability to do it due to dementia - last Christmas she tried to write cheques for family and the words and figures were all over the place! It matters not that we're in a computerised World, as she can't do "paper" anymore either, even though the facilities are still there. My point is that, yes, elderly people who previously used "tech" can find themselves unable to do it anymore when age and dementia (or other diseases) set in, but they'd probably not be able to do it the "old fashioned" way either, even when there are still bank branches and they still have a cheque book!

I honestly cringe when I see someone who could, but makes a big song and dance about not doing online banking, not doing online shopping, not using a smartphone, etc., as they're just going to really struggle as the years pass and they're left behind. People (those who are able) need to get on board and keep up with change. It's a one way direction of travel.

Storm Desmond badly affected our city many years ago with a widespread power cut after the power substation flooded. The flood even knocked out the local telephone exchange so the old "pulse" telephones didn't work either. The mobile network was over run with high demand, so that failed too (and then the backup batteries ran out!) So the older telephone system was also vulnerable. Now THAT was really frightening, with no electricity AND no telephone. Thankfully, we had an old battery powered radio and our local radio station managed to cobble together some kind of service to keep people informed as to what was happening and timescales for restoration of the phones.

So sorry to hear all this.
Sounds like a nightmare !!!
Hope you have recovered, what a day?