When did banks become so useless?

[Temporarynameforthisone]

I have been trying to set up savings accounts for my three children. I’ve chosen the bank Halifax, I’ve managed to set up one account online but I’ve struggled to set up the other two because is ‘system errors’ so I visited a branch today.

I haven’t been in a bank for years! The branch I went in to was a vast empty space 😳 bare walls, no desks, 4 sofas in a square and right down the end two private rooms and two counters, that was it.

I told the cashier I wanted to open two savings accounts as I hadn’t been able to do it online. I was asked if I had my phone because they could ‘guide me’ on my phone. I said I’ve tried that that’s why I’ve come in to a branch because I would like you to open the accounts for me. I was told they would need me to do it on my phone and they would guide me. What??

This was Halifax. Is this norm now? If you go in to a branch to open an account you basically have to do it yourself whilst a member of staff ‘guides you’.

Yeah, it's been like that for a number of years. I lost my card and I needed to deposit some cash. Went to the bank with two forms of ID and the person tried for 20 minutes to get me to use the cash deposit machine and seemingly not being able to understand that I lost my card and am waiting for replacement.

It’s appalling now. Was an executor for one of my parents and it was a nightmare - they didn’t even know what an executor’s account was, most said they didn’t do it. Finally one Barclays branch said they did but kept calling it an “executive account” and to get an appointment to open it I had to call Barclays even though I was literally in the bank - they got me to call from one of their own phones. Even the operator who answered the call thought it was barking.

When they became multinationals: and when market thinking / technology took over. Blair / Brown years it started, I think.

I have serious concerns about our capacity to afford technology, economically and environmentally, at this point and I’m beginning to agree with Winston Churchill, except that my cut off would be the electric washing machine (‘It is arguable whether the human race have been gainers by the march of science beyond the steam engine.’). It would be better if we were not slaves to the globalised market though.

Yes same with nationwide when I opened up my kids accounts. Papped into a side room with an iPad and opened the account ourselves. To be fair it was all pretty straightforward. For someone older they wouldn't have a clue though

Barclays were awful with us, too. The actual bereavement line people were good, but i had to do some things in the branch (18 miles away) and the man there kept asking me why I couldn't use the app. I kept explaining that I was there because the app kept telling me I couldn't use the app.

They also completely screwed up an ISA transfer in the days my mother was dying and took months to find the large sum of money after she died and we were sorting out probate, causing unnecessary stress. The worst of it is, they seemed to make it our responsibility to find out what had happened. They're the banker, not us! We don't have access to their internal systems.

Yes a friend of mine works in the bank. He says that basically can not do anything anymore in Branch. He says he is told that they are to direct the customer to the website or phone. He is job-hunting as he expects to lose his job soon as they plan to close down loads of branches.

It's unbearable. Can't do the simplest things anymore, everything has become unnecessarily harder

We have 2 branches of HSBC in Bristol- one of biggest cities in the UK with a population of half a million. The smaller branch doesn't even have a counter where cash can be paid in or withdrawn. Everything has to be done by machine. So you cannot get a bag of coins. The other branch does have a counter but you have to go upstairs to use it.

Had a similar experience too - barely use the branches, but on the odd occasion I’ve had to do so, staff have made errors and generally been pretty useless.

It's the same everywhere, apply online. This .means large sections of the population are being excluded from banking services. Once when in our bank an older chap wanted to open a joint account with his sister. He didn't have access to/didn't know how to use the Internet so he couldn't open an account. They bank staff suggested he try the Post Office.

Sometimes there might be one bright and humane person from before times in a branch, usually hidden at the back so customers can't benefit from them. You have to keep pressing to see them.

I've seen the staff completely fail to notice that elderly people obviously have swollen, arthritic fingers and poor eyesight. How do they think they can use a screen?

My mum was doing online banking via the app until a week before she died at 86, but her eyes and fingers were mainly ok. On bad eye days, it was very hard for her to see well enough. I tried to obtain third party access to her accounts for those days but they took so long to sort it out, she died before it happened.

Theres no money to be made in keeping bank branches staffed, and town centre properties have high rent. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start charging people to use branches soon. I wanted to pay some cash in at HSBC to my HSBC account and I was told to go down the road to the post office because they couldn’t do it in branch!

Lloyds/Halifax are closing loads more branches, announced this week. One is our local branch. The only bank left in our town. They say they have undertaken a study which shows that people don’t use the branch.

I suspect the report on the study will completely fail to mention that the reason nobody uses the branch is because they’ve made it impossible to fecking well do anything in the branch 🤬🤬🤬

Attempted to open a savings account for my elderly tech-phobic dad there last year. There is no branch in our region capable of opening accounts in person. We tried at both Halifax and Lloyds branches (same group) around the area and it is impossible.

But don’t worry, apparently we are going to get a Banking Hub. Which will have representatives from lots of different brands one day a week. All of whom will be similarly unable to do anything. 🤦‍♀️

ive had years of horror with Barclays

great experience with nationwide

A couple of years ago I sat in HSBC almost in tears while someone on a helpine with minimal english (UK based though, just a heavy accent) told me they had to close my Business Account. It would have left me right in the shit.
Several staff members and The Manager and Assistant Manager were all trying to help me and were horrified at what was going on but as there was a slight discrepancy between their info and what was held at Companies House they were closing it. The Manager spoke to the person on the helpline but had to give up as they were getting nowhere and had trouble understanding them.
I managed to move everything to another bank and close the account before they did, which could have meant I wouldn't have even been able to open a new one but The Branch were no use at all - even if they wanted to be

We (me and child) Tried to open a current account online for my 16 year old and they insisted she had to have a utility bill in her name. This was NatWest who she’d had a savings account with since birth. We went to a branch to try and sort it but could only do that by booking an appointment to open an account, which we had to do online but because we’d already started the process of opening an account online it wouldn’t let us book an appointment to open a new account. Went with Santander in the end.

The final nail in the coffin was COVID, the banks that are open have kept the ridiculous limited opening hours so no one can use them, so then they are under used and end up closing.

It's been like this for years. We haven't even had a bank in our local area since several years before COVID - the nearest is 40 minutes drive away! Luckily we have the Post Office so we can still withdraw/pay in cash okay.

Yes ...life is so much harder now! I miss proper banks

No banks left in our town, hasn’t been for years. Most of the main bank branches are in two nearby cities (opposite directions) both a 90 min round trip, and paid parking, away.

Two banks left in a small neighbouring town and one worker from another bank has a morning in the local library, but can only deal with stuff you could mostly do online, and you need to book an appointment. I had to take a death certificate to the library hub, the lady was marvellous, even if she did have to call someone to double check something. Why the bank then sent a letter through saying I’d asked to close my account is a mystery though. 🙄

There is really no substitute for being able to pop into a local branch and speak to a friendly face. The two banks I used to use in our town had lovely staff. Such a shame they are no longer open.

Yes, I had this with Halifax when trying to open an account for an elderly relative via a POA. She already banked with Halifax. I already had POA access.

They first told me to use the app, so I pointed out that the app doesn't allow representative access to any banking services. So I tried the website right there in front of them - not possible there either.

It then turned out that the branch I had gone into didn't have the ability to open new accounts. That had to be at another branch. They tried to set up a videocall with the other branch, but couldn't get the equipment to work.

I was then offered a face-to-face meeting two weeks later in a nearby branch in a town I have no reason to go to otherwise. The only alternative was a city centre branch more than a month later, but at least I could justify a trip to that city.

To cap it all off, they then wouldn't actually open the fucking account until I'd gone through a whole new fact-finding inquiry which resulted in them 'recommending' a whole range of other products I didn't want, for the relative and for myself.

Really, really off-putting.

I'm a treasurer for a community group.

Any changes to the bank account need two signatures on the bank mandate form.
Went into the branch as I was passing - can I pick up a form? (it's about eight pages long).
No - we don't have forms - you'll have to print it off yourself.

Did that, took it to the branch so they could check it and pass to the processing centre.
It got lost, then found, and then only half the things got changed because some extra evidence was required. Even though three staff members looked at it in branch!

@Temporarynameforthisone you are lucky your found a bank which is still open!! our village had two and the next village had one, now we have none between us! same with post offices!! now we have none and even the post office website contacted me to say that they couldnt help with an address of a post office in the area!!! absolute shite!

@NotWhoIThought don't forget you might have to book an appointment.....not allowed to just drop in 😩

"Computer says no!"

Unfortunately the humans do too, its like they can't interact with us anymore!!