If you could wave a magic wand and improve your banking experience, tell Barclays what your wish would be and you could win a £200 voucher NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

As you know we have been working with Barclays and this week Barclays want to hear ideas from customers and non customers.

They say "we want customers to be at the heart of what we do, but we can only do this if we keep on listening to your thoughts and suggestions. That's why we've created Your Bank, a place where you can go to share whatever's on your mind about banking.

To celebrate the launch of Your Bank, this week we're asking the nation five key questions to help us get some answers on how we can make your banking better.

Before we put the questions to the nation, we also got 20 Mumsnetters together to have a think about how we can make everyday banking better for everyone - you can see what they had to say now".

View the Mumsnet Ideation session here

But they also want to make sure your voice is heard on all the other aspects of your banking, so once you've answered the questions (here) please also let us know (on this thread) if you could wave a magic wand, how you would improve your banking experience?

Everyone who adds a comment below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 John Lewis voucher.

thanks and good luck
MNHQ
PS closing date for prize draw: 16 Sept at noon

[hermioneweasley]

Metrobank are brilliant - I csn't wait until they come up north. Specific things they do which I like

• take your photo when you open an account so if you lose everything they know who you are
  
• have card production machines in branch so if you lose your card you can get a new one within minutes instead of "5-7 working days"
  

They also have customer toilets!

For call centres I woukd like a very simple IVR, just one level and the option to speak to a person at any time.

[wordyBird]

Barclays.... I'd really like to be able to batch multiple payments as the Bank of Scotland does. Pushing them through one at a time is tedious and prone to error. Pretty please. :-)

[LyraSilvertongue]

There's a Metro Bank opening in my town soon. They're opening seven days a week. I'm seriously considering moving to them after a lifetime with Barclays because of all the charges and the inflexibility over them. No idea what Metro Bank charges but I'm so fed up with Barclays that I don't care.

[carriedaway]

Do away with balance vs available balance on Internet banking so you can clearly see what's gone out. It's really confusing and doesn't give you confidence that what you're seeing is the current picture

[flashheartscanoe]

I want to be able to check my balance and see if someone has paid me WITHOUT all the ridiculous security. I can understand the security if I want to move money or withdraw it but its a PITA when I want to just check if I've been paid.

[Letitsnow9]

I wish I could ring Barclays and have the call answered by a human straight away rather than having to key in numbers

[sharond101]

Here here for the improved children's banking service. I'd like a book for my little boy so he can see a balance and his savings grow. I'd like more branches open on weekends. I'd like less advertising of their services on the online banking page and I want to speak to someone in the UK when i phone them. I don't want to wait in a queue on the phone either.

[Theincidental]

Simplified telephone options menus; I don't want to spend five minutes pressing buttons before I then go on hold and have to repeat myself verbally. Uk based call centres.

Fair banking for small businesses.

[Artus]

I dont want to open a new ISA each year - why cannot you offer the best rate to existing accounts - why do I have to transfer every year to get a decent interest rate. Or at least let us transfer an existing balance.

[mrscumberbatch]

I would want to be able to view all pending and authorised transactions through Internet banking.

I would also like to be able to speak to somebody in the Uk without pressing a bazillion buttons when I call. There's a reason first direct win awards for service and customer satisfaction- why is no other bank emulating their success?

I would also like for banking to be fair and transparent. It's impossible for it to be that way when financial products are incentivised to staff.

There are ways to increase sales- that is not it. It's just annoying and makes me like your brand less. Also your employees don't like doing it either. Sales for sales sake are not a good business plan.

[GetStuffezd]

• I would like a branch closer than 15 miles to me.
  
• I would like more cashpoints that dispense £5 notes
  
• I would like cheques to be able to clear a lot faster than they currently do.
  Finally I would like the cashier at my local Natwest to be smited by a giant fist from heaven the next time she smirks at me withdrawing my last £6 5 days before payday

[nextphase]

Have a letter box so I can drop a cheque and paying in slip in at any time, not your opening times. Or shock, don't bother opening at 9am, have opening hours 11am-7pm (not sure the bank staff will like this one)

Don't assume I have a smart phone - I don't, and I can't be the only one.

Don't refuse me a mortgage (at 2x salary), and then spend the next 5 years sending me letters offering a "fab" mortgage rate (yes, Barclays, looking at you).

Do away with available balance and current balance. What is in my account.

Stop sending me mail shots, or trying to sell at the cash desk. If I want a product, I'll ask!

Don't miss assign my payments, and then accuse me of making a mistake when I have the proof in front of me (OK, barclaycard).

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

The thing I hate most about any bank is that ridiculous music I have to listen to when I phone, and those voices telling me over and over again how much they value my custom but can't actually be bothered to speak to me right now.

[SaltySeaBird]

Few things that I'd like:

1. No card readers please. I'm with Lloyds as they don't use them. If I'm on holiday and want to access my account I can do it via my phone app and move money about. I wouldn't consider a bank that required me to have a reader.
   

1. Later opening hours please. If I need to pay a cheque in, I need to do it outside working hours so it ends up having to be a Saturday morning.
   

1. I'd wave a magic wand to add several zeros to the end of my account balance. That would definitely improve my banking experience!

[expatinscotland]

Stop charging customers to ring a 'customer service' line.

7-day/week opening hours - this is 2013 not 1950.

YY to coin machines and better childrens' banking.

[QOFE]

I would like it very much indeed if the staff would stop offering me credit cards every time I go in to take my last £5 out over the counter!

Or maybe just make £5 notes available in cash machines again!

[Numb71]

I would like to get my current up to date balance by text if I request it. Or a daily email so I can see it on my smartphone - that would really help me budget.

It's such a faff to get out the daft calculator thing and log in, takes too long.

[RubySparks]

I would like it to be easier to cancel direct debits, it seems like once you sign up to one it is hard to get out of! I can cancel one using online banking but it would be great if by doing that the company who are supposed to collect were also informed of the cancellation so sending a separate letter to inform them wasn't necessary.

[poppy1973]

I would love banks to get rid with the monthly management fee that they charge.

I would love banks to go back to having a decent monthly overdraft of £100 without extra charges.

[pertempsnooo]

Better rates on overdrafts.
I am looking for a bank which doesn't invest in the arms trade, dodgy chemicals companies etc etc and also one which doesn't pay ridiculous wages to the upper management. Am I asking too much? Should I put all my money under the bed instead?

[Thistledew]

A bit less bureaucracy when it comes to managing accounts. I have a £2,000 overdraft facility (unused for a couple of years on the account that I have had for 15 years. DH has a £2,000 overdraft facility (also unused) on the account that he has had for even longer. Since we got married this year we want to switch to using a joint account and would like to have an overdraft facility on this. As I am self employed, I have to obtain a specific form from HMRC so that Barclays can verify my income - which is paid into my Barclays account. It seems like pointless form filling.

Also, we would both like to move the direct debits that we have from our personal accounts to our joint account. I know it is possible for the bank to arrange this for us as another bank with whom I have an account was able move them all for me after I had listed them all on a form and signed my authorisation. Instead, we have been told that we both need to contact all our providers individually and set up the changes, which I don't have the spare time to do at the moment.

[missorinoco]

Mini branches in supermarkets as suggested.

More child friendly banking. Have a long boring story about my one year old and a long queue. Suspect many people have one.

Better customer service. Dear bank, when you cock up, please just admit it and not faff around telling me you have sorted out the "problem". I keep contacting you until you admit you were wrong, rather than implying it was my fault and you have "waived" the overdraft fee.

[janajos]

I agree with those who say that children's banking experience could be made simpler.

I also think that if you have two accounts with the same bank, then you ought to be able to give permission for money from one to cover an unexpectedly high DD from the other. Recently i was stung by bank charges by this happening and there was plenty of money in my other account which I would have been happy to have been used to cover it!

[HappyMummyOfOne]

I like pretty much everything hence have stayed with them for years. Love the security aspect of the card reader so feel secure banking online, love the easy online system and the online savers are great for splitting savings for different items.

The only thing i would change is the telephone system, would prefer it to go straight through to the local branch and be easier. Rarely ever contact by phone as its too long winded but thankfully most things can be done online.

[letsgetreadytoramble]

I would very much like to be treated like a human being and not processed by a computer. Actually, Barclays is the only bank to have done this. I had terrible problems with money for a while after selling a house in negative equity that I co-owned with an ex (he walked out and left me to it). At the same time my credit card limit was cut, it was the last straw and I called Barclays in tears. The lady actually listened to me and kept it at the same limit. Usually you feel that the people you speak to are powerless to do anything other than what the computer tells them to do, and that human touch made all the difference to my situation. The computer would have just told her I was a feckless spender, but she took the time to hear my reasons.