Banking Customer Service..... Not impressed with Barclays

WTF is going on with Banking?? My wife and I want to transfer a couple of our ISAs from the local building society into a Barclays one year fixed rate deal. What a palaver! Firstly it's not possible to do this online - it must be a branch visit. Okay, in these days of money laundering etc. I accept that so let's pop into the local Barclays then... What I wasn't prepared for is the fact that Barclays have closed all their branches in the Vale of Glamorgan so it means going into the Wales head office in Cardiff. Not impressed, but let's pop in there, then. Obviously I phoned first and eventually, after four and a half minutes on the phone, I got through to a human being. I won't bother you with a precis of the conversation but in short the first possible appointment is March 15th. Yes, six weeks away.... and the bugger wasn't even apologetic, let alone embarrassed about it!

Now perhaps I'm an old fuddy-duddy but I can remember the days when if you wanted to bring almost 100K into a bank you were warmly welcomed into the manager's office, given a cup of tea and even a biscuit or two while his minions scurried off to do the paperwork. After 10 or 20 minutes you got a handshake and a couple of brochures and off you went. You weren't expected to wait six weeks before you got gracious permission to sit in front of some oik in a cheap suit to get his assent to give him your money. There was a lot wrong with the 'good old days' but sometimes I think we threw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.

Welcome to the brave new world!

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Originally Posted by Barryboy

WTF is going on with Banking??
Now perhaps I'm an old fuddy-duddy but I can remember the days when if you wanted to bring almost 100K into a bank you were warmly welcomed into the manager's office, given a cup of tea and even a biscuit or two while his minions scurried off to do the paperwork. After 10 or 20 minutes you got a handshake and a couple of brochures and off you went. You weren't expected to wait six weeks before you got gracious permission to sit in front of some oik in a cheap suit to get his assent to give him your money. There was a lot wrong with the 'good old days' but sometimes I think we threw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.

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After walking across town yesterday simply to find an ATM I feel your pain, I also dread being ''put on hold'' due to the volume of ''heavier than expected calls'' whilst calling banks, building societies, phone providers etc, as you say t'good old days weren't so bad in many ways.

I found that Barclay's were woeful and gave me the run around when they blocked a payment I was trying to make. Drove 20 miles to a local branch, who couldn't help either and put me on a phone in an office to speak to another department. Account was then un-blocked. Went home to try again and they blocked it again!
I closed my account and left them. AVOID Barclays...

Try another bank with a branch nearby. Are the rates likely to be wildly different?

I had very poor service from Barclays when acting as an Executor. They insisted on me making an appointment at the account holding branch to produce the Will and verify my identity. That took 2 weeks to arrange. The Will and my passport Driving Licence and Utility bills were copied despite me holding an account myself with the branch. After Probate was granted and I applied to release the funds they told me I had failed to prove my identity and insisted I repeat the process!

Substitute the B for W in all matters of money.

Its hopeless with them all.

There was a time when they used to deal with feedback and complaints very well. My wife and I, both Barclays customers, paid our mortgage off early with them and it was an absolute nightmare. I left appropriate feedback on their web site and received a call from a manager who chatted with me for 20 minutes, credited us with £250 as goodwill gesture and sent us a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate paying off our mortgage.

Fast forward to last year where I tried to open a current account with a debit card only for my application to be declined on credit scoring. This was despite already holding a current account and debit card with them. No amount of common sense would prevail and they just kept on saying no. Two months later I got one opened despite no change in circumstances.

I just don’t think they care any more.

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Originally Posted by Onelasttime

Try another bank with a branch nearby. Are the rates likely to be wildly different?

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Barclays are offering 4% on a one year fixed rate deal which is the longest I want to tie myself in for and is the best deal I can find. My current Principality deal is 2.5%

If it’s approx £100k move to Barclays Premier and have their RM deal with it for you.

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Originally Posted by Barryboy

Barclays are offering 4% on a one year fixed rate deal which is the longest I want to tie myself in for and is the best deal I can find. My current Principality deal is 2.5%

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Nationwide - 3.75%
Set it up online in about five minutes but I do have a Nationwide account. Could be worth the 0.25% difference for the savings on time and hassle.

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/savings...e-online-bond/

Vote with your feet and move, and you might be paid for doing so too (some bank account switch cashback incentives still doing the rounds).

I don't think its just Barclays, in my experience all banks now want your money but as soon as you want to move it or withdraw you get 20 questions and its VERY hard work.

We were looking to set up some ISAs last week and we’re going with Barclays untill we found out you can’t do it on line and had to have a face to face appointment, the earliest we could get anywhere was end of March, we went with Virgin money

My mother has an account with Barclays.

They are utterly useless.

She has asked for a cheque book numerous times and I even took a day off work to go into a branch to sort it out, where we were told the book was in transit already and would arrive in the next couple of days.

It never turned up.

M

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Barclays Business are a shower too. Wasted ages trying to get through on phones, app chat and in person in the branch to confirm my business details.
Nothing had changed, they just wanted confirm nothing had changed, and if I didn't confirm nothing had changed, they would freeze my business banking account.

The unhelpful twats.

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Originally Posted by Barryboy

WTF is going on with Banking?? My wife and I want to transfer a couple of our ISAs from the local building society into a Barclays one year fixed rate deal. What a palaver! Firstly it's not possible to do this online - it must be a branch visit.

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Apologies. I went through a similar farce a few weeks ago. I should have posted a warning!

I’ve opened any number of bank accounts online over recent years. No idea what Barclays are doing!

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Originally Posted by MCFastybloke

Substitute the B for W in all matters of money.

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Warclays? 😁

Lloyds have gone down hill our local branch is very scruffy but at least we still have one, the service going downhill in banks seems to be proportional to their profits going up

Re the “ Oik in the cheap suit” , some years ago we opened an ISA in a local branch. The person in the office completing the paperwork stressed a number of times” I / we cannot give you any advice on your investment “ . This prompted me to ask why the badge on their polyester jacket said Sales Advisor!

They had no response, didnt see the disconnect between their “ spiel” and their job title.

On the subject of closures, we were in Bala N.Wales last year and noticed lots of shops ( 50%) said card only. My wife being more astute than me suggested it maybe due to lack of banking. Sure enough, there is only one bank in Bala ( HSBC) and it closes Fri Sat Sun. For those not familiar with Bala its a lakeside town that is thronged with visitors in the Summer 90% who visit at the weekends……..just in time to close the branch!

Barclays have been utterly woeful for decades.

Just move to 1st Direct, get paid (£175) for switching and leave all this unnecessary twoddle behind.

The longer you stay there, the longer Barclays will keep messing you around. Vote with your feet. Loyalty is not rewarded as a bank customer any more.

Agree with Maysie. Can’t beat first direct

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Originally Posted by chrisparker

Barclays Business are a shower too. Wasted ages trying to get through on phones, app chat and in person in the branch to confirm my business details.
Nothing had changed, they just wanted confirm nothing had changed, and if I didn't confirm nothing had changed, they would freeze my business banking account.

The unhelpful twats.

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I had a terrible experience with Barclays Business as well. Closed the account and moved to another bank as I just couldn't tolerate their rudeness and incompetence.

Just for balance NitWorst just took 5 days to sort business account to be able to accept money, and you know pay staff, despite repeat assurances of various days being unlocked whilst sitting on them for the entire time:dejection:

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Originally Posted by Barryboy

Barclays are offering 4% on a one year fixed rate deal which is the longest I want to tie myself in for and is the best deal I can find. My current Principality deal is 2.5%

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If you have the Barclays app it’s a lot easier
I opened that ISA back in November. Did it through the Barclays app as I had funds in another Barclays savings account and just transferred it across.

A little further info... I have my current account and a small ISA with RBS and have no intention of switching out. The wife and I have ISAs with the Principality BS and those are the ones we want to transfer out.

A little further info... I have my current account and a small ISA with RBS and have no intention of switching out. The wife and I have ISAs with the Principality BS and those are the ones we want to transfer out.

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Originally Posted by wileeeeeey

Agree with Maysie. Can’t beat first direct

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I've been a happy customer for nearly 30 years.

M

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