The Virtual Pub
Come Inside... => Saloon Bar => Topic started by: Pastis on June 22, 2010, 03:35:21 PM
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Of course they all claim it's a doddle, it's as easy as falling off a log, but is it?
I started the migration process on June 2nd; I reckoned it would probably take around a month according to their estimates but I'm not so sure now. I had three accounts with Bastards Barclays; trading, personal and investment. I've closed down the investment account because their opponents in this game of two halves have offered an attractive 6% on the trading account for the first 12 months ~ a no brainer I think they call it. whistle:
The next step is to detail all the DDRs and STO's that are going to be transferred. This sounds straightforward but in reality we're in golden cock up territory and yes, Santander have scored their first own goal! I'd taken the option of a free overdraft facility for the first 12 months to ensure that I wouldn't be charged if the DDRs were called before funds were in place. What did they do? Refuse a DDR and charge me!
Oi! Ref! Penalty! Santander back down, reimburse the charge and apologise. Mr.P - 1 Santander - 0
I believe it's really worth doing, but by 'ell you've got to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you. rubschin:
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Banks are run by twats. Simples.
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Banks are run by twats. Simples.
Agreed. And do you pay for the privilege or not? Eh? ...
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But But But ~ NuLabour (may even have been Gordon himself) said they had made it easier ~ compulsorily so ~ to change banks. The Bankers (sp) had to comply with legislation that said they must provide all information and automatically transfer DDs and SO to the new bank of choice.
Surely we are not now to believe they told us untruths ~ are we? angel1
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Of course they all claim it's a doddle, it's as easy as falling off a log, but is it?
I started the migration process on June 2nd; I reckoned it would probably take around a month according to their estimates but I'm not so sure now. I had three accounts with Bastards Barclays; trading, personal and investment. I've closed down the investment account because their opponents in this game of two halves have offered an attractive 6% on the trading account for the first 12 months ~ a no brainer I think they call it. whistle:
The next step is to detail all the DDRs and STO's that are going to be transferred. This sounds straightforward but in reality we're in golden cock up territory and yes, Santander have scored their first own goal! I'd taken the option of a free overdraft facility for the first 12 months to ensure that I wouldn't be charged if the DDRs were called before funds were in place. What did they do? Refuse a DDR and charge me!
Oi! Ref! Penalty! Santander back down, reimburse the charge and apologise. Mr.P - 1 Santander - 0
I believe it's really worth doing, but by 'ell you've got to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you. rubschin:
Quite so Mr P. I have done this a number of times but it is time consuming and you have to keep on top of it. At the end of the day they are not there for you despite what they say, they are there for them and their profit margins. I am 50 now and have 4 children all grown and out of the nest now. I am working my way back to a cash only situation, a year should see me there and I can't wait tbh.
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All my recent experience of banks has been of staggering incompetence. And still we talk of the inefficiencies of the public sector noooo: At least the Boy's skool is there every day and does what it promises to do.
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The Boy's skool is, if I may say so, an exception. About the only thing the skools in this area do is to give the pupils somewhere to shelter from the rain.
Teaching may or may not be taking place. Learning, most certainly, is not evil:
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Fair point, but the national mindset is now "public sector bad, private sector good". There may be some economic justification for that, but the banks are crap and other private services I use (let's think of boiler repairs for a moment) are crap beyond belief. The hospital tomorrow will, I trust, do their best.
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The THW's As level History exam consists of two papers. After paper two the students gathered outside of the examination room and exchanged views.
One common theme emerged from the debate "Where the f*** did that stuff come from? We haven't touched on that" ~ about 50% of the cohort felt the same.
So a deputation went to the Head of the History Department and discovered that they had missed the first 6 weeks of the term due to their allotted teacher being off sick and on her return she had simply picked up from week 7. The other half of the cohort had a different teacher and had covered the whole curriculum. No-one had bothered to disclose to the students of the absent teacher (who were overseen in classes by a series of supply teachers) that they had not been given the full curriculum until they found they could not complete the examination. A strongly worded appeal has now been launched but the initial response from the school is "Don't blame us, the students should have asked"
This is, of course, symptomatic of the modern method of not teaching history chronologically but in "sound bites". If there is no order to the subject teaching how do you know if a lump has been missed?
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To get back to the point ~ The Public Sector has long been going bad. Nu Labour made it that way. The Private Sector was ruined by the same people. The only people you can now trust to do their best for you are yourselves.
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Your local school(s) is/are incompetent. So much is clear. And Miss D's boiler man, Growler's customers, Pastis's customers, my solicitor, the estate agents, the surveyors, the local council, my MP, BP, Gordon Brown
Perhaps the only ones I trust are local sole traders, although the TV repair man was a cvnt.
Perhaps incompetence is endemic. (Turnip farmers excepted)
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My feelings exactly.
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Update #001.
Because Santander (think Spain vs. England) had messed up the overdraft facility and declined the DD, the payee (house contents policy) have issued a £20 penalty eeek:
Mr P passes the ball over to Santander who let it into the back of their net! Yay! Another own goal! They agree to credit the account to the tune of a couple of Pavarottis ;D
Mr P. - 2 Santander - 0
PS I'm waiting for this to all go horribly wrong cry:
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Cock up Cock up Cock up cussing:
I have now been sent a threatening letter by an insurance company because I failed to make a payment. evil: I didn't, fecking Santander failed you tw@ts! evil:
Banks are indeed run by twats. noooo:
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Cock up # 003:
HMRC have failed to take the DD for National Ins. contributions because their computer tried to take them out of the old bank account happy001
They send me 3 pages of Very Officially Concerned type letters and that I must contact them. I do.
Think Geordie lass on the other end of the phone:
"Ooooh Nooooo, Ah canna think what's 'appened. The compu'er moosta scanned it wrong, ah 'spose."
Well there's a simple fix, says I. Just double the amount for July and then go back to the normal DD on the new account.
"Ooooh ah doon't know if we can do that. Ah'll 'ave to ask me soopah-vizor. We might 'ave to send you ah bill for the oonpaid month"
Just do what you have to then ... ::)
"Right oh. Byeee then!"
Cock up # 004:
I had requested registration to online banking to monitor both accounts. It's now July 3rd; the process began on June 2nd. They eventually send me yesterday the secret Registration Number which was subsequent to the secret Passcode which was subsequent to the secret Personal ID ... Phew! Armed with a plethora of secret characters and numbers I can now access online banking. ...
I log on. What do I find? I can see my personal bank account and strangely an old Abbey National saver account that's got about £30 in it eeek: eeek:
I can't access the Business account! doh: doh: doh:
More phone calls ... "Ooooh, that's not good. We'd better sort it out for ya."
noooo: noooo: noooo:
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noooo:
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Think your old system was probably better whistle:
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PLUS
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Works well for me
ALTERNATIVELY
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lol: lol: lol:
Plans for my 60th birthday are changing; becoming an outlaw is rising steadily on the list whistle:
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Honestly it gets no better. I really do hope the "Coalition" (as we now seem to be required to call them) keep their promise of a bonfire of useless and annoying regulations.
I am, as you know, "retired" and I really imagined that I would be free of all this crap but I have quarterly battles with the Dept of Pensions, an annual fight with the Inland Revenue or whatever they call themselves this week and recently had a much forwarded letter from the VAT man asking about the current estimated (note that word) turnover of a business I sold in 1992. The pub (for that is what it was) was closed and demolished in 2001. Banghead
My dealings with banks, Dept of Pensions, Job Centres, HM Customs & Revenue etc would tax even that well know man of letters and battler with authority Mr D P Dance.
I am convinced it is to avoid having to make people redundant that they keep up this barrage of enquiries and confusion.
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I'm inclined to agree. What's more it'll probably continue for some time after you have shuffled off your mortal coil (Sorry). IIRC it took about a year for my sister and I to convince certain "interested parties" that our dear departed father was no more, an ex-father, in fact snuffed it. ::)
The other thing that intrigues me in this switcheroo process (thank you, Boris), is the deafening silence coming from the Barclays ... tunble:
I've heard not a word, a phone call, a letter, an email, anything asking me why I might no longer want to be a customer of theirs ... What about those concerned phone calls from your business manager? The interaction between SMEs and their banks?
tunble:
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Cock up # 005:
I have a few subs / memberships etc that are paid by a yearly DD. Yup, the first one's gone tits up lol:
"We seem to have our direct debit collection refused ... " Frankly it's not serious; I'll renew if and when I feel like it but the point is that all this was supposed to be taken care of! noooo: noooo:
Tosserissimo! ::)
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Cock up # 006
Internet banking has been down most of the day Banghead
Cock up # 007
The everso apologetic ::) Alistair cannot understand why an OD facility has still not yet been put in place Banghead. That's 6 weeks from request noooo:
He has 10 minutes left to call back according to his promise ::)
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Taking your lead I have spent most of the morning describing the ins and outs of the cat's arsehole to various businesses in an attempt to save some money and switch suppliers (utilities, TV and Telephone services etc) and Banks. Why do they want so much information?
I also wanted to speak to Dept of Pensions ~ they told me I had to set up a telephone password and provide them with answers to a series of questions that had been agreed with Experian in order that in future they could be sure they were talking to me. "How would Experian know my favourite film anyway?" I asked.
"Oh they don't, they have just contracted to set up the system"
"Well you and they can take a hike ~ I shall write to you with my query .... I assume that doesn't require all this setting up of passwords and secret questions"
"That is correct sir and until we can compel everyone to deal on line or on the phone a letter from you will never need a password"
NOTE THE "COMPEL" ~ A Freudian slip no doubt ::)
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There was an article I read yesterday, ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/7886350/How-to-make-300-today.html
... Item #2, relating to switching bank accounts. "It's never been easier... " says she. My experience so far doesn't tally noooo:
As for COMPEL, yup, I think it's going that way unless there's a total breakdown. Martha Lame-Duck wants us all to be online, even me ageing Aunt Lettuce! ::)
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Indeed it was the Telegraph article that set me off + the devil finding work for idle hands I suppose, tho' in reality I have a lot to do but am putting it off in true Nickensian style until the last minute to impose a deadline on myself.
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Explode: Explode: Explode: Incompetent tw@ts noooo:
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happy100 happy100 happy100
Sit down and tell us all about it
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Popcorn:
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Popcorn: Popcorn: Popcorn:
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Just the usual evil:
After 7 weeks from opening the business account they STILL have not completed the arrangement and put the free OD facility in place. They tell me over the phone that the process is complete and a final letter has been sent out letting me know ... tunble:
I am awaiting a call from the woman at the local branch whose lunch break finished 5 minutes ago ..... eveilgrin:
It's a bloody good job I have funds in that account ::)
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Yesterday my IFA went Explode: Explode: at Legal & General for sitting on a cheque for 10 days which was to go from one desk to another inside the same company. Not just a little cheque either... around £30K
He's going after them eveilgrin:
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They'll prolly give you a fiver for "lost interest" and tell you it is a Goodwil Gesture.
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Sadly, probably true but it'll be interesting to see how the IFA fares ~ he's got rather sharp teeth.
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I.O.U.
Here's your missing l redface:
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As if switching bank accounts wasn't hard enough!
Trying to close down the old one ... !! noooo: The laydee on the phone actually admitted they were making it quite difficult eeek:
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As if switching bank accounts wasn't hard enough!
Trying to close down the old one ... !! noooo: The laydee on the phone actually admitted they were making it quite difficult eeek:
Those people at Coutts hate to lose a millionaire... noooo:
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As if switching bank accounts wasn't hard enough!
Trying to close down the old one ... !! noooo: The laydee on the phone actually admitted they were making it quite difficult eeek:
Those people at Coutts hate to lose a millionaire... noooo:
Coutts my arse ~ As I keep telling Dippy Coutts has long since been a very small subdivision of the Nat West which is now owned by The Royal Bank Of Scotland which is in turn 80% owned by the British taxpayers. Might as well put your money in a National Savings Account (better interest too).
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Just received!
Dear Nicholas, we know you won't move your main current account without good reason. That's why we're giving you plenty of good reasons, starting with £100 when you switch to Santander - as well as an impressive interest rate of 5% AER fixed for 12 months.
Our dedicated team will take care of everything and make the whole experience simple and straightforward for you.
- We'll transfer all of your existing
standing orders, bill payments and direct
debits from your old bank to your new
Santander account.
- We'll help you through the switcher
process by giving you a 0% EAR typical
Arranged Overdraft for at least four
months (19.9% EAR (variable) thereafter).
Overdrafts are subject to status (see note 1). - We will match your existing overdraft
(up to £5,000), depending on your
circumstances (see note 2).
- We'll let you choose the date you want the
switch to start, up to 60 days in the future.
- We promise to keep you informed
regularly throughout the transfer process
so you know exactly what's happening.
Banghead
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Given the problems experienced by both Pastis and myself with these people I wouldn't bother. That said I did it differently to Pastis. I opened the account with Santander and simply transferred some funds. They are now welching on their promise to credit £100 because I "haven't transferred ALL my business" to them. I am letting Trading Standards deal with them. whistle:
Much depends on how you define "Main Account" ~ they seem to feel it means ALL ACCOUNTS ~ I disagree.
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Given the problems experienced by both Pastis and myself with these people I wouldn't bother. That said I did it differently to Pastis. I opened the account with Santander and simply transferred some funds. They are now welching on their promise to credit £100 because I "haven't transferred ALL my business" to them. I am letting Trading Standards deal with them. whistle:
Much depends on how you define "Main Account" ~ they seem to feel it means ALL ACCOUNTS ~ I disagree.
Good man, keep us posted.
I wonder if they define "main" current account anywhere?
I would take it as the one with the largest sums passing through it, which in my case is the one with 3 standing orders per month to "secondary" accounts with a minimal, yet always positive, residual amount left in it.
Not at all what they want, but 'main' by my standards.
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A postscript.
As far as I'm concerned one of the main benefits of online banking is the ability to move money from one account to another at the click or three of a mouse. I haven't had occasion to use it until today and when I tried ~ from the extensive menu of options ~ it was declined eeek:
Tonight's call centre bunny (Belfast by the sound of it) had to go off and investigate and came back to explain that the 'Move Money' option had not been included for some reason. To her credit she was incredulous as I was and altered the settings (?) immediately and apologised profusely. She then moved the monies, er, manually (?) over the phone.
Otherwise all appears to be working; no charges for the service and interest (tax deducted ::) ) added on time. How long will this last I wonder rubschin:
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We are surrounded by bankers noooo:
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Right. evil: Looks like the gloves are off this time, and not with the new bank but the old one. Banghead
I'm even wondering if posts on an internet forum are admissible as evidence in court rubschin: , because if Barclays don't sort this one out it's going straight to the Banking Ombudsman. In spite of requests to close down my three old accounts there remains one which apparently they have failed to close and they reckon I owe them 90 quid! evil:
Now, I've done this by the book and to the letter, closing down the personal account in person at my local branch, by phone for the investment account and by letter for the trading account. Eventually after two calls to the online team this week I get a return call from my "Relationship Manager" whom I have never spoken to before in my life. I have never heard someone who is supposed to be in a responsible position (by her own admission she has 600+ portfolios to deal with) stutter and stumble through a conversation eeek:. Umming and erring wasn't in it... noooo:
Apparently she has moved branches to one a mile or so away and never received my closure instruction. Is that my fault? ::)
This will resume next week evil: evil: evil:
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I hate Barclays.
B@st@rds begged me for my business account when we took on the first pub.
For those that don't know publicans have to trade on an overdraft whist keeping their working capital in a second account and their VAT and alcohol duties etc in a third. It does make sense as Brewery/landlords insist on debiting accounts for supplies of stock on a system of their own whilst the VAT and HM Customs (Duty) have different methods of extracting cash.
Anywhoo Barclays, having watched the business grow for two years, suddenly and without informing us started switching money between accounts "to remove the overdraft" leaving insufficient funds in the VAT account causing the VAT man to shit bricks and the brewery to withhold supplies. They then,following a bellow from me promptly emptied our personal account, froze all other accounts and would not cash any cheques issued. I was forced to borrow against the business from another bank at very high rates of interest just to pay the bills. Meanwhile Barclays sat on £45k of our money for three months and would not release it until I had gone to solicitor and issued a High Court writ. Their final excuse? "Human error by a person no longer in our employ"
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PPS I received a phone call today from the wumman mentioned earlier. Apologies for the delay but the matter had to be taken to a higher level and the upshot is ... <insert dramatic pause> ...
... that all charges have been waived and the account finally closed! Hoooray!
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Well done you!
These people need a bom under their collective arse.
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whistle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5y_gE1Rb1Y
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You wouldn't want to switch to a Swiss bank account now... noooo:
They are going to rake in a billion by taxing those that keep their cash in Swiss bank accounts and don't declare the interest apparently... cloud9:
But... if you had cash in a Swiss bank account and didn't declare interest for tax purposes wouldn't you just move it somewhere else? doh:
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Ye Olde Bank of Ye Creaky Floorboard ~ still the best.
Instant access, no charges and the Governmunts don't know how much is in it. cloud9:
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Think I may be swapping bank soon. Spoke to my bank a couiple of weeks back when relocation looked like a possibilty and was told that there would be no problem with reactivating my credit card allowing me to cover the costs. Went in today to confim and start the ball rolling to be told that because there was a snarl up on payments just after I lost my job (down to their payment protection plan) they didnt think they would be able to do so without a wage slip from my new employer.
I'm not going to have a pay slip until I can get up there and to do that I need the money you previously said I could access, for crying out loud I'll have exponentially more income from this job than I currently have with JSA and Housing Benefit. Banghead
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If you are in need of the readies to help with the move, especially to go to a job, then apply for a Grant or Loan from the Social Security (Access via Job Centre). That is what they are there for. Virtually instant answer and paid to you by Giro.
When you get to Ipswich go to the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and open a "Gold Current Account". Overdraft facility available (up to £750) but they will want to see proof of accommodation and at least a letter of appointment from your employer. They have branches all over East Anglia, including one in Ipswich town centre. The account comes with a £100 cheque card that is also a debit card. Cash withdrawal limit is £250 a day as long as you have funds. I opened an account with them in 1993 and have never regretted it. They are a "Mutual" so sod the big banks!
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First place I went after leaving the bank, budgeting loan from the social fund. Time wise it looks like I may just qualify to apply for it although I may have to put my starting date back a week in order to get sorted out.
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Well done!
Norwich and Peterborough Bld Soc are at
30 Tavern St
Ipswich IP1 3AP
01473 213 905
I cannot recommend them highly enough.
If they want a reference contact me.
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Brilliant, thanks Snoop. happy088
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A Pleasure ;)
Good market in the town centre ~ twice a week. Local farm produce (being East Angular like) at prices you won't believe!
Pedestrian shopping area is good.
Large parks in city centre are a joy.
Local Football team is shite!
In the town centre have a look at some of the old buildings that are now shops. Beautiful.
(https://www.virtual-pub.com/SMF/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F1%2F17%2FIpswich_Ancient_House.jpg%2F220px-Ipswich_Ancient_House.jpg&hash=05d2a1f00408616f4b0e4b80a33ed5d263261dd1)
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Snoopy's Big Society 8)
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Snoopy's Wide Experience I think you mean. cool14:
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I might as well post this here as anywhere...
Bank Statements.
The statements coming in from Santander are monthly which is fine and the same as the previous bank, except ... Banghead
They keep on tagging on a transaction from the next month at the end or one from the previous month at the beginning ::). I have now had this out with them over the phone and they claim they can only do statements from the 1st to the 1st or from any date to the same date in the next month. Ok, well do it from the 31st to the 31st then? Oh no, we can't do that because not all the months have a 31st ... Precisely, says I. So why can't you do it by month? I mean when I get a VAT demand it's very specific that it concludes on the 28th February or the 30th June or whatever. Somehow through the wizardry of technology they are able to talk months not days ... why can't you?
Errrr, the system's not set up like that, Sir ... Banghead Banghead
Tw@tology! evil:
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It's not over 'til the fat lady sings they say ::) Well come on dear, let's hear it! Banghead
My bank card was declined, then accepted, then declined, then accepted again over the last 2 weeks ::). I got home to find a letter from SatanDare (sic evil:) about checks on fraudulent activity and have rung them to confirm whatever it is they wanted to know... tw@ts!
They recommend I tell them if I'm going away so they can ok a transaction in Ping Pong's Massage Parlour should I choose to avail myself of their services ::) ::)
Fortunately the other credit card worked fine and ready cash was available, hotel bill paid, etc etc.
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And what about Ping Pong's massage parlour?
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Cash Onry! No Cledit! .... So Solly but you have to rank yourself!
You come ten minute!
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You've been there then?
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Moi? angel1
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There are the most amazingly good looking hookers on Temple Street in HK eeek: ... And this at 10:00am ... I suspected a bait 'n' switch scam whereby the eyes: one leads you upstairs to the sick2: one ...
I did NOT partake angel1
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There are the most amazingly good looking hookers on Temple Street in HK eeek: ... And this at 10:00am ... I suspected a bait 'n' switch scam whereby the eyes: one leads you upstairs to the sick2: one ...
I did NOT partake angel1
Of course... whistle:
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There are the most amazingly good looking hookers on Temple Street in HK eeek: ... And this at 10:00am ... I suspected a bait 'n' switch scam whereby the eyes: one leads you upstairs to the sick2: one ...
I did NOT partake angel1
Of course... whistle:
lol: lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cwyq3XWeHE
whistle: