Nationwide ....... Again

[Scunner]

I worry about Nationwide. I thought they would be good people to have an account with and popped in to open one. Oh dear, times have changed since I've been away. You can't 'pop in' anymore, you have to have an appointment with someone with a fancy title. In an empty branch, you can't see this person - you haven't got an appointment (even though they are sitting there). So, I made an appointment - earliest being 8 days later.

The day before the appointment I got a message saying that due to staff illness, my appointment would have to be cancelled. Could I phone to make a new one. I did that and my new appointment was now 14 days after I first popped in to open an account. At that appointment I was told that I needed to bring a domestic bill with my name on it before they could open an account. I had my passport, driving licence but this was the first time they thought to inform me that a domestic bill with my name on it was something to bring with me to my long standing appointment.

So, another appointment was necessary which was made - for 19 days after I first popped in to open an account. As if things couldn't possibly deteriorate any further, the branch manager called me to say that due to staff illness, my appointment would have to be cancelled. I gave him a brief summary of my month to date with Nationwide and asked him if, genuinely, there was only one person in the entire branch who could physically open a new account. I asked that as branch manager, is it not possible that he could carry out such a task. I asked him whether, in these times of hardship for banks, whether he thought Nationwide's efforts to grab me as a customer were quite good enough in his view. I received many "I can appreciate your frustration" and "I can only apologise" responses, but no, nobody else apart from Miss Sicknote could do this highly specialised banking operation.

Nationwide - to me they create as many hoops as they can for you to jump through, then hide the hoops.

I managed to live without them, as I have done all my life.

[Colwyn]

Nicola, I dont believe there has been any change to the FSCS Compensation Scheme's limit of £50,000 - it has been at this level since October 2008. In fact it is likely to be increased to over £80,000 by the end of the year if the UK accepts the recent EU change (to €100,000). I think this is just a routine notice by Nationwide with no suspicious undercurrent.

[Ovacikpeedoff]

In the past there was a suggestion that the limit was per account. 50k for a single account and 100k for a joint account. Also if you had accounts within the same Group then it also applied to the other accounts as well. For example, if you had 50k with Nationwide, 50k with Derbyshire, 50k with Cheshire and 50k with Dunfermline then your cover would be 200k. This is no longer the case your total compensation payment now is limited to 50k for all the above accounts because they are now part of Nationwide.

This change was implemented just after the election.

[Ovacikpeedoff]

I am in no way defending the poor customer service that Nationwide provided and they should have had adequate cover available to account for illness. The law has changed so much in opening accounts that it has gone mad. There is this Know your customer legislation that is in place to avoid money laundering and there are severe fines for non compliance.

Try applying for a mortgage now and you need to bring lunch with because you are in there so long. What is really annoying is that you know what you want but the bank has to go through all these options that half the people do not understand and you then must sign a form to say that you have been given best advice. You can only talk to specific people now who have passed tests and are accredited.

When I worked in a bank I did inspection and if a staff memeber was off ill I actually did account interviews. If I was to do that today I would be fined and jailed.

[Colwyn]

OP
The Nationwide notice says "For joint accounts each account holder is treated as having a claim in respect of their share so, for a joint account held by two eligible depositors, the maximum amount that could be claimed would be £50,000 each (making a total of £100,000)". My reading of this is, if there has been a change, it has not been implemented yet and you are still covered up to £100k for a joint account. Is there another way of reading this?

Edit
Ah, I see you were editing your post whist I was composing mine.

[kenkay]

My current Flex Account card expires this month and today I received my replacement. There were no enclosures referring to changes in ATM transactions abroad. If they take place in November then just how long are they intending to leave it [?][!]

[nichola]

I support the Nationwide because they are still one of the few mutual Building Societies left (unless that too has chnged since I left the UK) but your treatment Kieth is beyond belief.

Surely there should be at least two suitably qualified staff in any branch to deal with what can only be described as a routine task new legislation or not.

[lizdev]

[/quote]
Nichola - where do you get the better exchange rate than Nationwide? I find they give a better exchange rate than I see in Fethiye.

[/quote]

I draw in GBP and change my money at the Finansbank and I am 99.9% absolutely certain they give a better rate than if I draw the money directly in liras.

However I am always open to be corrected if I am wrong.
[/quote]
Thanks Nichola, I will try your way when out in a few weeks.  Have also opened a Halifax Clarity card which says it is free to use abroad so will compare.

[Liz 101]

quote:Originally posted by kenkay

My current Flex Account card expires this month and today I received my replacement. There were no enclosures referring to changes in ATM transactions abroad. If they take place in November then just how long are they intending to leave it [?][!]

Just got my notification today

[kenkay]

Yeh Liz so did I