With a new bank now

  With a new bank now. I went to Nationwide after not long writing last post, and have opened an account with them. I have them already regarding savings, but before opening this account I discussed my needs with them, and as I mentioned in my comments on last post, I opened one with them after realising they are the one for me. They were very helpful and couldn’t do enough. They even shown me how there internet banking works. Any problems that need a phone call, I’m just to call in at my local branch and they will help me out. If it involves phoning someone, they will phone for me on my behalf after gaining permission, and they will relay the conversation to me.

Why didn’t I just open it sooner with them? Maybe better late than never, hey!

Banks…Arrrrrrrr!

Banks.. Arrrrrrr!

My last post “Had to take it further and now its sorted!” was when I let you know I had to take it further with my bank, but after being given a chance to sort it by Ombudsman, before I could take it further, it was sorted, or so I thought. And it was left to that.

Well just recently this month, I needed to get in touch as I have a problem, and using the agreed methods of contacting, I decided to write a letter. I’ve received no letter. So last night I sent a secured message which I received a response, and its started all over again. I’m to phone. HELLO…… Alliance & Leicester, WHICH part of HOH or deafness did you not understand. I was reassured this would not happen again. I was told in letter I could write, send a secure message, or go into any local branch. But you did not answer my letter, and when I sent a secure message I’m now expected to phone! DID I NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM LAST YEAR??

Well I’ve sent a reply of disgust via secure message, so I’m looking forward to their response. This lady who wrote to me higher up at a different A & L branch sent me apologies, and reassured me it would not happen again. AND IT HAS! So this customer service are either ignoring it, or she did not discuss it with them in the first place when I complained.

Well my comment I made to this person last year by letter who apologised, still stands. You lot at Alliance and Leicester need Deaf Awareness Training because I seriously feel let down by you ALL. You are not accessible in my eyes for deaf people, because what I’m told I can do as in means, in what way I can contact you, you are failing on.

Had to take it further and now its sorted!

Ended up contacting The Financial Ombudsman about my bank as I still not heard from them. I got a letter a few days ago from The Financial Ombudsman telling me that they wrote to my bank to tell them I had a complaint with them, and that I was to give them a few days from this letter as so they have chance to sort this complaint out, giving me the details of the person they wrote to and address. They told me if I wasn’t to hear from them in the next few days then I was to write to them, reminding them that The Financial Ombudsman had also written to them. If it came to me writing to my bank, then I was to give 8 weeks for them to respond, and if I did not hear anything or I wasn’t satisfied then I had to fill a form in provided by The Financial Ombudsman to take my complaint further through them.

Well yesterday I received a letter from my bank with lots of apologies regarding not getting to me and putting a phone number at the bottom for me to call, and I was given a clear explanation what I was to expect regarding service that I’ve been waiting for. So I am now happy. But why couldn’t they just done this in the first place?

Still not a word

After sending my latest letter back to the woman higher up, because I did not hear anything and also an explanation as to why she put a phone number at the end of the letter, when I clearly stated already I can’t use the phone. I’ve still not heard anything even though I know they received it because I sent this one recorded. I have now took my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman in which all copies of communication has been sent to them now, with a letter to outline the problem I have with my bank. So lets see what happens next.

Do you have problems with your bank? Part 2

Got a letter finally from my bank regarding my complaint. (see the first part in an earlier post for details of this) It was late as I noticed it was forwarded to another address, and judging by the position of this person, someone higher. This person who wrote to me said in letter that it was clear the level of service had fallen below the standard that I should expect, and sent her apologies for this. She also confirmed that steps had been taken to review the current procedures to ensure that incidents such as this don’t happen again in the future. She hopes that her comments will meet my approval and that I’m able to draw this matter to a close. My complaint is being kept open for another 8 weeks, and if she doesn’t hear from me she’ll regard my complaint as closed. And if we are unable to agree a way forward, I may be able to ask the Financial Ombudsman to review my complaint, which she encloses a leaflet for that, so I know how to do this.

What makes me laugh is, at the end of this letter it says if I’d like to discuss this any aspect of this matter further there’s a number I can ring, which reading it over again since writing another reply to this, I’m thinking hello, what was I saying in the previous letter about the difficulties of phoning. Its obvious this person is not deaf aware.

Well the letter I since wrote replying to this, I’ve accepted their apology, which now I’m thinking I’ve probably accepted too soon. But I’ve also added to my letter that the changes they say they’ve done so it does not happen again, I want to know so I feel reassured that this won’t happen again, cos this was something they did not go into detail on the letter, which I feel I should know, because I look at it like this, they can say that easily in a letter just to keep me happy, but end of the day, what’s to say they did not do anything, so this is why I want to know, so I have faith when contacting them again.

See she says in next letter.

Do you have a problem with your bank?

I’m profoundly deaf, so although I use my mobile phone to talk sometimes with the help of my bluetooth, so I can listen through my hearing aids, it does’nt mean I’m 100%  hearing. The last time I needed to speak to a customer adviser, I was in a queue for 5 mins, before I started to speak to someone, in which I found it was one of my bad hearing days. As I don’t know this person, like you would your best friend, this makes it even more difficult for me. Just as I finally got through answering the security checks needed, which I noticed had taken me 10 mins, I was ready to be put through to an adviser, to speak to them, what I wanted to speak about in the first place. But I did not get to this point as my phone cut off due to being out of credit. You can imagine the frustration I was in when that happened. This would not have happened if my hearing was good as it used to be, before I started having hearing problems, so I would have ended up with the job done and still be in credit.

Well I was’nt going to bother going through that procedure again, so I wrote a letter to my bank instead. They wrote back regarding this difficulty I had, and told me how on their website I could contact them, as I did not know this, on sending a secure email to them for future queries. They also said they’d put my suggestion forward regarding an instant email link with an advisor, as this is something they don’t have at present. Fair enough reply. Can’t complain there, until just recently, I have another frustration with them.

I recently received my new debit card, in which there was a little sticker on it, that says to phone this number so I can let them know I received my card safely, to help stop fraud. HELLO! How! I can’t lipread a person over the phone, and after last time experience of trying, I’m not going there again. So I used their secure message facility they told me about, and told them that way, in which I received a reply to say I will need to ring that number that was on the sticker attached to my card, as they don’t deal with this through the email. So just in case I forgot it, they gave it me again.

So I’ve now wrote another complaint letter to my bank, to which this time I’m offended. I’m still waiting as I write this. So keep posted on this site, for latest development.