# Banks dumping customers.



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

A couple of years ago my Jersey Nat West bank decided it didn't want to provide banking facilities to me any more.
This was due to a miss selling investment the bank wanted to distance itself from.
Now I am told my Nat West Gold Credit card will be no longer valid after April 2016 due to NW closing various 'products' after 35 years.

Seems the banks are getting picky as well as underhanded.

Ray.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I am sure that they are....

they are a rule to themselves and sadly, no-one seems to care it is just put down to "commercial decisions".......


We had a MAJOR run in with Barclays and their customer service is non-existent they act in a VERY high handed manner and rarely correct their faults..... Not a Bank I would recommend to anyone - and indeed one that I have counselled against when asked if they are suitable here..... I briefly explain why I say NO.

Dave


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## mgdavid (Nov 27, 2014)

And just for balance I will say that I've banked with Barclays for over 40 years, also had mortgage with them. Neither they nor I have put a foot wrong in that time and I'm extremely happy with their products and services.
(less happy with their share price currently but pound/cost averaging is helping me there).


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Penquin said:


> I am sure that they are....
> 
> they are a rule to themselves and sadly, no-one seems to care it is just put down to "commercial decisions".......
> 
> ...


Ditto, I dumped them nearly 3 years ago on a fault to my account whilst away for 6 weeks away in France
Their computer erred, crap in = crap out
All after 40 years :surprise: No apology.

Went to Nationwide Flex Plus :wink2:
tony


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## Jmdarr (Oct 9, 2013)

Went to Santander as back up account just in case my hsbc bank turned funny had a letter from Santander to say as we hadn't used the account in 6months they were going to make it dormant.so we put £10 pound in just to pee them off ,no answer from them yet so will wait for next letter all banks are the same.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I have a very small amount in a Santander account and they have just announced their savings rate is going down to the same as other banks. 0.25%.

Ray.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Post contents deleted by Admin at the request of the poster.


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## mgdavid (Nov 27, 2014)

banking across frontiers has always been tricky (for the banks) and best avoided or circumvented. Obv I don't know your circumstances but if it were me I'd be using a proper French bank in France and moving money online via a currency broker.
Surely not using cheques is a blessing in disguise? I last used one over a year ago when I imported the MH, only because that bit of DVLA don't accept anything else!


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Agreed we have a genuine French account na genuine French Bank who are VERY helpful, we use the services of a currency trader and the system works well......

Not using cheques is an advantage to us, BUT sadly many places will ONLY take cheques, which means we are subsidising the French Government to the extent of several hundred euros at a time......

But that's another thread entirely......

Dave


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## StephandJohn (Sep 3, 2007)

We use the Santander 123 account, debit and credit cards, and find them very easy to deal with. We also have a Nationwide account which we use occasionally to keep it open and have just put some money in to in case we have a problem abroad with Caxton and/or Santander - might seem like belt and braces but there was a problem a few years ago with masrercard and visa in Italy and we were stuck for a few days. We also have a Barclaycard Credit card (which we got when it was Goldfish) which we use occasionally to keep it open.
You can't trust banks so its better to spread it if you can in case one gets huffy with you.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

mgdavid said:


> banking across frontiers has always been tricky (for the banks) and best avoided or circumvented. Obv I don't know your circumstances but if it were me I'd be using a proper French bank in France and moving money online via a currency broker.
> Surely not using cheques is a blessing in disguise? I last used one over a year ago when I imported the MH, only because that bit of DVLA don't accept anything else!


Don't know if it's only rural France but cheques are commonly used here in Normandy. All checkouts have and use 'cheque writers' at their tills. And I have to send the odd cheque by post to lawyers or insurance companies.
Maybe we are still in the 20th. century.

Ray.:nerd:


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

I have an HSBC account in London and an ING (Dutch) bank in Poland with both Zloty and Euro accounts and I use a currency exchange for transfers. All works fine - only thing different here is that cash withdrawals(machine 50m away) in Zloty do not appear on one's account for a couple of days unlike UK where it is instant. ING have a branch 1km away where I can get instant Euros up to €2,000 and any amount on 24hrs. notice.

HSBC did close my account in Jersey, which was historic from when I was based there, 'because I did not have a Jersy address' but since it was not used much it did not bother me.

Geoff


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## emmbeedee (Oct 31, 2008)

I changed to a Santander 123 account last year after over 30 years with Barclays. Fed up with lack of interest so decided, with some trepidation, to give it a try. Switching service worked exactly as it should, all done in less than a week. I did open a small account in TSB as well, just in case it all went tits up. Initially I kept my savings:crying: account with Barclays but then found they wouldn't let me access it on the net if I didn't have a current account as well so that went also.
So after a year, what's the verdict? All has gone well & I am about £500 better off from the interest (3%) & cashback that Santander have given me.:grin2:


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

All banks are NOT the same.

We have never had any trouble with Nationwide, which is still mutual and is owned by its members.

When many other building societies went commercial, people flocked to them to pick up their "free" shares. Now those like Halifax (the HBOS scandal) and Northern Rock have shown what a stupid idea this was.

We stuck with Nationwide throughout. We didn't pick up any free shares, but we have had very fair banking for 40 years, and WE control what goes on in Nationwide.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Another vote for Nationwide  . They have, also, kept their local Branch open  which, as you get older is a blessing when dealing with some complicated transactions.


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

raynipper said:


> Don't know if it's only rural France but cheques are commonly used here in Normandy. All checkouts have and use 'cheque writers' at their tills. And I have to send the odd cheque by post to lawyers or insurance companies.
> Maybe we are still in the 20th. century.
> 
> Ray.:nerd:


"Cuz" uses them all the time in Les Landes. Strange!:nerd:


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