Natwest
For once a topical QOTW for me.

Being a student I move around quite a lot, and being a student I have a tendency to forget to tell the bank that I have moved. Last October I moved into halls of residence and, for the first time ever, actually remembered to inform my bank in a timely manner. Deciding that I didn't actually like living in halls, I moved out in January and did my normal thing of not getting around to telling the bank for a couple of months. When I did go in I was told that I had a no trace on my account because mail had been returned, which I assumed was because halls had returned my mail to sender in the two months or so after I had moved out. I gave them my new address and thought nothing of it until two Fridays ago when a cash machine malfunctioned and decided not to return my card (it told me that I'd taken too long to take my card despite the fact that it had never attempted to return it). I duly rang up customer services and asked them to cancel my card and send me a new one only to be told that I'd have to go into a branch because the address they had on file didn't match the one I'd just given them. Knowing for a fact that I'd changed my address since I remembered having the conversation about the no trace, I asked them what address they had on file. It turned out that they still had the address I was living at before I moved into halls despite the fact that I had attempted to change it not once, but twice since then.

The next day I went into a branch, changed my address for the third time and asked them to send a new card to my local branch since I didn't trust them to actually succeed in sending the card to the proper address. I've been through a few cards since I've been banking with Natwest (two to drunken nights out and now two to being eaten by ATMs/ticket machines), and on previous occasions I've had a new card in 2-3 working days. I've been into the branch 4 times now and my new card still hasn't turned up. On the first or second visit I got chatting to a teller about it and she told me that for some reason it takes longer if you order the card in branch. So far I reckon I've been without a debit card for an extra week and half just because Natwest have been incapable of updating my address, not to mention the inconvenience and cost (bus fair) of having to go down to the branch a total of 6 times (assuming my card is there when I go in tomorrow). And of course none of this would have been a problem in the first place if Halifax were capable of maintaining their cash machines properly so that they didn't eat peoples cards.

Edited to add that on one of my fruitless trips to see if they had my debit card they managed to get me to sign up for a credit card (it makes sense to have a back up card in case this sort of thing happens again). I jokingly asked the woman if it was going to come before my debit card did - I'm starting to think that it will. I was planning to keep it in a drawer for emergencies, but I'm starting to think that it might be a good idea to use it for my day to day living and every time I use it transfer the purchase amount to my e-savings to pay the bill off when it comes. This way I can essentially make Natwest pay me interest on the purchases I make.

Update: I now have my card but they've somehow managed to reset my pin number so I'll have to wait about another week for them to send it to me, so the only thing I can actually use my card for is online shopping. At this rate I will almost definitely have the credit card before I can actually use my debit card in the shops.

Update 2: I now have the credit card and pin, no sign the new pin for my debit card. This is quite impressive given that the debit card had a good 4 days headstart on the credit card.
(mmm....beer, Thu 16 Jul 2009, 20:10, 1 reply)

Natwest.
My girlfriend saw this post and had to reply. . .

"Also being a customer, I have had money taken out with no answer as to why, letters sent that never got to me, the wrong pin for my account, credit cards and expensive accounts pushed on me, I had to wait 6 months for my real pin to arrive to the branch 2 weeks late the 4th time round, then having the nerve to ask for 2 forms of ID even though when I asked what to bring to recive the letter I was told just my bank card, my account blocked for no reason then when I went into my branch to ask why they told me it wasn't and tried to order me a new fucking card, having been with them for no less than 14 years (all my banking life) since I turned 18 they have caused me nothing but shit! Unfortunatly my over draught is keeping me there right now, but as soon as that is sorted I intend to leave if anyone can recomend anyone better?"
(elfinpunk Touching Cloth Since, Thu 16 Jul 2009, 21:54, closed)