When I first opened an account some 2 years ago, the main problems were that email communication (and communications in general) was something completely alien to them, like some sort of dictators, they ask that you present yourself at the brunch regardless of how far you live from it, just so that they can answer a general question, as if to somehow generate footfall is the main function of the business
Having given them some time to adjust to life in London and develop a sense of customer care, 2 years on, things haven't really moved on, below is my list
1) Email communication is none responsive to or poor at best
2) Communications are only in French when their branch is based in central London
3) Exchange Rates are advertised as the best possible, but actually, a quick look around and you'll be pleasantly surprised, I found TransferWise to be offering much better overall rates even after their charges have been deducted, and guess what? all they need is prof of ID, no intrusions into your spending habits in the form of 6 months of bank statements etc, they just need to know who you are
4) Transfers are advertised as delivered in 48 hours once took "2 weeks"
5) I ordered a chequebook; they said it would take "4 weeks" (I wish) more than 4 months later and a number of arguments I was lucky enough to get two books, as if to compensate
6) Asking for a decent service, I was told to make a complaint, but no complaint procedure or contact details provided
7) They charged for service they said they would not, only about £2, 00 but its the lie or the incompetence of having staff that don't know what they are doing that is the problem
8) The amount of paper work demanded for a simple transfer is unbelievable, they asked me for 6 months bank statements of ALL my accounts and that of my wife's including ones that have nothing to do with the transfer account, or any link to a paper trail of funds
9) Telling me they need to comply with the "UK laws" when they mean "Internal procedures"
10) Asking for "communication evidence" that sold shares reflected in my account have come from the said company (what the hell?)
12) Asking for a SWIFT code so I can use an alternative company is proving impossible, not even an acknowledgement of my request despite 4 emails
13) Asking for a refund, they said it would take a week, but when I sent them my money it only took 30 minutes to hit their account
You may be asking "Why did I accept so much rubbish to the point of having "13" items of complaint?
I really don't know, I honestly have no idea why I did that
But luckily I found myself asking the same question, so I moved on :-)
Your Ex Chaabi bank Customer in London MS
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