Bothered and Bewildered! !

AreWeThereYet

This made me laugh, in a sort of hysterical way.

Whats the point of a bank that doesn't deal with cash? Perhaps I'll move my account to the local butchers. They at least seem to understand customer service. I do get tired of people trying to push me into a lifestyle I don't want.

I found myself shouting this at a teller recently. With both our adult children front line health and care professionals with major health issues themselves, I was stressed already last year when I went in to pay my credit card, to be told it was 'not an essential transaction' and to do it online. The customer in front of me had also been told her transaction was not essential and had left. I was horrified to find myself in tears insisting the transaction was essential to me so they carried it out for me. The bank has been unable to give me a list of 'non essential transactions' in the 18 months since. I returned to paying via the automated phone service offered by the Credit Card Company in the meantime. When Covid restrictions were lifted, I once more tried to enlist the bank's assistance with paying my credit card. There ensued more resistance including an offer to take me outside and show me how to do it via the 'hole in the wall'. I walked out shouting that I felt I was being bullied into using online services against my will. Now the automated option is being withdrawn by the credit card company..... On another occasion I was being asked to verify that I had transferred money to my daughter's account by sending confidential, ID, documents including my bank statement and bank card details. The solicitor who had requested the verification was unable to read the statement no matter what format I used and suggested I asked the bank to send it. They refused but printed off a copy and suggested I took it to the library. The library staff obliged but the copy they sent to me went to the wrong email address....!!! Now all my details are floating in the ether somewhere. I do not do on line banking and have virtually stopped on line shopping altogether, there are so many scams and my credit company has introduced security measures which rely on excellent mobile network services which are virtually non existent where I live so that most on line transactions fail anyway. I have been with my bank for over half a century..... I feel stitched up like a turkey!!

I agree that it's silly I also would like to know what happens to the charity collecting tins. I used to have three in different locations for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. They needed to be emptied and paid into Nat. West at least once a year.

Well, it may be ridiculous, but this has been common for years. Most branches of banks have only the cash that is in the ATM and n either receive nor hand out either bank-notes or coins.

In some branches you can still hand in coins by putting them into the machine that counts them, but only if you have an account in that bank - not necessarily the branch but the banking firm.

I went into my local Barclays yesterday.
Long queue as only one till open, according to notice this was because of rest of staff were dealing with high number of telephone calls. Don't know why as everything is dealt with centrally these days.
Another notice said that if you wanted less than £300 cash then go to an ATM or Post Office.
Useless.
All part of the process of getting us to stop using banks so that they don't have to bother and can close them.

Here comes the cashless society,the world is going mad getting more bizarre by the day

The money laundering police have made life very difficult for ordinary people. It has all gone too far and I doubt it has much impact on the criminals who can produce all sorts of fake ID. Wasn't a big bank recently fined for accepting extremely large bundles of cash at branches without even thinking 'money laundering'?

No wonder banks are closing with stupid rules like that.

Doesn’t surprise me one bit. HSBC are making more and more branches machine only with no counter service. Then after a year or so they end up closing. The days of a traditional bank are long gone I’m afraid, even mortgages can now be done online with the customer uploading their own documents. How times have changed.

Yes, I had a similar experience in a large city centre branch of RBS. When I asked for precise coinage, the teller walked over to a corner safe, unlocked it, locked it, brought a bag of 50p pieces to her desk and removed my two pieces before returning to the safe and repeating the procedure. For copper, she went to a colleague and came back with the necessary bag. She made these journeys very slowly and precisely and I was disgusted. Branches don't really want foot customers any longer in my experience

Yet we can't do without them, paying in and paying out, but boy have they changed
None of the " old " faces that have known you over the years, it's so sad.
I've been with my bank for 60 years ! Phew.
They've served me well though and I've got no complaints.

This made me laugh, in a sort of hysterical way.

Whats the point of a bank that doesn't deal with cash? Perhaps I'll move my account to the local butchers. They at least seem to understand customer service. I do get tired of people trying to push me into a lifestyle I don't want.

This is extraordinary, reading these experiences of trying to do simple transactions in local banks,

Madness!

A couple of years ago the HBS locally tried to tell me I couldn't withdraw £3,000 pounds on cash as they were running out until the delivery. I suggested they counted up how much money they had and whatever the shortfall was they went to one of the other banks or building societies and got a loan from them, their credit would be good so it will be a very quick transaction, I'll wait. Funnily enough £3,000 was found (down the back of the settee in the staff restroom presumably) and as I walked out the chap behind me in the queue said " I heard that, don't give me the same s**t ". Crazy behaviour from the bank.

My Dh had a similar situation not long ago. He wanted some pound coins for odds and ends, such as parking. Getting £20-worth was like getting money out of Fort Knox. It involved multiple forms to be filled out, put through mysterious hatches, words spoken through an intercom, peering through glass hatches in doors and finally, forms coming back out again and eventually, a little bag of coins.

It took about twenty minutes and I was fascinated! I’d gone into the bank with dh as we were shopping together but I wasn’t allowed to stay with him, I was directed to a chair where I had it to sit until the operation was complete. I felt like a bank robber or a bandit or something.

henetha

Are you bewitched as well? (anyone remember that song, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered)
I handed the lady behind the post officer counter a ten pound note recently and asked for ten pound coins. She said she could not do that because of money laundering rules.
You have to use your bank card to draw money, then ask her for it to be paid in coins.

Well they have to be careful after NatWest got fined millions for accepting bin liners full of cash without asking questions

Barmyoldbat love your wit! ?
Henetha, it’s a song my mum loved!
I really do appreciate all your replies this morning.

Is it a branch that is for online services only?

ALL the banks in my local area are gone. The branch nearest me is still there but is cashless. Mostly automated with just an assistant to help those who can't handle the technology for a deposit.

The real branch (not my bank, but still... a real bank) near me closed 6 months ago.

The nearest is now 6 miles away.

I came across a charity last week that refused to take my money - food items only.

This is ridiculous- what happens to all the money paid in from various cash-raising events eg the recent Poppy Appeal?

Are you bewitched as well? (anyone remember that song, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered)
I handed the lady behind the post officer counter a ten pound note recently and asked for ten pound coins. She said she could not do that because of money laundering rules.
You have to use your bank card to draw money, then ask her for it to be paid in coins.

Lost for words.

This is a move towards the cashless society where, if your bank’s network is down, no money to be had unless you keep a small stash for emergencies.

I would have said, well in that case two coffees and a piece of chocolate cake please.

It's ludicrous.

And the post office will only accept coins in the right amounts according to the cash bags (i.e. £20 worth of £1 coins etc). So if you hold an event and want to pay in the proceeds you can't pay in any odd amounts of cash that don't fill a bag. Not helpful for accounting purposes!