This complaint letter just resulted in £300 compensation…. and a bottle of wine. Never let big companies "get away" with bad service!!
Katy-Anne Moses
XXXXX
London
SE15 3XX
07841 666XXX
20th April 2014
To Whom it May Concern
I am writing to complain about the,
frankly, disgusting insulting service I have received from Natwest in recent
weeks. I would imagine that a lesser woman than myself would have been broken
by this situation, but I'm staying strong. for the sake of my children.
Having been a Natwest customer for
approximately 8 years, I am incredibly disappointed with the way in which I
have been treated and the sloppy, shoddy and unprofessional way that the
majority of your useless staff that I have had the misfortune to speak to about
this complaint (the original issue plus the subsequent complaints that are
being added as we go along) have dealt with my situation.
The original complaint is thus-
make sure you are sitting down, it goes on a bit….
I have recently started up my own
company, and, having my personal account with Natwest, decided that I would
open my business account with you too- remember that bit in Pretty Woman
where she goes back into the shop and says "Big Mistake, Huge".. yes,
well that about sums up that decision. I made an appointment to see someone at
the Holborn Circus branch on the 21st March at 2pm. I made it EXPLICITLY clear
that I wanted to discuss the following- My Savings account, my ISA, my mortgage
and I also wanted to open a business account. I confirmed with the call centre
person that I wanted to discuss Business AND personal issues in ONE meeting as
I did not have time to attend two separate meetings. I was assured this would
be the case.
Why I believed this, I do not know,
but I did. I attended the meeting on the 21st March and was appalled at the
level of knowledge your "adviser" had- he wasn't even aware of the
new NISA's bought in by the government in that month's budget. He then informed
me that he could do nothing with my mortgage (currently with NRAM) as I had
only just become a LTD company and therefore didn't have years' worth of
accounts that are needed to take out a Natwest mortgage- could I not have been
told that on the telephone when I booked an appointment??
After much discussion, we agreed
that I would move my Santander ISA (£XXXX- year 2013/14 allowance) over to a Natwest
ISA. I would also then put the full amount of this year's ISA allowance into
the new Natwest ISA too- and I would get 1.5% for locking in for 2 years. I
filled out and signed the transfer form and gave my permission for you to
transfer the funds and close that account. This would all happen when the new
allowance came in on the 5th April. I write this letter on the 20th- it still
hasn't been done. More on that later.
I then moved on to my business
account- only to be told that the adviser "wasn't on the business team and
couldn't help me". The rage was obviously beginning to show by now- after
all, I was talking about moving all my worldly goods over to this bank, and you
seemed to not be able to even get the simplest job done- make me an appointment
with the right person! I was then taken to another room, where the adviser
called someone in the business team- a woman called Pretty, who opened the
account over the phone for me- I was assured by the other adviser that I had a
"good credit score" with natwest so it wouldn't be a problem- I
needed a business account, business savings account and credit card. I was told
I would get all the details for the newly opened account through the post
within 5 days.
I was left alone in this room, and
when I was finished, I let myself out- I was in the back rooms of your bank
with no supervision, open computers and all sorts of access to personal data-
this is NOT how I would expect a financial institution to behave- appalling
security!! I left the branch without speaking to anyone or being challenged. I
considered a bank heist but I was late for Yoga.
Because of the ineptitude of the in
branch adviser, my ISA has STILL not been transferred- meanwhile I am losing
out on interest on a daily basis.
I was eventually given a business
account- it took over 2 weeks to get the details through, and 3 unreturned
phone calls. And I was given a foundation account due to a credit check that
didn’t go in my favour. Like a child that can’t be trusted. To say I am annoyed
is an understatement.
I would NEVER have opened a
business account with you had I known this was going to be the case- and don't
tell me that you "don't know who will be accepted and who will be rejected
until you credit check"- your in-branch adviser told me I had a good score.
Maybe he isn't good at giving bad news. Or saying goodbye to customers. Or much
else.
Cut to the 8th April, which is when
I started making a note of all of my exact points of contact with Natwest,
although there were plenty of calls made by myself to you before that, and my
ISA has not been transferred. I call through to "Joanna", who
PROMISES me a call back within 24 hours- and I lodge a formal complaint. During
this I am cut off 3 times and passed through 4 people
I hear nothing for 3 days.
Friday 10th April- I call AGAIN. I
speak to "Kiera"… she PROMISES to contact me within 24 hours about
the complaint- she says it hasn't even been logged/passed on to the right
people.
By now I am furious- and
understandably so.
Tuesday 15th April- (yep, still no
call from the complaints team) I call again- I am passed pillar to post, no one
knows what is going on- I am asked to explain the complaint AGAIN and AGAIN by
everyone I speak to. after 10 minutes I have got nowhere are am considering
slitting my wrists.
I take time out to calm down,
consider necking a bottle of vodka to get me through the next call, and call
back (unfortunately sober) I end up through to a call centre in Manchester. I
am sent through to 3 different departments and finally get through to Mustafa…
who asks me to explain my complaint. Again. I finish the call in a heap of
frustration on my kitchen floor, close to tears and trying to find some hard
liquor to drink at 4pm. This is too early even for me.
Weds 16th April- Pretty calls from
the business team- how am I finding my new account? After asking her whether
she is joking, I discover she knows nothing about the complaint. She asks me to
explain. I tell her to "look it up and get back to me". She never
calls back- maybe she could hear that I am a woman on the edge and she decides
to play it safe. Maybe she is now working in Tesco, hoping that I will never be
able to track her down.
Thursday 17th April- I call again-
I am promised, by a lovely, ineffective young man that he will put me through to
the right department- he kindly re-routes me through to the original recorded
message that I had already sat through.
I hang up and consider whether it
is possible to live a life that doesn't involve bank accounts. I decide that
it's not possible unless I become a fugitive- which is actually on the cards as
I don't see what other choice I will have after I have taken my planned revenge
on Natwest. I am too soft for prison.
I had pretty much given up on ever
contacting you again- until today (20th April)- when, whilst I was trying to
get the last two seats on a flight, you BLOCKED my debit card due to
"suspicious activity". That "suspicious activity" was me
booking flights. Last year I went abroad 11 times- this is NOT suspicious activity.
Suspicious activity would be me NOT booking flights. You have done this
countless times- please take this as an official request that you NEVER block
my card without calling me FIRST. Not after, which is what you did today. I
missed getting the last two seats on the flight I needed and had to pay £60
extra to fly with another airline.
Which brings me to my final point-
here is what is going to happen, you are going to-
Transfer my Santander ISA,
as previously requested (without me having to go back into a branch to sign
ANOTHER form)
Look into my complaint and
respond FULLY in writing
I expect all of this to be done by
the close of play (that's 6pm to most of us, but, conveniently, 5pm to your
business advisers- why? Maybe they have yoga too.) on the 25th April.
I then expect you to do the
following-
Compensate me for the
missed interest on said ISA- whatever the amount I have missed out on PLUS
compensation
Compensate me for the
amount of time I have spent trying to solve YOUR ineptitude - my day rate is £XXX,
I believe this situation has taken around 2 days of my time so to date
(assuming I don't have to do ANY more chasing, I am invoicing you for £XXX
Compensate me for the extra
flight costs- £60
Explain the situation with
my business account- I have no savings account, no credit card and a foundation
account- and also every time I call Natwest, I get asked about my business
debit card rather than getting through to the main menu straight away- please
stop this, it is BEYOND irritating
To send me a full and
formal apology
In return, I will graciously accept
all of the above and stop lying awake at night, planning your downfall.
If this situation is NOT resolved
by 6pm on the 25th April- I will be putting a copy of this letter onto my blog
(readership 2,500), sending a copy to every National newspaper, every consumer
rights group, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, the Financial Ombudsman…and my Mum.
The latter is the scariest, I assure you.
I very much look forward to hearing
from you. It would be a first.
Kind Regards
Katy Moses
PS- The only reason this letter is
being sent by traditional post is that your online form does not allow
characters such as “!”, “% or “?”- making it nigh-on impossible to complain
online. Clever.
