Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers: Motoring Non-motoring forum

Non-motoring > Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: zippy	Replies: 6

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Thu 20 Mar 25 11:45

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - zippy

I've been helping the wheelchair bound wife of a mate out recently as my mate in hospital for a couple of weeks.

They seem to have savings in multiple banks.

It's quite an eye-opener to see how banks treat disabled customers.

Barclays: Hello Mrs X, I've not seen you with this gentleman before. Would you like to come in to a private room. I can push you and your chair there if you'd like? (I thought that was very professional and courteous.)

Lloyds: Good afternoon. Would you like to come over to the lowered service point? If you like, your carer can take a seat over there whilst we help you. (Again good.)

Santander: A small branch. Only two staff. There were a few customers before us. When we were seen one of the staff came out from behind the counter to talk to my mate's wife directly. Acknowledged I was there and politely asked if she wanted somewhere private to discuss her banking needs (would be an open space at the front of the branch). (Again good.)

Now Nationwide: They have a lowered till. Branch was quiet. No one was staffing the lowered till so we waited until the branch all other customers before us had finished. Use of the lowered till was not offered and when requested twice, was ignored. The cashier then ignored the customer and insisted on talking to me directly. I had tell them several times that I am not the customer! That's dreadful. I could have been coercing my mate's wife and they were enabling it!

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Thu 20 Mar 25 14:22

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - R.P.

Experience with banks during late FIL's death.

Lloyds: Dreadful, Mrs RP has POA over her mother, registered with the Bank as was the death. MIL is disabled enough to have a Blue Badge. Wet and windy day, car parked in DB with BB showing. Mrs RP (who still hobbled due to broken ankle) walked to the Bank. Dreadful customer service (Rhyl Branch) who wanted to see POA (It's registered with them) wanted to see MIL's BB as part of the Ident requirements and various other bits of documents all over the closure of FIL's credit card account with £1.39 credit in it. It became such a Pythonesque performance in the end that Mrs RP stormed out (most unlike her) They were crap when my first wife died questioning the authenticity of her Death Certificate in public. I do have several accounts with them and have a significant amount invested with their investment arm...I wouldn't pay their Rhyl staff in peanuts...I went there to ope some Savings accounts last year and there were a pair of members of staff flirting with each other openly. Awful

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Thu 20 Mar 25 14:45

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - zippy

>>They were crap when my first wife died questioning the authenticity of her Death Certificate in >>public.

I would have been outraged.

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Thu 20 Mar 25 20:21

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - Fullchat

A few months ago I wanted about £1500 cash from Santander to pay for some work. I was the only person in the bank at the time. The cashier was subtly inquiring as to why i required such an amount of cash.
Her interview technique was good [have to sign her up :) ] But still not sure as to whether she was just making conversation or actually concerned re tax evasion, money laundering or coercion.

Last edited by: Fullchat on Thu 20 Mar 25 at 20:22

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Thu 20 Mar 25 22:32

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - bathtub tom

Barclays: Made it very difficult after late MIL's demise and still sent letters to the "late Mrs......".

Made current property purchase very difficult, as they claimed they still had an interest in the old place since before 1990. The mortgage had been paid off before then and I'd retained the letter confirming this. Have you ever tried contacting them when you don't have an account and can't get past the "please state your a/c No"? The solicitor had given up and knowing I had the letter, passed it over to me. Took several hours, before I spoke to someone who knew the problem, otherwise could've jeopardised the transaction.

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Thu 20 Mar 25 22:47

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - zippy

>>But still not sure as to whether she was just making conversation or actually concerned re tax
>>evasion, money laundering or coercion.

It's training. Even non-branch, non-customer facing staff get repeatedly drilled on asking the right questions, re TE, ML and C. Especially the latter as the bank may be liable to repay the funds.

If the latter, be prepared for the police to be called to chat with you. Bank staff are ordered to call the police on 999 and cite "Bank Protocol" and the police should turn up urgently. Unfortunately not all police call handlers are up to date on it and refuse to send out officers.

When I used a local branch as my office, I witnessed it work well. Especially in instances where customers were told branch staff were corrupt by a con-person and to withdraw all their money and give it to a courier. On occasions when the police didn't turn up, the poor customer got their account suspended, to protect the customer and because the bank cannot knowingly allow funds to be used for criminal purposes.

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Fri 21 Mar 25 16:32

Nationwide Building Soc vs Disabled Customers - R.P.

I would have been outraged.

I offered to bring in the front page of the newspaper that covered the story.....I made a complaint and they did sense a letter of many words which were meaningless. I got my own back by refusing to pay her credit card balance telling them to claim against her estate...which they never did.

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