Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

[newt]

Need some advice on this before I go ahead and approach RBS. My finances have got into a real disorganized mess over the last 6 months, due to severe stressful family problems amongst other things. I hate my finances not being organized and feel I urgently need some professional help, and was thinking of approaching my own bank, RBS, to help me sort things out. However, I have real mixed feelings on the wisdom of this. On the one hand I see loads of TV ads for the major banks offering 'helpful' personal bankers etc to help manage finances, but there seem to be so many people who have had terrible experiences with the major banks.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Has anyone had a good experience with RBS? I'm so unsure of where to get independent financial advice from someone who has my best interests at heart and doesn't want to sell me a product.

[leclerc]

Re: Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

Need some advice on this before I go ahead and approach RBS. My finances have got into a real disorganized mess over the last 6 months, due to severe stressful family problems amongst other things. I hate my finances not being organized and feel I urgently need some professional help, and was thinking of approaching my own bank, RBS, to help me sort things out. However, I have real mixed feelings on the wisdom of this. On the one hand I see loads of TV ads for the major banks offering 'helpful' personal bankers etc to help manage finances, but there seem to be so many people who have had terrible experiences with the major banks.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Has anyone had a good experience with RBS? I'm so unsure of where to get independent financial advice from someone who has my best interests at heart and doesn't want to sell me a product.

I would trust the Citizen's Advice Bureau money advisors more than I would the banks' own advisors. RBS Bank advisors are targetted for income related products, ie home insurance, loans, credit cards etc,etc, while the CAB would advise you whether it was in YOUR interests rather than THEIR interests to either refinance/cut back etc,etc,.

Trust a bank to give financial advice??? No chance!

[Amethyst]

Re: Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

Definately CAB over the banks every time.

Do you want to go through your disorganised mess on here a bit, people here will have been through similar and might be able to help while you wait for a CAB appt.

xx

[Yoda2K]

Re: Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

Does taking financial advice from a company losing billions every year while paying obscene bonuses to a select few really make sense?
A company which should have been wound up were it not for those elected officials who decided to use tax payers money to keep it afloat.
They seem to omit most of those facts from their adverts:tinysmile_aha_t:

[QCKate]

Re: Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

Need some advice on this before I go ahead and approach RBS. My finances have got into a real disorganized mess over the last 6 months, due to severe stressful family problems amongst other things. I hate my finances not being organized and feel I urgently need some professional help, and was thinking of approaching my own bank, RBS, to help me sort things out. However, I have real mixed feelings on the wisdom of this. On the one hand I see loads of TV ads for the major banks offering 'helpful' personal bankers etc to help manage finances, but there seem to be so many people who have had terrible experiences with the major banks.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Has anyone had a good experience with RBS? I'm so unsure of where to get independent financial advice from someone who has my best interests at heart and doesn't want to sell me a product.

Personal experience and other family and friends have found RBS/Natwest to be anything BUT helpful. They must have some happy customers but i wouldnt go them for advice when there is the CAB and other free services that are truly working in your interrests. Dont be persuaded by slick advertising would be my advice.

QCK

[labman]

Re: Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

Firstly well done for facing up to things, that's the hardest step over with!

Only you know the extent of what you call your, "real disorganised mess." You don't say whether debts have got out of control, priority bills missed/up to date, no debt, just a muddle of paperwork, loads of paperwork and don't really know where you stand etc...

As things stand at the moment it is very difficult to suggest a good way forward. I think Amethyst's suggestion of doing as much as possible on here is a good way forward. It is certainly better than going to any non-independent institution.

Quite a few of us, myself included, have been through similar to what your going through now. I'd be inclined to use this site to help as much as possible - I suspect this could be a substantial amount, and then take things from there.

If you do need to approach your bank, you want to be going to them from a well informed position, knowing exactly what you want as an outcome from your meeting, not going in shouting Help!

Are you in a position to be able to explain in more detail where you are at, or do you need help getting started? Once we know the answer to that question, then perhaps between us we can work with you to sort things out.

[Ihaterbs]

Re: Royal Bank of Scotland - a helpful bank?

Remember the Banks main purpose is to take money off the many to give to the few (by hook or by crook)....they are not there to help. I concur with previos post go and see the CAB.