NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

[enaid]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

lol Nice one Cel.

I am very upset that they must be spending millions on tv adverts, on the sky racing channel it's on nearly every break, telling you to go and get a finance health check in your local branch.
We all know, well most of us, that this means we are going to sell you something totally useless or a loan you can barely afford.
And how apt on a gambling channel crafty so and so's

[Solowka]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

I agree, i mean last year i got a letter saying something about a financial health check and to see if they could make any improvement to my account so i went along, nothing was said about my account but instead tried to sell me life insurance lol.

[Nattie]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

I totally disagree with you on this. I will give you an example, if you are paying £50 a month to credit cards on a balance of say £6000 with interest on them averaging 18.9% and the bank can reduce your outgoings to say £100 a month and interest rate lowered by 10%, is that selling to you?
Is that a service to you? PPI is optional so you can say NO. I should add that a loan would not go through IF it is unaffordable at the point you take it out.


PS. Celestine, no need to run cos I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE

[Paule]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

Only out of Curiousity Nat, do you have any guidelines to how you are to respond to customers who come in for a Health Check.
ie, do you lean them to certain products, which may not be the best they could get , but better than they are getting now?

I do feel that the bottom line is they are selling something to you. They may be saving you money by gettting you a loan to pay off your credit card, but only if you cancel your credit card.
In your example Would they offer you to take out a natwest loan, that will save money and to cancel your Natwest credit card to make the saving? I presume not

[Nattie]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

The problem with that is that the bank offers as such a non advice service, ie they can show lead you to water but not necessarily make you drink. With regards to leanings, the advisors are targetted to sell products, but it depends on your viewpoint. Is it selling to open a savings account when someone is earning nothing on their current account? Is it selling to save someone some money? It is about perspective. You and I can see it as selling because someone has not come into the bank to ask directly but sometimes you need to see it and then realise if it is something you want or do not want. There is NO hard sell approach, ie no broken arms or threats that you cannot leave the branch without something.

[enaid]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

You said it Nattie "Perspective" I wasn't saying in my post hard sell was used, but they make you somehow look through "Rose Tinted Glasses" at what your being offered. Somehow make you think it's just what you need.

[WendyB]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

I must say i agree with everything said about Natwest call centres, they're always very helpful.

My personal gripe at the minute is the letters which me and OH have just received about one of our joint accounts, pointing out that we haven't made any credits into it, and asking us to call to discuss it. This is really annoying because a) we are under our overdraft limit and b) I know there have been no credits, because I haven't made any.

[Nattie]

Re: NatWest Bank-- Common complaints, what are yours?

Wendy B the bank can recall an overdraft at any time, if you pay 1p into the account then it will be fine. Dormancy on an overdraft is a sign of someone running away from what it is still a debt, ie the overdraft. I think it usually means no credits into the account for more than 3 months if I remember rightly.

Enaid, the hard sell approach is about perspective. Sometimes as well people are scared to say I want to think about it which they are entitled to do. The example I gave above re a loan and service versus selling is basic stuff but sometimes someone has to get us to think about this to make us realise that it could be the best thing to do for ouselves.