The (Un) Cooperative Bank

[philiph20]

Have been screwed royally over the years by this so called "Ethical" bank who have more spin than New labour, wote to them 6 week back had three letter back saying they need more time to investigate should i send the second letter?.I'm sick of their smug "right on" attitude because when push comes to shove they are NO different than any other bank. My claim was for £560, i have an overdraft of £220 and have a loan of £3500 of which £800 is still owing i pay a certain amount every month and should be clear of this in June i believe, i'm concerned that if they pay up they might close my account and then make me pay the loan off in one go. I have no gripe with teh general staff i have dealt with at the bank who have always been very good but their marketing , management and the rest leave a lot to be desired.

The loan is a separate agreement. Have you already opened a parachute account in case they do try to close your account? Welsome to the CAG and have a good read of the FAQ's and also the successes part of the forum. It will give you an idea of what you will face. Good Luck

[She's Lost Control]

Originally Posted by philiph20

I'm sick of their smug "right on" attitude because when push comes to shove they are NO different than any other bank.

A bank is a bank is a bank so, just like any other big capitalist company, they will ultimately act in their own interests. I've been with them for a long time, and have grown to understand this after being offered countless loans, credit cards blah blah. Just like any other bank.

BUT if it's a choice between banking with the Co-op, who actively support and publicise up and coming charity work (and are currently threatening to pull the plug on huge pension investments in firms who are not meeting ethical guidleines), or any of the others who invest your money in tobacco companies, arms dealers etc, then its a no-brainer (for me anyway).

Co-op = by far the best of a bad bunch IMHO

(although they still haven't given me my refund - lol!)

PS...or you could join a small building society with a hybrid current account

[miss stewart]

Originally Posted by philiph20

Have been screwed royally over the years by this so called "Ethical" bank who have more spin than New labour, wote to them 6 week back had three letter back saying they need more time to investigate should i send the second letter?.I'm sick of their smug "right on" attitude because when push comes to shove they are NO different than any other bank. My claim was for £560, i have an overdraft of £220 and have a loan of £3500 of which £800 is still owing i pay a certain amount every month and should be clear of this in June i believe, i'm concerned that if they pay up they might close my account and then make me pay the loan off in one go. I have no gripe with teh general staff i have dealt with at the bank who have always been very good but their marketing , management and the rest leave a lot to be desired.

Hi, just to advise you to stick with this as the co-op have just refunded all my money today- just as I was starting to do my spreadsheets online claim. Good luck

[ian cognito]

Yes got mine back today too, not a bad bunch, the co-op, keep at it, the letter they sent me alsmost makes me believe they don't agree with the charges either!!

Good luck

[icklepeach]

Hi Philip,

I read your post with interest, because we're looking to open 2 parachute accounts with Co-op, partly because of their ethical investment policy, but also because their parachute account has the best features for us. Another thing that struck me, was how few threads there are in this part of the forum, compared to that of the BIG banks.

We're starting proceedings against our bank, who have charged around £1000 a year on a student account, now THATS evil.

IN terms of how to proceed, there are several threads about sticking to YOUR timetable, not the banks, so if a deadline has passed, move onto the next stage!

Best of luck
iPeach

[TETSUO]

I actually like the co-op bank even though they have charged me over a grand in 6 years!!

I will be getting all my money back but I am hoping they don't close my account. As 'She's lost control' said..the best of a bad bunch!!

[foxy2]

hi had an account with these lot a credit card balance of 1600.00. Disputed balance ask for six yrs statements only got 2yrs last statament june o6 shows refund of interest 400.00 charge off account 1200.00 new balance 0.00 Equiedebt phoned this morning asking for 1600.00 debt oustanding told them i owe 0.00. They said the co-op solicitors should not have sent that statement to you as it is just internal workings to pass the debt on to us the statement is addresed to me. Next move i should take anyone? SORRY NEW USER MAY HAVE NOT GOT THREAD IN RIGHT PLACE

[Badgers]

As soon as I made the decision to ditch NatWest I applied for a Co-Op account over the phone. They wrote back immediatly saying that subject to ID my account was ready to activate. I took two hours out of work and paid for the tube to there nearest branch to me but they claimed my account had been denied.

I explained that I wanted only a cashminder account, earned £30k per annum and understood they had a duty to offer a basic account. The women actually laughed at me and said there was nothing they could do, nor could they advise me why they refused!

Shame as I wanted a more ethical bank but they have blown it for me. I have duly reported them to the financial Ombudsman and hope that this causes them some grief........