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Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Spitting chips comes nowhere near! Paid out a standing order TWICE, yes twice within one week. Only found out late this afternoon. Said, cos it's not their error - well, it's not bloody mine either cos I never changed the standing order and certainly never to come out in 2 payments in one month! - it 'should take 3 working days' to return to my account. Conveniently, kept on the line for over 20 minutes whilst they claimed to be 'sorting it out' ... yeah, pixies exist as well ... to be told they were cut off from the person they were talking to. Made some crap up about phoning me back, to update me if they money isn't back by next Tuesday. Where've I heard that before ...
Not happy. At. All. With AN right now! Someone has screwed up or their system has screwed up their end. Read enough about AN to know this about them by now.
What's really worrying me is I can't pay bills now because this has happened. And not much money until I do get it back off them. Then they suggested I speak to the company it's been paid to ... oh, yeah ... they're gonna think Xmas has come early seeing another payment 3 weeks early ... Abbey's screwed up somehow, trying to blame it on me.
Really worrying weekend now, over whether I am going to get this money back. The other thing ... if I'd used my card today anywhere, not know about this duplicate standing order going out earlier this week then I would have gone overdrawn, been hit by their money making £40 charges!!!
Gonna ditch this bank soon as I think! Recent events have proved my money is hardly safe in their hands to say the least!
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Ok, bank brain on now.
Was any changes made whatsoever to the Standing Order at all recently, even an increase or decrease in the amount?
Have they at least told you how it was amended?
I have got more questions....
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Nope. It's a monthly SO, set amount. Weekend before last, noticed some glitch in the account, wasn't showing as debiting on the next banking day. Call to them also confirmed this. Checking at cash machine next day, contrary to what they said on phone night before, money HAD gone out of my account for the SO. So, could relax. As no worrying calls to the company concerned why it hadn't been paid etc.
Checking it again this week online ... not due to go out next until 01/09/2008 ... okayyyy ... worry set in again ... as it is and always has been set for 27 of each month or next banking day if falling on a weekend/bank holiday.
So, late this afternoon ... discover same standing order has gone out on the 6 August!! SWTF is going on???!! Nothing has been altered by me. And I will swear to that on a lie detector to AN if necessary.
Bashed my head against a brick wall so badly tonight, dealing with their overseas call centres - as it seems after 5 or 6 pm everyone in the UK clocks off - and been given false information after misleading information.
Earlier they told it would take 3 working days to return to my account. Woman didn't sound confident ... even told me to cut the call short after I waited for HER for over 10 minutes to get back to me ... 'speaking to another department' ... yeah, right, seeing if I'd gone away more like it! Phoned back again tonight ... to confirm this ... nagged at me, and I was right! They are now telling it will take between 4 to 6 weeks to refund the money to my account!!! Sod off!!!
So, spent an hour tonight trying, but failing very miserably, to REVERSE the recall on the account. Each time I have been told it's been done. Called back to make sure ... then told the total opposite to the last person ... and on it went ... phoned back in case I got through to someone in the UK ... can't wait 6 weeks for this money to come back! So have been trying to get them to allow it to go through, so the company gets the money; I can live with it for 2 weeks. Means I don't have to pay them again until the end of September for example.
Will be going into a branch tomorrow ... but this has now got me so worried sick tonight my nose feels like it will start bleeding. Usual, overseas call centres nonsense ... can't give you a straight answer. Don't know what to do now.
It's better the company gets the money, rather than I wait six weeks for the refund - outrageous time limit as it's their cock up not mine! - and now, because of being lied to on the phone tonight - and I thought DCA's were bad! AN could win awards on it! - several times over I am so confused brain will be melting soon. I want them to reverse the recall/refund to my account. But now, I am left sick with worry because one person tells me it has been cancelled/not processed ... which I did because they told me six weeks til I got my money back ... in between which I have to pay the company ANOTHER £100 ... so £300 in one month gone out!! On IB, no way can I do this! So I thought it sensible to get them to reverse the recall ... but now I don't know if they have genuinely done that ... so left worrying now ... have they/haven't they ... cos if they haven't, and the money is being returned, not left paid to the company ... then that means I won't get it back for over a month and a half ... then will have to pay this company again! Can't do it!
Just so sick with worry now. Got a vital hospital appointment tomorrow, which will take up most of the day; so leaving no time to get into a branch, or phone up get it sorted out ... then the weekend again.
Really don't know what to do, just messed my head up so badly with their blasted error, then trying to sort it out ... which I shouldn't have to be doing TBH. Their screw up, not mine.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Either way, AN can kiss goodbye to me as a customer soon as this is sorted out. Already got another bank account so will close AN's use that one instead.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Tried like hell, sold everything on ebay ... got a little together, to keep me ticking over - not comfortably, but enough so I know I will have enough each month - and then this happens. Trouble is, this is my rent ... talking about here ... I can't mess around with this. Otherwise may have nowhere to live. They've been very good with me so far ... but cos of this AN trouble ... if I don't pay them end of this month, and I never get that money back ... course means will be £300 pounds paid to them rather than the usual £97 ... and then means another payment end of next month ... £400 down ... and if AN hasn't followed through on what they promised eg not to process the recall, so I can negotiate with the estate agent myself ... eg let the money get paid earlier than usual ... so am more than scared right now ... cos all that money I scraped together, selling everything I've ever collected through the years ... just to get me by each month ... will all get wiped out ... one big waste of time. Then back to square one.
Back in early Spring ... came very close to going without food for several days ... got that bad with debts, paying etc. So I shoved things on Ebay, I knew would sell, get me enough to get by. Now this mess arrives.
Know my nose isn't bleeding, but it feels like it is. I know I am panicking, and it will probably all get sorted out. But because of phoning them earlier, being lied to for 30 minutes ... I have a terrible doubt now that I am going to lose all that money. I can't do it. I really can't.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Meant to answer your last question YB ... nope, they are claiming I must have phoned them or 'told them' to change it or done it online. I have done neither! Soon as I saw the next payment date was set to 01/09/2008 Monday this week I knew there'd be trouble. Should have cancelled the SO there and then. They are blaming me essentially. It's the only SO I have on my account and, apart from this last few weeks, there's never been a problem with it. Earlier this year, AN had problems with some online bank accounts eg errors. Only hit selected accounts, not everyone's. Each time it happened, had messages on the account to phone them up ... which I did ... they never did tell me exactly what was wrong, just they'd look into it ... that it had affected others, but not all accounts ... bit strange TBH only some but not others affected ... seemed whatever the error was was rather selective eg not system wide. Happened at least twice, then never happened again afterwards.
Now all this nonsense has started on my account. Given the above I doubt they are unconnected. You try explaining this to AN, though! No, it's YOUR fault this has happened and we won't refund your money instantly because it's not our error. I wouldn't mind but I was speaking to someone in the Uk earlier by phone ... may as well have been talking in Mandarin for all the good it got me.
Even said 'well, there are other people, other customers waiting to get through ... and I can't spend more time on this phone call, as I only have a set amount of time'. Oh, okay then, it's only the safety of my bank account we are talking about after all! That money has been transferred without my say so! What a dum dum I am! To which I responded to one earlier who said that 'well, I AM paying for this call, to sort out a problem which you have caused me ...' Absolutely, utterly disgusting. They damn well don't care the affect it has had on me, nor that I will have less than £100 to survive on if this all goes pear shaped!
TBH, tonight, after all this nonsense if I didn't need a hospital, was in perfect health, had no debt worries ... I'd certainly be in hospital after it. Sorry to go on, but so wound up by it I will have trouble trying to get anyone in the branch tomorrow to do something about it. Am just the idiot trying to sort out this confusing mess. So imagine how confused the branch stafff is gonna get when I try to explain it again.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Sounds to me like an error has happened. They can audit trail the account and find out how it happened and they should still have a copy of the call to listen to. They are now going to have to write to the recipient asking for the funds to be sent back. Unfortunately, the onset of faster payments system has meant certain things have gone such as late recalls, such as reversing transactions(some things may return but not late recalls).
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
But is there anything I can do to stop them writing to the recipient? I realized afterwards that, rather than wait six weeks to get it back ... it's better to let it go ahead, get paid ... I really don't know what to say to them as speaking plain, good old English has got me nowhere. Do I need to speak top them in 'bank speak' for example?
Realized afterwards, after seeing it, just came back in you see ... been out all day ... just knew something bad was waiting at home, mistook it for something in the post ... turned out it was this, instead ... so, well you can imagine ... seeing a duplicate SO, sends you into a blind panic, 'why???' and what???! how did this happen???' ... I hope they can reverse the recall eg writing to the recipient.
Literally got 30 minutes in the morning, as my appt is before midday, before I get on the bus to get their ... can't miss that ... could be months before next one ... so will be on the phone first thing I think ... have to curtail going somewhere after the hospital as planned ... if cannot get anywhere on the phone again, go into the branch. Guess it'll be another sleepless night til they open.
Similar thing happened last time it snowed. Mid Spring. Paid certain online auction places ... end of the same week ... same amount was being removed from my account again. Exact same as this week except that was a card payment. Only noticed that by fluke, too. Got it stopped, though. AN tried to come up with excuses then as well.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Will also check with the recipient, see if it's showing up on their system. Should be by tomorrow. Or you'd think. SO goes into their account same day doesn't it? What got me, though, was AN claimed the standing order had been amended for 05/08/2008 ... so why did it go out on the 06 then? Error, as you say. But a very peculiar sort of error. Don't feel safe banking with them now. Have to be honest about this now.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
I will explain my logic when I read the first post, something I rarely give out on internet forums. When something, especially a standing order goes out of an account, the first thing I think is, what has caused the change. I have two mindsets, either the payment/frequncy/reference number has changed and/or another mandate(standing order form) has been completed and it has been duplicated. In your case, it was that the payment had been amended to send an additonal payment out.
My advice is to amend the standing order for September 27th. Tell the bank you would simply like an explanation why it changed and for them to listen to any recordings of the calls to them because clearly someone has made an error in what you had told them to do. My gut feeling is a misunderstanding and I would be claiming for phone calls(had I not spotted the fact that you had their 0800 number, lol). Worth an explanation me thinks in writing of course(means they have to spend time investigating and responding to you in a format that could be challengeable).
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
TBH, I cancelled the SO totally. Case it happened again. Rent will just have to be by cheque until further notice or when I get things set up in another account.
Oh, yeah, the 0800 thing? Worked a few times ... listening to the horsey type jumping music for ages ... on the first 0800 number ... 'moving up the queue' for around 10 minutes ... hung up on that, not getting anywhere ... then used the second one ... well, will be in the branch tomorrow asking for an explanation. And putting this right. Hopefully.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
You have my sympathy forgottenone. Just had similar problem with AN myself. They used to be a great bank but since coming under the Santander umbrella they don't seem to understand English!
No good speaking to the branches - they all tell you a different story & in general seem to be poorly trained eg. When I asked one branch manager why something had to be done a certain (illogical!) way, she said 'because I say so' !! Sounded like a brassed off mother talking to a child, couldn't believe my ears. You wouldn't think it was the customer that paid their salaries would you?!
Tel. customer services line is a bit better but still contradictory depending on who you get but I've found the only way to get results is to write strong letter to Complaints, PO Box 5129, Milton Keynes, MK9 2YN. Quote the Banking Code, the CPUTR 2008 at them & threaten with fos etc. Unfortunately it's not quick but seems to get through to them.
Any knowledge I possess or advice I proffer is based solely on my experiences in the University of Life. Please make your own assessment of legality, risks & costs before taking any action.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
You wouldn't think it was the customer that paid their salaries would you?!
Funnily enough, that's along the lines of what I said in response to their muppet overseas saying I was taking up the valuable time of other people waiting to get through ... that my phone calls were paying his wages. Felt like yelling down the phone in all honestly, had to bite my tongue.
Sounded like a brassed off mother talking to a child, couldn't believe my ears
Can believe it. Staff at my local branch seem to get paid to behave like clowns behind the counter there. Literally. Instead of serving customers, they are talking about make up, other customers coming in, waiting in line ... I kid you not ... what was on last night's TV ... anything but concentrate on serving you ... all in front of the customer ... not good ... other day, one miscounted money I gave her ... explained 'was it because the notes were just out of the machine, stuck together *which they were*' they said 'no' ... then counting again, realizing they WERE stuck together, agreed they were ... but I'd already told her they were ... Catherine Tate moment or what??
Then ... paying in more money few days later ... miscounted again ... except this time, I noted the slip given to me was incorrect. Wasn't too sure, thought I'd miscounted it or notes were stuck together again ... fortunately, online bank account showed the correct amount ... except the slip was out significantly. So, if they are not clowing around, talking about customers they don't like the look of, how they are dressed ... they can't be trusted to even count your money correctly.
It would be funny, if we weren't talking about a major high street bank here ... may as well employ school kids, given the antics they get up to at the local one. Even more annoying, when you consider they are getting paid to balls things up, act the clown ... on YOUR time.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Forgot the priceless one ... was trying to pay a cheque in. Was told it would get rejected on the most silliest of things ... determined not to be missing out on money I needed badly, went miles away to a city bank branch ... expected to be told same thing ... paid in, no problems and wasn't rejected as being incorrectly completed. And these are bank staff ... cheque was filled in properly. Seen enough of the damn things in my life to know that.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Originally Posted by forgottenone
explained 'was it because the notes were just out of the machine, stuck together *which they were*' they said 'no' ... then counting again, realizing they WERE stuck together, agreed they were ... but I'd already told her they were ... Catherine Tate moment or what??
Then ... paying in more money few days later ... miscounted again ... except this time, I noted the slip given to me was incorrect
And never, ever trust the counting machines. I had the instance one time of a batch of 'new' notes being taken from the safe, counted thro' the machine as correct but I insisted on recounting in front of cashier, only to find a £5.00 in the stack of £20's. If I'd not recounted it I'd have been £15.00 down.
Any knowledge I possess or advice I proffer is based solely on my experiences in the University of Life. Please make your own assessment of legality, risks & costs before taking any action.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
AN, are most hated right now. Should have taken more notice of those Watchdog reports ... but it was like the old paypal thing. 'oh, it'll never happen to me'. Then it does, and you go through hell sorting it out then know exactly what everyone else was on about. Is nothing safe anymore in the UK? Banks ... just being one example. Things must be bad when banks start screwing things up on a most basic level.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Think they've probably always screwed things up, it's just that nowadays the customer is more savvy.
Calm down, F1, rant over, get the letters written...
Any knowledge I possess or advice I proffer is based solely on my experiences in the University of Life. Please make your own assessment of legality, risks & costs before taking any action.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Well, will get round to it. So many things getting in the way. Just need to get this recall thing ... or was it refund? Kept giving it different names you see ... sorted out immediately, make sure it happens ... then will find time to write.
As for being calm ... erm, where do I start with that? 75% calm lately ... just facing something right now, hard to stay calm about. Goodness only knows what tomorrow's hospital visit will throw at me. Try and go watch a DVD now. Missed Neighbours, EE, The Bill, BB ... and before you know it it will be 12 am again.
Re: Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
Hi F1, sympathise with you totally. Grabbey National are a bloomin' disgrace. Don't know why people are still with them. My local branch are just the same. It's more like a branch of the Womens Institute - I am an expert on cakes, hairstyles, dresses, the sex lives of all local women etc. - and I am male!! I stood for 15 mins whilst they served ONE customer. Would have helped if they had put extra staff on but their reply was that they had to have dinner too!! Why am I so bitter? Oh yes, I remember. I had 90 pounds in my account to cover 4 DDs SOs etc for approx 20 pounds each. On that particular day they were due to take out bank charges for 80 pounds. Stupid me! I thought they would pay 4 DDs SOs first and then put through bank charges. This would have given me a balance of approx 70 pounds overdrawn. NO! Out came the bank charges. Balance 10 pounds. Then it was bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce as they returned all my DDs SOs. Result - Balance 130 pounds overdrawn and no bills paid!! At least they got their charges though, POOR little darlings. NO, I'm not bitter - MUCH
There is a happy ending though, of sorts. Closed bank account. Hooray! Told them to stick mortgage you know where! Hooray! Claiming 6 years of charges - 5000 pounds of charges incl interest, which has been stayed. Boo! I can wait though. If I die first, I'll come back and bloomin' well haunt them:grin:
Abbey National ... so angry with this bank right now!!
's screwed up somehow, trying to blame it on me.
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You wouldn't think it was the customer that paid their salaries would you?!
Originally Posted by forgottenone
75% calm lately ... just facing something right now, hard to stay calm about. Goodness only knows what tomorrow's hospital visit will throw at me. Try and go watch a DVD now. Missed Neighbours, EE, The Bill, BB ... and before you know it it will be 12 am again. 
