I have to get this off my chest. I feel I have been abused when I dared challenge something that really wasn't my fault. Natwest have really, seriously let me down on this one. Dear sir/madam, I am writing to you as a customer of Natwest for over 5 years. On the 5th of February 2009, I went to the XX branch to make a wire transfer payment to XX in the USA. I explained to the staff member at the bank that I wished to transfer $4 figure sum US dollars from my sterling account to the beneficiary via wire transfer. I informed them that I had the details of the beneficiary including name of bank, beneficiary name, address of beneficiary bank, SWIFT code and notes I needed to be added to the transfer. I was told that the address and the SWIFT code would not be required for the new kind of forms that were to be filled in on the computer and printed out. I insisted that the beneficiary had stated that a swift code was required but was assured that they were no longer required for participating countries such as the USA. I was offered three options for wiring the money to the beneficiary. A) £28 urgent transfer B) £20 fast transfer and C) £10 relay transfer. I asked the attendant to explain to me whether or not the relay transfer was any different to the other two forms of wire transfer apart from the length of time required to complete the transaction. I was told that there was no difference as far as they were aware. I opted for the £10 relay transfer option. I repeated that I was concerned about the requirement for a SWIFT code to be on the form by the beneficiary’s bank but I was told that SWIFT codes were no longer used and no space was available on the form. I also asked if the SWIFT code could be put in to another space, such as the message to the beneficiary space. I was told this was not possible as the form did not ask for the SWIFT code. I requested that another form be used that could include the SWIFT code but was told that no such form existed any more and that this was the current method of wire transfer payments and that the money should go through without any problems to the beneficiary and that the Beneficiary’s bank code, branch code and account number should be sufficient for this form. Concerned that I had no confirmation of money received by the beneficiary on 17th Feb 2008, I visited the branch to discuss the transaction with a manager if possible. I was spoken to by a manager I had previously been very pleased with the service of XX apart from one other time I could smell a lot of alcohol on her breath. She proceeded to identify the transfer and also identified the money having been returned to my account several days later, minus approximately £50 in charges. I informed that the beneficiary had told me that without a SWIFT code, their bank was unlikely to be able to accept an international wire payment and this was the probable reason for the message I received from ffffff that “biller refused payment”. XX maintained that there was no space on the form for a SWIFT code. However, I was now informed that there is a manual form which could have included the SWIFT code. This information was not communicated when I instigated the transfer and I feel extremely disappointed. When I tried to enquire further as to why the payment had been returned and why I had not been offered the opportunity to include the SWIFT code on the manual form by the staff, the staff became very impatient and aggressive about her points and I felt that I was being shouted at before she stormed off stating “we’re not getting anywhere with this clearly I’m going to get my manager to have a word with you”. However, I had informed the original staff member (888) several times the need for a SWIFT code and had been repeatedly told there was no space on the form for such a code and that such a code was non longer required by the international banking system in such a transaction to USA. I was never offered the opportunity to fill out a manual form because I was told that the system had been updated and such transactions were routinely done via computer. I was not listened to by the staff member I was trying to find out more information from on the 17th of February who subsequently asked her manager to listen to my concerns. The feeling that I got from the conversation with the manager was she was far more interested in finishing her shift and getting me out of the door than addressing the fact I felt I had been failed on this occasion to be provided with an adequate service and as a result been charged for a transaction that was returned for the same reason I had stated it would, despite being informed to the contrary that it would go smoothly. The manager I spoke to was 987987. Whilst she did listen to my concerns, she seemed very quick to tell me that nothing could really be done and that it wasn’t the banks fault, it was my fault because I saw the options for the three transfer types. However I was told, a) that the three types are the same apart from the length of time taken to complete the transfer and b) that no swift code space was available on such forms on 5th Feb. I was told by this manager that she could not do anything about this situation. When I questioned that I had been treated unfairly, she told me she would have a word with the staff member. I was assured repeatedly that I would receive a phone call the following day and that a complaint would be logged. I received no such call from this manager. In sum, I was given misinformation from a member of staff despite lodging several concerns with the staff member and requesting several times for the ability to include a SWIFT code on my transaction form but was told there was no way of doing this. As a result, the transaction I sent WAS returned and I have incurred charges, despite being told that no SWIFT code was required any more. Secondarily I was treated in a way that I deemed to be abusive by a member of staff who has appeared to be drunk and very impatient regarding my asking for a simple explanation as to why I was not offered a manual form at the time when I had repeatedly asked if it was possible to include a SWIFT code and told that it was not possible. Thirdly, I was assured of a follow up and that the matter would be investigated and I have received no such follow up. I feel that I was inadequately served by the staff member who told me that a swift code was uneccessary (untrue) and that there was no form to include a swift code (untrue), that when I raised a valid concern about the transaction I was shouted at by a staff member who seemed impatient and smelled drunk at 5pm and that I was treated in contempt by the other manager for raising a concern that had to be dealt with 5 minutes after the closing time. For this reason, I believe that a) my complaint in this instance should be investigated as regards the behaviour of the two managers b) that the costs of the transaction should be refunded to my account and c) that the staff should receive better training in terms of international transfers. Not only do I feel that the charges appropriated to my account could have been avoided if the staff had been competent enough to know that is was possible to include a SWIFT code via a manual form, but that despite communicating courteously and calmly, I had to endure a verbal attack by one member of staff and was not treated seriously when I endeavoured to appropriately challenge the service I had received. Thanks for letting me share this here. nick-name Yours sincerely,