I have been with metro bank for a while now. Apart from printing cards and cheque books in store (Branch). They are not really any different from other banks. they charge the same and will not listen to any complaints you have etc. they will even deny fraudulent transactions on your account without a good excuse. I will be terminating my account with them soon.

I went to Metro Bank today, had to cycle because of the demonstrations/ riots between my house and the bank. Got attacked there - hit in the head - when I told a middle aged man, English, that he shouldn't **** on the statue of Charles I. Carried on, sat down in the bank. According to what I could see the Credit Check was optional if you had proofs of residence. I had three. Plus my driving license and my passport. The woman was a bit slimy, more concerned with make up than banking, but I didn't really care. The process took forever, over an hour and a half. It was unbearably hot. I'd dressed for winter and cycled. So, it was tough to cope. I stripped down to my shirt and spent as much time outside as possible. When I'd come back she'd still be pecking at her computer like a parrot. I wouldn't have minded going away and coming back you know, why the dishonesty. She keeps on asking me personal questions. I don't see why I have to answer them. I'd been there over half an hour, forty minutes by now and she has taken all my photocopies of bank accounts and passport and things. They have all my data. But she wants to know my marital status and my employment status and this and that, I'm polite mind, but it's stupid. It's embarrassing having to answer these things to a human being, I don't like being labeled by these stupid categories which don't apply to me. I would rather have just ticked boxes. I only want the account to use abroad because HBoS can be trusted to keep my savings separate from my current account when I'm in risky areas for data fraud this worries me. But they pry about my reasons uncomfortably. I look at the basic leaflet they have out. It says "no stupid bank rules". I ask about the cash cards. My mum's quaker and feminist principles make her angry about being a miss, or mrs or ms. She changed banks to avoid all that. The teller more or less told me - yes - it's on the card - your name must be as we say (on the old Midlands cards you could make up any name!). I said - that seems stupid. She said, more or less - no - you're stupid. Nice. I was just asking! But, I digress... After an hour and twenty minutes or so she starts going on about credit cards. I've told her I don't want that stuff or overdrafts. I avoid credit cards. I prefer to spend what I have. My parents have a card which I use if I need to buy things for them (my mum's been unwell) but that's it. But the teller witters away on the credit card thing "do you have a credit card". No, no I don't. None of her business. I noticed they had dog bowls of water. Maybe I could drink some of that. Water for dogs, huh? At least in Bank of Scotland they give you a coffee and water when they tout their products. Eventually she says "computer says no". I say why, she says the credit reference, I say what? I've got good credit, she says, no, it's the SAW REPORT, you can't have an account because of money laundering. I say what? She says that there is a credit card in my name in my address but the birthday is off 6 days. So. This is worrying. Different issues need to be discussed no. 1)what do I do about that 2) what do I do about this account? Is it held for me, or do I deal with it and start it again 3) what do I do about my personal data? She's sort of indicating that there wasn't much to say. I'm sitting, quietly, trying to think of the right questions, when the bouncer who has been moving closer and glancing at this woman for some reason comes and stands a foot in front of me and says "is there is problem?" you know how, like a rent-a-cop. I look at her and just like shake my head a bit confused and she looks back with same "I'm a bit of a tart clenching my pelvic floor muscle" look that she has been doing the whole time. Then he's saying "the lady's asked you to leave". Christ! What is this? A strip club? Some sort of booze den? I don't know. Please remember - I'd been assaulted and I'm a little concussed. I've been treated - literally - worse than a dog and this man is standing over me with his arms folded as I am sitting in the chair. I just look over my shoulder and shout "I need to see the manager". And then I scream at this bouncer. I'm just not taking it. I can deal with abuse and violence on the street. I can deal with a lot of things, but I just can't cope with being intimidated in a bank. So, I screamed at them. Then I told the manager. He didn't seem inclined to make the bouncer apologise. They'd probably called the police for 'breach of the peace'. Luckily the riots were tying them up. But why, why do they behave like that, it's not fair. Anyway. They didn't tell me any of the rules. They did the credit reference check without consent. They have all my personal data, they have my passport photographed, my driving license, my bank accounts, everything. I mean - I handed it to them, but I signed nothing. What duties do they have to protect this data? What are they talking about, money laundering? I don't get it, they had all my proofs of ID, they had my other bank account details. How could this be money laundering? It makes no sense? Why would they refuse my account? Why wouldn't they say first, in their leaflets that this was the case? It seems they're a useless bunch. It was the worst experience I've ever had in a bank. ======= -for the search engines - Metro Bank is bad. Metro Bank is very bad. Metro Bank is crap