Scabby abbey (Abbey National)

Name: smudge377

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Product:	Abbey National
Date:	30/09/08 (197 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: everything they do

I really do not know where to begin with my tale of woe with Abbey, so hold tight and I'll begin at the beginning.

August 07- I went to Bristol for the weekend, to see England V India in the cricket. Great day was had, but on the way out of the onday, and we were due toground I noticed I couldn't find my debit card. Panicked as I had been in a big crowd, so got back to hotel, and rang Abbey, around 11pm to cancel card.

All seemed very straightforward, and carried on enjoying my weekend. Got home Sunday pm, only to find my debit card sitting on the kitchen table. Pah, I thought. So I rang Abbey on Monday morning to explain, and they said, "no the had been cancelled", and new one would be out in 7-10 days. Fair enough I thought, security etc. You wouldn's want the card to be uncancelled. So I sat and waited for 2 weeks. No card arrived by the Monday, and we were due to go away to Cornwall on the friday. Which would be a pain without my debit card. What was strange was, I could still use by internet banking, and that shouldn't have happened.
It was convienient, as i was transferring money into my other account and using my debit card for that.

No news by Thursday, so I rang and they saidit would be with me by Monday> Not a lot of hope as I was going away

Oh well, got some cash out, and headed off on hols.

Returned a week later, and checked the post to find NO CARD.
So a very abrupt phonecall was due, but unfortunately, Abbey call centre was in India, and the women I spoke to was very unhelpful, just telling me my card had been despatched a week ago and I should wait a couple more days.

So I did, but still nothing. So rang again, 3 times and kept getting a different answer. Eventually, I found out it had been sent to the wrong address. Oh great, so now someone had a new unsigned deit card for a week.
They apologised, and cancelled the card and said they would send other one within 2 weeks.
The following day I got another call from Abbey, to say, very shamefacedly, that they had never cancelled the original card, but had done that now.
So we are now 3 weeks on, no card and no internet banking either. Now, getting really fed up. Waited another 2 weeks, still no card. Rang Abbey again, " cards been sent". So now its five weeks on. So I decide to contact the complaints dept.
They told me to put it in writing, which I did that day. Got a reply after 10 days, saying they are dealing with my enquiry, and will get back to me. Another 2 weeks pass, still no card or reply. Then a reply comes. They have found the problem soucre. They are sending my cards to a wrong address. Strange they never send the statements or letters to another address. But, they assure me a new card will be out to my address in 2 weeks.
They agree to waive all charges for this period, as I have to keep running to and fro to bank to transfer money, and give me 350.00 FOR MY TROUBLE.
Guess what- NO CARD. SO I try ringing complaints. "No, they can't put me through to that person, and they don't know the case" but they will leave a message for her to call me.

2 days on- no call, so I ring again, same reply. I ask for her email address, and send a very long angry email.. 4 days later she rings me back, and promises to investigate.

Another week passes and she rings me back, and says " Gone to the wrong address again". I think I am going to commit some sort of dreadful crime against the staff of Abbey. I have never seen such appalling service in my life. The security element is also really worries me. If this card had gone to unscrupulous people, who knows where I'd be now.

Away, finally got a new card on 20th Dec, with an apology and another cheque for £100. And as far as Abbey was concerned, that was the end of it.

Not for me though. On 5th jan I contacted Abbey by letter to say I wanted to close my account with them, as by now I had opened an account with Alliance and Leicester.

They obviously decided not to bother with this letter. Maybe, they thought I was joking. Feb 08, wrote again, still no reply, but 3 letter saying they'd take my overdraft facilities unless I started paying my salary back in. So they had a very rude letter from me, and they replied,saying they had never heard from me with any request to close account. By now I owed them £100. in bank charges, and they had great communication skills in shouting at me about that. Nothing sent to the wrong address this time.

Since April I have been dealing with the financial ombudsman, butnothing is moving too quick with them. I'm still getting letters from Abbey about the 120.00 i now owe then. I am so pissed off.

I had been a customer with Abbey for 20 years, and never had any problems. The really rich thing is Bank of Santander, who own Abbey, have now taken over Alliance and Leicester.
I think I'll just keep my money under the mattress.

Thanks for staying with me

Summary: Possibly the worst bank ever