Abbey (Abbey National)

Member Name: stephbond89

Product:	Abbey National
Date:	14/04/09 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None!

Disadvantages: Everything!

I got myself an Abbey account as my first "real" bank account, I'd had a savings account with Lloyds since been a little kid, but when I turned 16, I needed a proper account for money to go in and out from.

I went to Abbey and got an Under 19's account with them, this account was pretty much a proper bank account but without the option of overdraft facility, cheque book or debit card. Instead I had what they call a "visa electron" this is a debit card but it can only be used in certain shops, and on certain websites...to be honest I don't really see the point in them as they're now so advanced, they're exactly like a debit card anyway!! But anyway at the time I was made up, and felt all "grown up"!

At first the account was great, I had £30 a week going in from college, and the card made it easy to go into town and spend my money as I pleased. This was until it came to around 3 months after I'd opened the account and I realised I hadn't had a statement, so I phoned them up....

"Hello Miss Wynne, oh yes we hve sent you our three statements on this that and the other date...we don't know why you haven't recieved them"...asked them the address details they had for me.......COMPLETELY WRONG! Wrong postcode, wrong street name...even wrong town!!! The only thiing that was right was the number and my name...! So I asked them to change the address, they did so...or so they said...so i got back on with my spending, my £30 a week didn't go too far but hey, it was better than nothing. Then another 3 months down the line...still no statements, another phone call.....

Same old same old "hello Miss Wynne, oh yes we see we have sent you out 6 statements since you opened your account, three since you changed your address with us...we don't know why your not getting them"....so again I asked for the address....AGAIN....WRONG!!!! A completely different address from the first time, but still not my address...so, I asked again to change it, "yes Miss Wynne sorry about this, I can change that for you", she even read it OUT TO ME!!! So, I got back on with everything.

Then one day, I went onto my telephone banking, I did this weekly to see if my money had gone into the account on the right day..."Your account balance is overdrawn by £25.12" I was like :-0 what!? I can't go overdrawn on this account...and I know I have not spent £25 I didn't have....so I phoned up Abbey.....!

"Hello Miss Wynne, oh yes we see here you went over your available balance last month by 12p, and so this month you have a £25 charge on your account...this was outlined in a letter that was sent to you." I HADNT BEEN RECEIVING LETTERS!!! I was starting to get really angry at this point, a £25 charge on an account that went overdrawn by 12p! And anyway....I couldn't go overdrawn on the account...that was one thing that was stipulated on the account, it could NOT go overdrawn, the only thing my account was used for was the money going in, and me taking it out, no direct debits, no standing orders and no cheques going out, so, it meant I had obviously spent 12p too much in a shop...but this transaction shouldn't have been able to go through seeing as I had no overdraft and the transaction would make me overdrawn!

I again explained I had had not letters or statements from them, as they had continuously had the wrong address on their system, and surprisingly they took the charge off the account.

But the same thing happened again the next month and the next....

Its still not sorted out with them and this is three years on!!! :-(

DO NOT go wih Abbey, they are incompetent!!

When I phoned up most recently, the lady I spoke to was rude, and called me a lier, and said they had sent me letters and I had no proof they hadn't.

I now have a new bank account, and I am trying to sort out the situation with Abbey. They are a terrible bank and I would never go with them again!!!

Summary: Don't go with them!!