Alliance & Leicester - Banking made hard as posible (Alliance & Leicester)

Name: DogWorld

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Product:	Alliance & Leicester
Date:	30/06/08 (100 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Very few and far between branchs, false promises, lack of customer service, rude staff

I first looked into Alliance and Leicester when I was refused for a current account with HSBC Bank.
I applied online around a year and a half ago, I was contacted by E-Mail around 48 hours after applying for their premier 21 current account with a Visa card, I asked for a £400 overdraft which my old bank had given me to be matched, they agreed to this and swapped al my direct debits over on my behalf from my old bank.
I received a letter from Alliance Leicester asking me to go into one of their branchs within the next 14 days to supply ID.
I did this and then waited around 3 weeks before I received my debit card, this is when I started to notice the bank was operated poorly and lack serious lack of customer understanding.
I received my online banking details and set it up, on doing so I noticed that my overdraft wasnt showing so I contacted the bank direct on their 0845 number charged at 10p a minute I was held in a que for over 20 minutes until I got through to someone.
I explained to them my overdraft wasnt showing, they looked at it and stated "You have not be given an overdraft as you were refused" thats odd because I was told in the E-Mail I was given one I stated, she told me "E-Mails carry information relating the the first checks we do, not any others and we did a second check on you and this made us choose not to offer you an overdraft at this time" I wasnt happy, they had transfered all my direct debits over to them and cancelled my old account with another bank a week before.

I went into my local, one and only branch in my town and asked them about this overdraft issue and was advised "You set your account up online therefore no branch of Alliance Leicester operate or handle your account other than for you to make payments to credit your account or make withdraws, you must ring the 0845 number"

I left the branch and I knew then this was a waste of time, I gave up, then more problems came a few weeks after, I received a letter saying "A payment on your account failed due to your account not have enough cleared funds, we have charged you £25 review fee" They had not paid in the correct amount of cash I had paid in 5 days before!

I got the fee waived after advising them I was taking my custom else where, none the less they werent worried, they just didnt want to cancel all the direct debits, this is what the customer adviser told me!

A few months went by and everything was kind of okay, but I went in one day during the week which I hadnt for ages, in to their one and only branch in my town and paid in cash which I do rarely, I was in £105, I waited over half hour ro do it as there was only one operator on, what is that all about!
I walked out the branch and as I was doing so noticed after putting the receipt away that the operator had only paid in £38!!!
I went back in, with the receipt, by this time the que had re gathered and I was at this point not happy, I spoke to a manager that was sitting down in his office looking on Amazon!!!!
I told him about the issue and that the operator had paid in the incorrect amount and it was less than I paid in, he claimed he couldnt do anything about it and I would have to go back to the operator, needless to say he never seemed at all concerned thats what got me.

I waited again, saw the operator and told her about the problem, no sorry just "give me your receipt and she tut!

She put the correct amount in and as I was leaving I saw another manager talking to another customer, i waited and spoke to her, she was very concerned about the matter and advised me that the operator I had seen was a trainee handing customers cash without being watched, everyone can guess what she was doing.
She told me she would log the error and have words with the operator.

Two weeks later I paid a bill for oneone by card and they gave me the cash, I went back to the branch and paid the money in, the same trainee was on and she was again, the only one on, without being watched.

No waiting this time, I paid the sum in, before walking out I checked the receipt, it was sort by £160 this time, that was the last time, I went back I spoke to the trainee and she claimed it was a misake, no way not twice, we werent talking a few pence or a few pound but £160, I spoke to a mamnger, the same one as before, she went round and credited my account with the correct amount and came back, she told me the trainee was only 5 weeks into traning and she was going to review her that afternoon.

That wasnt good enough, something didnt add up with this bank, when I got home in the vening I rang Alliance Leicester on their 0845 - 10p a minute number and spoke to the security and risk dpeartment and told them of the two problems, they could see on my account that amounts were paid in then re adjusted within a few minutes, they were concerned and flagged the branch as a security risk and I was told an investigation would be started without delay into the branchs operating system.

I have never heard since from them, no letter saying sorry or thanks for letting us know, when I walked in the branch to pick up a few deposit slips last week the trainee was still in there, no one watching her, what is this bank up to.

They are the worst ever bank I have ever come across and I want everyone to know I have had dealings with most high street banks apart from HSBC, they are the worst bank currently operating.
Dont go near them!
They only have one branch in each town, this is because they are a head office operating bank I have been told recently, all payments are sent to head office to be processed thats why they take ages to be cleared.
They have made endless promises to me for an overdraft after messing me around before regarding it and failed to keep al of their promises.
My nearest branch is 10 miles away, I tend now to use the branch in the next town to me though, 30 miles away because at least they dont input the incorrect sum.

I have really never found or been with a bank like this, I wouldnt trust them with your money, I have heard that someone had 16k go missing after banking it with Alliance Leicester and they cant get it back due to they have no receipt.

Whenever you ring the customer service line the staff are very rude and not helpful, I had one shout at me for asking for a replacement statement.
There service time is very slow processing payments and when you order a credit book or a new card it can take up to a month to come through, yes a month for a replacement bank card.
I mean this bank would be funny if it ewasnt so serious and for real.
This bank shouldnt be in business.
I currently have to remain with them but I am hoping to change banks very soon as I have had enough of Alliance Leicester, they will never have me as a customer ever again.
I cannot stress this enough, becareful of Alliance Leicester, check all your statements and receipts, and if your not with them already dont go near them, any other bank would be better.

I do not recommend Alliance Leicester at all and stronglyadvised against them.

Alliance Leicester was formerly a building society and I have heard that they still are but dont like people knowing this.

It was formed in 1997 by the flotation of the former Alliance & Leicester Building Society on the London Stock Exchange.

On January 26, 2006, Alliance & Leicester announced that they were cutting around 350 jobs from their Merseyside offices, despite being official sponsors of the 2008 European Capital of Culture, Liverpool

Summary: Few and far between branchs - An awful bank