Great for students, terrible for the rest (Barclays Bank)

Member Name: Rach1978

Product:	Barclays Bank
Date:	15/04/02 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good for students, Big bank (if you like that sort of thing!), Use Woolwich for mortgages

Disadvantages: Long queues (too few branches now as well), Extortionate charges and interest, No "customer/bank" relationship

I signed up with Barclays when I started at university 6 years ago.

In my university branch (City University) I was very pleased with the service. I felt I had a real "relationship" with the personal bankers - they even sent me a birthday card - and I rarely had to queue longer than a few years. As a student, they agreed an interest free overdraft of £2,300.

For health reasons, I failed to complete my degree on time and it took me a further two years for me to finish. Despite dabbling around in temp jobs, I still had student status.

However, without warning, two years after I was meant to have graduated, Barclays removed my overdraft without warning (bear in mind I was a student still at this stage and heavily in debt) and started charging heavy interest on my overdraft. When I complained, the bank told me I should never have been given a free overdraft and I was "lucky" never to have been charged before (I thought all students had free overdrafts).

As most of my then local branches closed down, I was forced to go to the Moorgate branch for my banking. Here, I was faced with waiting times of more than an hour and a half to see a personal banker (who offered unhelpful advice and they were generally very rude) and waiting times of up to 30 minutes just to pay in a cheque.

At the time, I lived in Brixton where queues to see counter staff stretched in a zigzag around the branch and onto the street outside.

Also, I hate the policy of cheques bouncing when you have one waiting to clear in your account and being charged £25 for the privilege.

I now use a number of Barclays branches regularly, and find staff unfriendly and very unhelpful.

The highlight of my banking career with Barclays was achieved last month - I got 7p interest!

As for my business account - despite being promised free banking for the first two years I am consistently being charged £50 a quarter...But that&
#39;s another story!

My advice - go elsewhere for banking!

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