Horrible Halifax - Customer Service At Its Worst! (Halifax)

Name: treaclepins

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Product:	Halifax
Date:	12/07/08 (89 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None.

Disadvantages: Appalling customer service.

I have been with the Halifax for about 8 years now and it seems to me that things have gone form bad to worse there.

My husband wants to claim back some insanely unfair bank charges from this bank but we know of a few people who have tried to do this and have had their accounts closed (although this is not in fact legal!)

I have never had any bank charges myself, but the problem I am facing with this company is their appalling customer service.

The bank have now changed my debit card without any notice twice (to an inferior card each time) and now I cannot even buy groceries online without using a credit card, as even a company as large as Tesco will not accept my crappy debit card.

When I asked if I could have my old debit card back, I was told that they would have to cancel my card altogether and then I could apply for a new card, which they may or may not approve.

When I went into a branch last week I was told that, although all of the bank tellers were free to serve me, I had to use the telephone to cancel a direct debit because my account no longer allowed me the privilege of teller service. When I asked why my debit card (and apparently my entire account) seemed to have been downgraded, I was told that perhaps I did not use that account enough - my last bank statement was 7 pages long! I use this account for numerous direct debits, standing orders and it is attached to my very well used Paypal account.

When my husband and I tried to put £1000 in cash into his account we were told that the teller couldn't accept it and we had to place one note at a time into the automated deposit machine.

Although my husband has had a successful business for the past 12 years, Halifax have refused him a chequebook because of his self-employed status.

On top of this there is no Halifax branch in my town, not that it really matters since they wouldn't serve me anyway.

Am I the only person who does not want to make long phone calls and go through huge automated menus when three tellers are sitting idle? I know it's old fashioned of me, but I would rather have some human interaction in my banking transactions than have to deal with time consuming automation. I think it is very sad that a company with such incredible profits cannot manage to offer even the most basic of services to longstanding customers. I have a number of accounts with other financial institutions and I have never been treated this poorly by any of them. I think the time has come for me to say goodbye to the Halifax, I certainly shan't miss them. In England we seem to put up with appalling treatment from banks who seem to forget that they only have a business at all because of their customers money. Perhaps it's time more people voted with their feet and refused to put up with poor treatment from the institutions we lend our hard-earned wages to!

Summary: With customer service as poor as this, why should we keep on lending them our money?