A Stab in The Back! (Natwest Bank)

Member Name: p.may

Product:	Natwest Bank
Date:	14/11/01 (808 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Bad customer service, Unhelpful, Rude

I’d like to put a slightly different perspective on ‘Natworst’, and my experience of their service, if I can! I always thought Natwest were excellent, but that’s because I’d never had anything happen that could possibly cause them not to be ‘excellent’, fine at hooking you in, giving you plenty of credit and agreeing to cards etc. But I’ve a new angle on Banks now! The worst case scenario for us all is to hit money problems, we’ve all been ‘up to our knees’, maybe some to their ‘necks’ and other ‘over their heads’, and it’s then we require the assistance of our banks / creditors when the “going gets tough” – I’ve had problems in the past and with creditors such as Barclays, Lloyds, Halifax, Prudential etc. no problem, for ‘PROBLEMS’ I had Natwest – the bank that accepts you with open arms then turns it’s back on you when the going gets tough.

I got in debt and sought the help of a charity organisation to arrange a debt management scheme so I could make ends meet and not end up a bankrupt. All of my creditors were more than helpful with many stopping / reducing interest charges and allowing me to repay pre-agreed amounts, bearing in mind I’d never missed payments with any of my creditors or banks and sought the CCCS’s help before I got into the ‘default’ mess. As I was saying all my creditors were fine, very small interest charges if any and very helpful knowledgeable and friendly staff, it was all fine and I could see a light at the end of the tunnel, then 6 months down the line:

NATWORST – They hadn’t received any money for 6 months (they had I had receipts and everything – and should it take 6 months to tell me? – they have also found the money since in their “what do we do with this” account!), now a default on my credit file as they hadn&#
8217;t put amounts on my loan so effectively I was 6 months behind (their fault not mine, I was told by an employee, “that probably wasn’t dealt with because a branch has recently closed in your area and we have had a large backlog” – probably the only branch made into a “trendy wine bar” then - Ay!), My account was referred to ‘Debt Recovery’ to whom I supplied everything I had and the CCCS even suggested I write to the Banking Ombudsman – like that works! Now public enemy no.1 with Natwest, spoken to by their staff like I’m a piece of S**t (must be a bit stupid getting into debt, so lets talk to him like a child!) and charging me £2 per day interest (Helpful!) and that’s on top of interest already charged for the loan!

The moral is – steer clear! (My opinion!) – and that’s something I tell anyone that asks. The above is only the half of it and still my other creditors are fine, helpful and accommodating, fine the debt is effectively my fault (though actually it was circumstance – not stupidity!) and for which I am liable, but s**t happens and it’s when we need help we need these people to be even ‘reasonable’ – I’m soon to be financially stable again, and they can whistle – and those adverts should be checked by the Advertising board, everything said on there that they say they don’t do, they do! Madness!

That Feels better!
Cheers!

Summary: