Give me strength I just want to speak to someone who understands Aaaaa

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SALLYT

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I am fingers crossed going to pick my new horse up tomorrow after his vetting. Trying to sort out getting the cash from the bank tomorrow, omg how difficult is this.

I have been put through to India about 5 times, (this isn't a racist post ), the guy just couldn't understand which branch i wanted to pick up my cash from.
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I spelt it out, no still didn't know,
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gave him the post code
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, no still could find it but at least we were now in the right county now
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:

I tried to explain that whilst talking to him I'd got the HSBC website up and I knew there was a branch there because it told me so and I'd been in only last week. More putting on hold and hey presto he'd found it
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.An email was to be sent to that particular branch and collection should be no problem, but next time could I give them more notice.
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I was going to explain that I had only agreed the price Friday afternoon and this really was the earliest opportunity I had to sort, but decided to keep it zipped.

Next came the conversation on how I wanted the money, not really bothered I said, but no I had to give them how many £50's etc- just give me the money please.

So about 25 mins of on hold, off hold conversation, a telling off for the poor notice given, a discussion on how would you like it, a promise of an email to the branch, a conversation about resetting security code because the banks system had gone down and finally "is there anything else I can help you with today Mrs X".The phone call finished. Pheew.
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Come back the good old days when you could speak to the branch to someone you could easily understand.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow on the vetting and the cash collection front!

This is not a rant about different races etc , just a post about how hard a job it is paying for a horse that was difficult to find.

God lifes complicated
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Ditto Weezy.

I tried actioning indemnity against as incorrect DD with HSBC this morning after the company taking the money confirmed it was an error...I was all but accused of stealing by some snotty person and told they would be ringing said company to check! I am looking to move banks now, unhelpful so and so's!
 
In a similar vein, I was rung last week for an insurance renewal quote, the only problem for me was the call centre was in Scotland and I couldn't understand a word she said. When I said I didn't want to take the call any further, she asked why and I told her honestly that I couldn't understand her and I found it too difficult to try and understand her. To her credit, she didn't lose her temper, she just put the phone down.

I must say though that if do ring a call centre and somebody who I can't understand answers, I put the phone down and keep ringing until I get somebody I understand.

Here's hoping your money is in the right place at the right time AND that the horse passes the vet!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Change your banking to First Direct
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[/ QUOTE ]

Ohh yes - been with them since they started.

They do have call centres - they are in Scotland! The people on the end of the phone are so nice I've been known to phone them on Christmas day to wish them a Happy Christmas.

However, even wit the wonderful First Direct you STILL have to give sufficient notice so that you can go and pick up your cash - if it's several thousands - from the branch of HSBC you choose.


Surely you must have had some idea of price so you could give them some advance notice? Even if you weren't sure whether it was going to be, say, 4 or 4.5K you could have let them know you wanted 4.5 and then left the odd .5 behind! Still you'll know for next time
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Oh I know how you feel. I had to run round oxford trying to get cash changed up to euros to buy my big lad. It would have been so much cheaper and less stressful if I had planned in advance and ordered it like you!

Relax, chill out and have a large drink, I found that helped!
 
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Do they not have call centres?

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All based in the UK, so no accent problems - call centres in Scotland but I have never had a prob understanding them - they are available 24/7/365 and sort out my bankers drafts/cash etc to be picked up at a local HSBC with ease and within about 3 minutes flat!
 
You have to give notice to your bank for a large withdrawal?! I just took my passport along, had to tell them why I wanted the money and where it had come from as had just arrived in my account (felt like a spoilt child as had to confess it was from my mother's account to buy a horse!), then they gave me the money. I didn't warn them first, and it was several thousand!
 
jemima_too, I went to view this horse Friday after banking hours , I rang them first thing this morning to arrange collection Tuesday, I gave them as much notice as possible.

24 hrs is advance notice in my opinion and after all its my money, I don't like to have attitude from the bank when trying to get it out that's all.
Its not like I just went to the branch as I'm sure people do wanting the money.Maybe next time I will
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There is a webiste called http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php. You put in the 0845 or 0870 and if already logged it tells you the comapny and no end of phone nos.
if you are lucky you can get the real branch phone no. I use it a lot because 0845 and 0870 cost money but if I get a proper number I use my free minutes on my mobile. I know exactly what you are saying. I have literally freaked out trying to make an insurance claim. I had no objection to the fact that the lady on the phone was from a non-european nation it was the fact that every question asked was answered with a quote from her script repetitively. I think she was a Dalek.
 
I had to call HSBC for work the other day - was passed around four departments before I spoke to someone who could help me. None of them could understand me and I could hardly understand them - finally got it sorted then three hours later the bank rang up asking if we were happy with their service. The poor sod got an ear bashing
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I changed from that bank many years ago as found them soo unhelpful whichever branch you were in and also didn't like them having call centres abroad. I have been with natwest for many years and am v happy with them (generally anyway)
 
I spent ages on the phone to someone from HP in India the other week, drove me mad and he took down the serial number wrong so sent out the wrong discs!! ARGH!
 
Tell me about it - I transferred my phone to Talk Talk a month ago and haven't had a working phone at home since. Their call centre is hopeless (apparently customer service don't deal with customers!) and even the person I'm now dealing with at Head Office isn't that great. They don't realise the seriousness of the situation - I can only get HHO at work at the moment!
Agree about first direct though, have always found their call centre staff helpful.

I suspect maybe the issue is the culture of the company as much as the location of the call centre. After all companies relocate their call centres to India to save money, despite the fact most people prefer a UK call centre, so customer service probably isn't a priority to them.
 
I worked for HSBC till 5 months ago (for 15 years) and would really really encourage you guys to make a complaint about the experiences you have had, as higher up in the bank they would take them very seriously, and HSBC had the best record on numbers and resolution of banking ombudsman complaints etc of any of the big banks.

Unless they get the complaint, the bad stuff will keep on happening....
 
I remember watching a show and it said that First Direct was the best rated banking company, don't have a clue why I was watching it because banks don't really affect me yet!

It said most of the main high street ones came bottom of their table in terms of their service.
 
Hullabaloo I agree entirely about TalkTalk - they virtually had me in tears of frustration once when we had broadband issues. It seems they don't make file notes or anything, so when you get through, sometimes after holding for an hour, you have to explain it all from scratch, then get transferred and they can't help you anyway... I found the only thing they understood was a very concise letter involving "7 days to reply" and "Otelo". Since then they can't do enough.
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Best not get me started - I could go on for hours. I had to threaten them with watchdog and ofcom to get a response.
They are easily the worst company I've ever dealt with.
 
I would just like to say, not about banks, but the nicest people I have ever spoken to are at Virgin Mobile, they are soooo nice and friendly and helpful and in the UK!!
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When I ring up, I want to be able to talk to someone who can help me & who can address me in my natvie tongue (english) I once argued for weeks with Abbey National about a returned direct debit, their error, which hadn't in fact been returned to my account, after 27, yes thats right, 27 phone calls & 2 visits to the branch, they generously credited the £60 they had lost to my account pus £20 for phone calls because I made such a fuss, by this point I had lost the will to live, oh, & by the way, I was talking to people in Seville, & at some times India which gave the whole experience a multi cultural feel
 
I too find Virgin Mobile ultra friendly and helpful
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, HSBC on the other hand totally useless
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. Customer service non existent and to think that they make huge profits out of people like Im_addicted tut tut.
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If you want your money out I would say 24 hours notice is more than fair, lets hope its there when you go, and I hope your horse purchase goes smoothly.
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Arrrrrrgggghhhhhhhh! Mine has been with car insurance a company called Less Than? Completely useless, Indian call centre who I can't understand, who read from a script and where I need to repeat the whole story every time I phone to find out what's happening with my claim, thing is it wasn't even my fault, I wasn't even in the car at the time but the people in India didn't seem to grasp that and kept saying "So madam when you crashed into the other car" I am saying NOOOO I wasn't even in the car I was getting my bag out the boot, the car was parked and the stupid F(*&er who couldn't park went into MY car aaaaaarrrrrggghhhhhh!

Someone has since told me though that you have a 'right' to ask to speak to someone in the UK if you get put through to a foreign call centre, great I thought, so tried that, got put through to India, asked to speak to a UK call centre, they couldn't answer my question so asked me to hold next thing I was put back to India!!!!!

So if anyone knows a good car insurance company PLEASE let me know! I have horse insured with NFU and called them last week for a quote but unfortunately they are coming out £100 More Than ('scuse the pun) my current company.
 
Ironic really Jen1, since More Than used to pride themselves on outstanding cutomer service - they admitted not always being the cheapest but tried to be "more than" the rest. I used to work for them and they were pretty good! Had a lot of different insurance policies through them. Unfortunately they have since farmed out a lot of their centres and as a result have lost that supposed advantage. Pretty poor really. I have nothing against these people on the end of the phone, they're only doing their jobs but for things like claim handling, it just doesn't work.

I heard somewhere they are thinking of farming 999 calls out to Indian/South African call centres - I hope it's just a rumour.
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