Banking

[rockyracoon]

I'm sitting here, on the phone, waiting to speak to the shower that is the Halifax. For 2 hours they have been telling me how busy they are and that my call will be answered shortly. I've had to plug my phone in to the charge in case it runs out of battery.

It's all Covid's fault, apparently.

Covid seems to be a buzzword for poor customer service.

Arghhhhhhh

[Patsy33]

Yes, it is. I hate how people are treated!
Hope you get a response soon..

[TonyV]

I know rocky, but to be fare to call centres, they will have reduced staffing levels because of social distancing guidelines.

[Buenchico]

My record for being kept on hold was 20 hours (spread across three days of trying to get through) when attempting to speak to someone at the Department of Work and Pensions. That was many years before Covid, so I hate to think what it must be like trying to get through now!

[Jackdaw33]

Does Halifax not have an on-line query facility?

[Buenchico]

^^^ Thankfully, Jack, Halifax doesn't seem to have gone down the dreaded 'online chat' route yet. (I really, really HATE ruddy 'online chat'. It can takes ages to work out whether you're 'talking' to a real person or a bot. It also takes longer to type things than it does to simply say them!)

Halifax offers phone calls through its mobile app or conventionally.

[ToraToraTora]

come on chis, the chat bots are very easy to spot. just say something out of context.

[ummmm]

We spoke to Halifax tonight. Got through quite quickly.

[rockyracoon]

Finally got through after 2 hours and 5 mins, then had a 40 minute conversation. On the plus side, they’re giving me £40 compo.

[ummmm]

Ha...they offered us compo as well for keeping us on hold. £20!

He was only trying to pay off the mortgage....lol.

[Peter Pedant]

Halifax are boolocoo - I have never managed to do internet banking with them

but hey - I successfully logged onto HMRC and saw my tax form on the internet - wow and it only took me two hours ! pleased I was.
Has any one done digiident? do they really ask for credit card details? I unplugged thinking I must have been scammed ( that was the first hour)

[Peter Pedant]

can people on this thread refrain from excusing really crap service?
thanks

[rockyracoon]

How long did you wait Ummm?

[New Judge]

//can people on this thread refrain from excusing really crap service?
thanks//

You can count on me for that, Peter.

Covid has given many organisations the perfect excuse to continue and enhance the crappy service that many of them provide. Every outfit you try to reach begins their announcement with "Because of Covid..." or "We're incredibly busy....". High Street banks have reduced their hours of opening. My bank (not that I ever go there) is now open from 10am to 2pm. What's that all about? I understand they need to "distance" but why the need to cut their hour near enough in half?

I gave them the benefit of the doubt for a few weeks a year ago. But it's a year on. They need to shape up.

[wolf63]

I'm just visiting this thread so that I can have a better look at RR's beautiful puppy. :-)

[ummmm]

It was Ginge on the phone so I'm guessing about 30 minutes. They just spoke a lot. Just tell him how to pay the mortgage off and say goodbye, thank you, hang up.

We're trying to pay them!!

[Canary42]

Covid is the standard excuse for all other failures - not only customer service. The Government use it as the cause of Brexit-induced failings, and will continue to trumpet such spin.

[Buenchico]

For Wolf63:
https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/0215d3a41b569f95a62a870fe1802dc2?default=http%3A//www.theanswerbank.co.uk/default_avatar.jpg&size=500&r=g&abrs4=2016070411

;-)

[Milo2]

A friend of mine rang the bank about a suspicious payment on her credit card and was on hold for over 2 hours. When she finally got through, more payments had been made. Part way through the conversation, she could hear a child crying and was told the call would need to end so the bank employee, who was obviously working from home, could see to her child. When it was sorted out, she was also given compensation for poor service.

[brainiac]

I made a query to Severn Trent by email, they took about four weeks to get back to me, and apologised with £40 off my next bill!

[naomi24]

I bank with First Direct and I'm rarely kept waiting for more than a couple of minutes to talk to a real person.