Does your local area have adequate banking services?

Some months ago I went into my local branch and saw a notice saying it would be closing. There were two men in suits talking and they happened to be Lloyds employees involved in the closure. When I asked them why it was closing they said it was because it was not ‘busy’ enough. Poo.
This branch was about a mile from the city centre (Coventry) and as there was parking (if you were lucky) close by it was always busy. Ok, you can do a lot of banking on the internet these days, but sometimes you need to be able to speak to a living being, or you may need to deposit cash. It was always a busy branch.
Role on three months and after the closure of the branch I needed to talk to someone about various things so I went to my high street branch – you know , the big grand building with pillars and arches and lovely mouldings. There is a row of 5 customer stations at the ‘enquiries’ point – ONE of which was manned , the others being vacant. I was fourth in the queue and I stood there for 20 minutes. Then another staff member came so the queue began to decrease – but I still had to wait another 15 minutes. I discussed what I wanted too and then said to the lady that I would like to speak to a Manager, as I wished to complain about the waiting. So off she went to find someone, only to return after 5 minutes to say there was no-one available with whom I could talk to. I was disgusted. I would have closed my accounts with Lloyds if I felt that I would get any better service anywhere else. Sadly, I don’t think I would. It seems to me that most banks want to reduce branches and thus staff. Role on another 10 years and I think most of them will have closed.

Far too many banks have closed branches. There was a branch of my mother’s bank about a quarter of a mile away from her last home, and she was just able to walk there and back which provided her with the little bit of exercise she did with her shopping trolley. In addition, it was an invaluable service in more ways than supplying banking assistance as one of the women who manned the counter took to keeping an eye on mum and when I went to the bank with mum one day, this staff member said she didn’t think mum was eating enough because she was losing weight. She took my phone numbers (I lived 200 miles away at the time) and said she would ring me if she became really concerned. Luckily, it didn’t quite come to that, but this goes to show how valuable banks and other businesses regularly used by customers, are. It seems that if a bank is fined for misdemeanours, such as PPI mis-selling, the knee-jerk reaction is to shut branches/cut branch staff, almost out of spite, it appears. Perhaps a better way could be found to “fine” banks for misbehaviour of a suspicious nature, like targeting those higher up who make the decisions leading to financial wrongdoings. Generally, those higher up the ladder get to keep their jobs and pensions, but in doing this the big banks are cutting off their noses to spite their faces because customers will find somewhere else to go instead and banks will lose out.

HSBC have closed our local branch in Burnham on Sea, this town is predominantly small businesses and retired people. Banks could not care a less about service or its customers.

I will never do my banking transactions on line because I do not believe there systems are safe to handle my hard earned money , Silly you say well they can hack into the government so our on line is just a 2 second job . With all the banks closing so it has all got to be done on line is there want not there customers. I cannot see why all the top banks cannot all share a building & have staff that can perhaps work & understand two or more banks, the public can walk up to the desk providing your banks services so we can still change a cheque for cash if needed or help in any queries we have. Surly this way it would cost less by using one building, saving on staffing, still stay on the high streets avoiding businesses / general public / Pensioners travelling miles with cash to be safely got or deposited. Older people can sort out there problems as not all have access to on line banking or like me never would .
Please cannot Which try to get this system set up then everyone will be happy. Hard earned cash be withdrawn safely instead of throwing it away to these on line hackers who will only get smarter as everyone has no other way to handle there affairs.

I am very upset at the closure of my local Nat west , I’m not happy to do online banking . I’m a senior and have been with nat west for forty odd years . I’m not happy since I’m also court of protection for my parents finances who both have dementia . This closure is going to make life doubly difficult for me , I prefer the human touch . Please keep Fleetwood nat west open and recind the decision to close it …

It always seem to be the same “excuse” – The Branch Is Not Busy Enough” – and yet when I go to the ATM which has been kept outside the NatWest bank there usually is a queue – sometimes two people and sometimes 7 (which is the most so far) but in talking to people in the queue not many seem to understand an ATM. One elderly woman in front of me apologised for keeping me waiting and then asked me for some help. She needed to transfer from one account to another but I said I dont want to read the screen as it is your private business but she the said “Please help me as I dont understand what is being asked on screen” so I did my best with my back turned and she read the screen. Fortunately it a type of transaction I do anyway so I was able to relate to her what buttons to press etc. Well anyway we got there in the end but her comment on leaving was the she cant get to a branch open (about 20 miles round trip) as cant drive and the buses are not that regular. It makes me shudder to think that instead of me behind her it could have been someone who or could have “ripped her off”.

If not already too late, it may be necessary to legislate in the public interest . Putting them all together under one roof does seem to be a sensible solution though, and shouldn’t be much beyond their collective wit to organise. After all they’ve already worked out how to redistribute transactions from each other’s ATMs. Where I live in the Yorkshire Dales we’ve seen at first hand what happens when all the banks are withdrawn and then the only ATM fails for days on end at the last surviving location. Paying in at Post Offices is all very well if you can find one of them open as well, but adds delays to the transaction.

My local Barclays here in Bath recently combined all its branches into one at the bottom of town at the opposite end of town to our local branch. When I complained how difficult this made bank visits the response was ” Oh but it’s so nice we are all together now”. So much for customer care.