Post
by amhilde » Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:12 pm
When I got my UK bank account a number of years ago I noticed a significant difference by branches within the same bank. The Natwest in Hampstead where i lived wanted the appointment and the bills and the like, even with an employers letter in hand. The Natwest branch i eventually went with closer to work gave me the account based on the employers letter and passport I believe- but that was down in the City where there are plenty of foreign workers. Unfortunately the UK banking system is a little behind- my cards were stolen in 2001 and when I tried to get replacement ATM cards for the UK account they sent 4 cards and 3 chequebooks to my address in the US, even though I gave them my UK address AND, later, indicated that I would pick both up at the branch. They had someone in the back who received a bag of cards to be sent out to customers and MANUALLY addressed envelopes and placed the cards and the literature in the envelope to be sent out. My US cards arrived via FedEx within 3 days of contacting my US bank.
Additionally, the branch where you sign up is the branch you have to go to
if you have a problem- this may have changed, but I had to traipse down to the City branch to request a new card and chequebook and pick them up there- they could not distribute them to the branch I had been doing most of my banking at.
Just a warning- the frustrations wont end when you finally get the account
