The last few weeks I’ve had to register a Lasting Power of Attorney at 3 retail UK banks for a geriatric relative who’s gone into care.
Nat West were great. Branch walk-up, docs checked & copied in 10 mins, debit card & chequebook issued plus access to account within 5 days. Lloyds were pretty easy and efficient too.
But bloody Santander were a Kafkaesque nightmare to deal with. 5 weeks so far, 3 branch appointments (3 weeks wait for the first one), about 2 hours in total on hold over the phone and they still can’t get it right. Bureaucratic and unhelpful in the extreme. I’d never bank with them after this experience (and will be closing the relative’s accounts there pronto).
NSI (premium bonds and saver account) are also awkward because they’ve got no branches and insist on you mailing original PoA documents - but there’s no way I’m trusting those to the post or some underpaid clerks not to lose them - nor shelling out at a solicitor to have a certified copy notarised at rip-off prices. A bit of fraudulent online impersonation will have to do here.
Nat West were great. Branch walk-up, docs checked & copied in 10 mins, debit card & chequebook issued plus access to account within 5 days. Lloyds were pretty easy and efficient too.
But bloody Santander were a Kafkaesque nightmare to deal with. 5 weeks so far, 3 branch appointments (3 weeks wait for the first one), about 2 hours in total on hold over the phone and they still can’t get it right. Bureaucratic and unhelpful in the extreme. I’d never bank with them after this experience (and will be closing the relative’s accounts there pronto).
NSI (premium bonds and saver account) are also awkward because they’ve got no branches and insist on you mailing original PoA documents - but there’s no way I’m trusting those to the post or some underpaid clerks not to lose them - nor shelling out at a solicitor to have a certified copy notarised at rip-off prices. A bit of fraudulent online impersonation will have to do here.
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