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...A cautionary tale: A friend of mine applied for an Abbey National mortgage, and had a deposit of at least 20% of the purchase price. All was approved, and my friend paid Abbey National the appropriate fee. Later, however, the Abbey National sent someone to value the property. It was valued significantly lower than the purchase price, the asking price and another independent valuation. Because of this, Abbey National decided to charge a mortgage indemnity premium because of their calculated high loan-to-value of the property. My friend chose a mortgage elsewhere.... Read review

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Advantages: Westminster is very nice.
Disadvantages: No disadvantages

...Westminster, now the political centre of London, was until the 11-th centuty a sacred place. King Edward the Confessor decided to build a great abbey church here. It was conconsecrated in 1065, but a week later the King died and was buried in the abbey. His tomb became a popular place of pilgrimage. It still can be found at the heart of the present Westminster Abbey. William the Conqueror was crowned in the Abbey and since then all Coronations have taken place here. The Abbey contains many royal tombs, memorials to eminent men and women. But the most popular ones are those to writers, actors and musicians in Poet's Corner. Alongside the Abbey Edward the Confessor had built palace of Westminster was the royal residence and also the county's main court of law. Parliament has met here since the 16-th century until the 19-th... Read review

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Advantages: friendly
Disadvantages: low interest

...I think that the staff there at Abbey national are quite nice ther but I think the actual design or layout of the department needs to be improved. I think when I walked in I did not really feel comfortable there and this lead me to not like the place that much. They do not offer a very higher interest rate there, this was a definite put off because I searched around other building societies and found that they offered a higher interest rates so I abandoned abbey national. I don’t recommend it if you want high interest for your savings.... Read review

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Advantages: None
Disadvantages: No customer service

...I have been an Abbey customer for over 20 years, but over the past 3-4 years I have encountered the following problems with their customer service, and am looking to switch: - "warnings" attached to my account because mail bounced back just after I moved house - but no notification given to me; - New mandates not implemented as a result - again, with no notfication; - Very poorly trained counter staff who are powerless to help with anything other than basic deposits and withdrawals; - A tendency for things to fall through the cracks - new DDs, SOs, change of address, savings account all disappearing into the system and noone knowing what happened. I just don't need the aggravation and financial embarrassments that come with being an Abbey customer these days. If you're thinking of switching to Abbey - DON'T.... Read review

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Advantages: Very beautiful and atmospheric, helpful staff
Disadvantages: Museum not ideal for children

...Bath Abbey is in the centre of Bath, about 10 minutes walk from the train station. From the outside it is stunning and very impressive. There is no entry fee, visitors are just asked to make a donation to contribute to upkeep - £2.50 per person is suggested. A brief free guide leaflet is provided, which gives some detail about the history of the Abbey and explanation of some of the beautiful stained glass windows. There are many volunteers and staff working in the Abbey who are happy to answer questions etc. There is also a museum, which is interesting, but probably would not be suitable for children. There is a shop within the Abbey selling the usual gifts and memorabilia etc. Services are advertised if you wish to attend. You could probably spend an hour or two here if you visited the museum, or if you just have 15... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic Location, Free To Visit
Disadvantages: Mainly Ruins

...Beauchief Abbey lies 5 miles to the south of Sheffield City Centre, on a north-facing hillside. Mature woodland and two large Golf Courses surround it, and although only the remains of the Abbey exist today it is well worth a visit here just for the beauty and tranquillity of its setting. Robert FitzRanulf de Alfreton founded Beauchief (pronounced bee-chiff) Abbey in either 1176 or 1183, depending on which source of information you trust. Robert FitzRanulf was the high Sherriff of Nottingham and Derbyshire and he had the Abbey built out of his own funds on land that he owned. This Abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary and Thomas Beckett and was of the Premonstratensian order that had been founded in France by Saint Norbert at Prémontré. It was the only Premonstratensian Abbey in this part of England. Thomas Beckitt was a chancellor who... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Good online banking, good current account interest rates
Disadvantages: Terrible call centres, charge to withdraw cash abroad, lack of fraud prevention measures

...I've had an Abbey National account of some kind since 1992. Up to 3 years ago, I would have reccommended them to anyone. Then Banco de Santander bought them, turned them into Abbey and started cutting costs. The call cantre moved from the UK to India. Not a problem in itself, but the new call centre staff often struggle with English and haven't received enough training to give good advice. This year, I really started having problems. Abbey sent my new cash card to a random branch in Wales (I live nowhere near Wales) so I was without a card for a fortnight whilst they sorted that out. Then in the summer I was abroad and puzzled as to why my card wasn't working. Called Abbey. They told me that it had been stopped because I'd used it abroad and unblocked it for me. Turned out there were fraudulent withdrawals from my account and the block... Read review

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Advantages: Great Fab High bank Charges
Disadvantages: Dealing With VIVIAN ROUX

...Absolute Crap Ex Abbey Customer Held Current Account 11 years & Had Mortgage With Them for 15 years. Lol, I have had lot's of experience with them If I was to tell you that the Abbey was a good bank. it would be like telling you that Lee harvey Oswald shot JFK, we all know now that is a lie but many pople believed it for a long time, some still do, but some people still think the earth is square and that you can fall off the edge. If I was to tell you that I hear reports and reviews about the Abbey which are sometimes good, then look at it this way. There are intelligent people, then there are some less intelligent people and obviously there are some that are completely deluded and quite thick. It is like the term sunday drivers, when you are in your car and that person in front is driving you mad. They only bring their car out... Read review

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Advantages: Good service
Disadvantages: Low interest (Bad for savings accounts)

...Abbey national - Pleasant enough service, but lacks in the quality department. When I had a bank account here, at first I thought "hmm, i am getting a good deal here". For me, as this was my first bank account, I thought interest rates were reasonable. Then I looked around and saw that other building societies were offering a higher interest amount. Therefore, I changed to Nationwide. Overall - From my own knowledge, this is a poor bank if you only want a savings account, but from others, they are ok for mortages.... Read review

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Advantages: Nationwide - speed and ease Abbey - facilities
Disadvantages: Reverse of advantages

...I have two bank accounts, one with Nationwide and the other with Abbey National. I have recently yaken up the internet option with each bank and found the following. I find that once set up the Nationwide system is easier to access and provides a faster service. It gives me rapid access to current account details and comprehensive statements. The Abbey National account is more cumbersome and somewhat slower. Items do not seem so well set out. That said the Abbey system offers some better facilities such as the ability to request an overdraft online. My personal dislike for the sites however is that they don't seem to offer any free samples!!... Read review

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