abbey fantstic

Advantages: great service provider
Disadvantages: none

...abbey house insurance, they offer buildings and contents insurance, i have £280,000 of buildings insurance and £100,000 of contents insurance with them which is an old for new policy and has accidental damage cover included on most household items, for this i pay a year as 10 monthly direct debits, i pay by direct debit as they dont charge you any extra for this like other companys do so the money may as well sit in my account earning me interest as in theres. I have had to put in two contents clains with them which they paid out on both times with no problems unlike another company i could mention. Abbey also offer life insurance which is provided by phoenix life but i dont actually know anything else about this service. They used to offer car insurance which i used to have but since they sold this part of the buisiness to another...

danniell 08.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Abbey

Abbey National

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Robbers, none existing customer care, bad attitude and bad service.

...Abbey National is the most difficult bank to deal with. Their customer care is very poor and they are even rated as one of the worst banks. When we decided to open another bank account we found Abbey to be the most conveniently placed. So my husband and I went to open a bank account with them. They seemed very nice and glad to have us as customers. The bank was very neat and tidy. I never realised that what would come later would put me off this bank for the rest of my life. The problems started when I found only £30 in my account yet there should have been more money in my account. Abbey had not informed me that we had gone over the overdraft or that indeed they were going to take any money out of my bank. So later that evening I phoned the bank to see if I could sort something out, it took about half an hour to get in...

Mickie26 25.05.2008 (01.07.2008) · Read review
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Review of Abbey

ABBEY - You stink

Advantages: Not One
Disadvantages: Open to Fraud, unhelpful, rude, arrogant, no customer focus, terrible bank

...and went through the usual waiting period for the amounts to be refunded. I obviously asked the question "why didn't yout wonderful automated system spot identical transactions hitting the account at the same time and question them?", to which I received no response. Well still trusting (or just naive) I went into a local branch of Abbey to try and withdraw cash using a cancelled card, well blow me they happily handed £50 across the counter without so much as a raised eyebrow. I grabbed the "manager" (when I say manager I actually mean 17 yr old kid with 1 GCSE and no knowlege at all) who explained that they had seen me in the bank before and knew who I was, "oh that's ok then, security check done, me a happy bunny!!!!". One formal complaint later and a snotty letter from Abbey claiming they took security very seriously and wouldn't let it...

ChrisJJ 03.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Abbey

Getting out of the Abbey habit

Advantages: None that other banks don't have
Disadvantages: Too many to list

...hear them trying to talk a little old lady into a 5-year investment plan. She obviously just wanted to leave, but the counter clerk kept badgering her. The counter staff must be on good commission. For example : their current interest rate on their ‘Instant Saver’ account is just 0.16% net (0.20% gross). Smile’s ‘No-notice Savings’ account gives 3.00% gross, or 3.75% if you have a current account as well. ~ CUSTOMER SERVICE~ I live in a small but busy market town with a decent-sized Abbey National branch. Counter queues are always long and slow. They aren’t helped by the fact that the counter staff insist on trying to sell new accounts to every customer who has the staying power to make it to the counter. Abbey National's customer service and standards deteriorated seriously after they...

MichelleScott 03.12.2000 (23.01.2002) · Read review
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Review of Abbey

Get In To The Abbey Habit

Advantages: Excellent Overdraft Rate, Online Banking, Telephone Banking
Disadvantages: None

...and return the signed documents. If you do not send them back within the time scale you will have to re-apply. I received the forms the next day and returned them immediately. As I have an Abbey National bank account I chose to have the funds directly paid in to my account. This was done within 3 working days of them receiving the signed forms. You can choose to receive a cheque if you wish. The second time I applied over the Internet and again this was very straightforward. You receive confirmation when the loan has been repaid in full and I have had special discounts on loans sent me in the past, as they were happy with the way I conducted the loan. Existing bank account customers sometimes receive discounts as well. As for mortgages mine was quite a while ago and as I said previously I was very happy with the way they looked after my...

criple 24.07.2002 (04.04.2003) · Read review
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Review of Abbey

GET THE ABBEY HABIT

Advantages: High street, postal, telephone, internet, ATM access. Variety.
Disadvantages: Status

...around the UK near retail outlets with access to ATM when not open (normally 24/7). It is possible to deposit/withdraw funds(this can be a bit tricky and needs some practice), and obtain statements at these facilities as well. You can book appointments for advise on all sorts of Abbey products and facilities, sometimes you can be seen within a few minutes, other times you are required to book an appointment. MY EXPERIENCE I use an Abbey account for my primary banking, they take care of my standing orders and direct debits and pay a small monthly interest rate with an overdraft facility. I have a debit card with VISA and LINK facilities, cheque guarantee. This now includes chip and pin facilities. Each month I am sent a statement with comprehensive details of deposits and withdrawals. Balances can be obtained via the telephone 24...

JeffreyB 27.12.2004 (18.05.2006) · Read review
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Review of Abbey

The Abbey Habit

Advantages: Peaceful, well preseved for a ruin
Disadvantages: Can be seen from the road

... Adult: £3.50 Children: £1.80 Concession: £3.00 English Heritage Members: Free. The Abbey The Abbey was built in 1123. It was given to the Cistercian monks in 1147, and was once the second richest Cistercian abbey in England, after Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire. It was built entirely from sandstone which was sourced from the local area, and many parts of the abbey are well persevered and stand majestically in place. It?s not hard to imagine how the site would have looked when it was complete. The monks of the abbey were highly influential in the area, and their influence spread as far as the Isle of Man, which can be found off the coast of Barrow in Furness, in the Irish Sea. One of the Kings of Man is buried within the grounds of the abbey. The abbey stood proud until Henry VIII took umbrage with the Pope and decided...

Fiver29 07.07.2009 (20.07.2009) · Read review
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Review of Furness Abbey, Barrow in Furness

UPDATED: bad Abbey habits

Advantages: trying to think of one
Disadvantages: shrinking and closing branches

...avoid paying the charges, but then I have to stand in the rain, with a queue behind me while I pay my bills each month. Well, I don't even mind that now and then,(much!) but now the opening hours of my branch have been reduced as well. I live in a seaside town, and there are often queues at the ATM on Saturdays, as the incoming holiday makers want their dosh, and the branch is shut. I am sure that this does not bode well for security issues as their is little privacy to be had when using ATM's in the middle of a shopping area. My other big gripe is that many towns now don't even boast a branch of the Abbey. This means I get charged to draw money from my own account, because of the closure of so many of the branches that used to grace our county we are forced to use the ubiquitous ATM, again! I do save up small change...

ICECOLD 01.10.2003 (20.10.2003) · Read review
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Review of Abbey

Bank with Abbey - I think they're brilliant

Advantages: Relaible, Helpful, Trustworthy
Disadvantages: No paying in books issued

...account, saving savings account and ISA account ? so again if I need to do this it saves time logging onto the web. They always issue receipts for your records as well. You can also pay money into your account via the cash machine but only at a cash machine that is linked to the branch. Some BP garages have Abbey machines located within them and obviously you can?t pay money into these but you can at the branch cash machines. The cheques are processed the next day however so take a day longer to clear. This is however a brilliant invention if the queues are massive and I haven?t got time to stand in them. You can also view your last 10 transactions or print them at no cost to yourself so you can keep an eye on your direct debits to see if they?ve cleared or not. The staff within the branch are helpful and nothing seems like too much...

natalierees 01.02.2004 · Read review
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Review of Abbey

My Downward Abbey Spiral

Advantages: Regular bank accounts are provided with Visa Debit cards and good overdraft facilities.
Disadvantages: Rude customer service, mistakes frequently made, banking systems often go down, extortionate unauthorised overdraft fees.

...When I was a very young lad (about 9 or 10 years old) my dad took me up to the St Austell branch of the then Abbey National bank to get my first "super saver" bank account. I can't remember ever using it, except to make the odd withdrawal. Then one day my dad decided that it was time for me to finally stop using cash, and to have my first proper bank account. I soon recieved a bank card which I could use to withdraw money from ATM machines. I seem to remember my dad being more enthusiastic about this moment than I was. I've come a long way since then. I got my electron card when I was, I believe, 16, followed by a Visa debit card. I got pressured into having a £100 overdraft when I was a mere teenager by a woman who would not take no for an answer. I remember being quite intimidated by the sharply dressed bank workers and the formal...

killstrelok 16.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Abbey