Certification of Incorporation

[SueEllen]

Cater Allen are also Santander. I'm with Santander (was Abbey) and they've been fine, expect for one hiccup which was sorted with a phonecall.

No one has complained about Carter Allen. However I've heard personally complaints from Santander (Abbey) business customers.

[escapeUK]

Cater Allen are also Santander. I'm with Santander (was Abbey) and they've been fine, expect for one hiccup which was sorted with a phonecall.

Well you have been very lucky then. I wouldnt trust them with a penny after the gross incompetence they showed me just trying to open an account.

They do not understand contractors.

[jmo21]

Well you have been very lucky then. I wouldnt trust them with a penny after the gross incompetence they showed me just trying to open an account.

They do not understand contractors.

Can you expand on what they didn't understand?

[escapeUK]

Can you expand on what they didn't understand?

Yes. I applied online, on a form that asked for trading address and clearly said "This might be your home address" Which of course for all contractors it is.

2 weeks later. (Everything took a week at least)

I had an automated e-mail that you couldnt reply to. Asking for proof of my trading address. It said this could be in the form of an official letter, some professionally produced marketing material (for instance brochure, letterhead etc) or a letter from my accountant.

So I rung up my accountant, and they said, oh we have sent out your first months invoice (which I had got) send them that. So not to waste any time, I rung up Abbey business line, told them what my accountant had suggested and they said, yes that would be fine. They also commented that my website didnt have my address on it either. Why would it? No one is going to come to my home for my services. I said, I could put any address on that website under the sun, it would mean nothing.

A week later. I get an automated e-mailing saying that my proof has been rejected, and that this proof could be in the form of an official letter, some professionally produced marketing material (for instance brochure, letterhead etc) or a letter from my accountant.

So I rings up again, and spoke to some lad on the Abbey business line. Who said they just needed something official, as it happened I just had my vat number come through from HMRC. I suggested sending him a copy of that.

"Oh yes, it doesnt come much more official than that does it?" He exclaimed. So off I sent it.

One week later, I gets an automated e-mailing saying my proof was rejected.

At this point, we are now a month of trading, no bank account. Remember I am trying to prove something that doesnt matter, I am not a butchers with premises, I am a contractor my trading address is my home.

So finally, I tell my accountant to write a letter confirming who I am. A week later, I ring up. We are looking at faxs / e-mails rec'd on Monday last week. You sent yours on Wednesday so hopefully we will be looking at yours in the next 2 days.

Two days later, "We are looking at faxs / e-mails rec'd on Monday last week"

At this point we are 5 weeks trying to open a simple account for someone who has a perfect credit history, and now cant get paid because there is no where for his client to pay money into.

A ring Natwest up, the person who answers their new business line tells me she will be my account manager (for opening the account) and here is her e-mail, here is her direct line number. She opens me an account the same day, I have the number and sort code 9am the next day.

Now obviously if Abbey/Santander really understood what a contractor was and how they work, they wouldnt have wasted all my time trying to get me to prove something that really didnt matter.

Though to be honest, I think they are just seriously incompetent. 2 weeks to start looking at a new account application? A week to reply to a letter? No e-mail address? Never speak to the same person twice? No thanks.

If they cant handle getting new business in a professional way, what can their day to day service be like?

[GillsMan]

I compared the services of 5 major business accounts when deciding who to go with. Abbey didn't even figure due to negative experiences with them for personal banking. I think Barclays were my number one choice with Lloyds as my second, based on what their accounts offered both in terms of value and in terms of products.

In the end, however, I went with HSBC. Of the four banks I visited that Saturday morning, HSBC were the only bank to have a business banking specialist working on a Saturday. All the others (Barclays, Lloyds and one other who I've forgotten) only provided business banking specialists on Monday-Friday. Which is fine if you don't work, but as I work Monday to Friday, it's not exactly convenient, and I didn't want to set up over the phone or via the Internet.

I was impressed with the customer service at HSBC and am pleased with the set up so far.