Reply to: Hassle getting a premier account with Barclays

[psychocandy]

Leave aside the bundled insurance and travel bits, a premier account is really what a current account was 20 years ago with a designated branch based contact, direct line and so on - they've just taken that away for the masses and upsold, industry wide.

With the premier accounts, they are as good as the contact bod you have. A good person, worth their weight in gold, a bad one isn't. I'm fortunate to have premier accounts at both NatWest and Barclays with good account managers, although the back up support teams don't really cover themselves in glory.

Jessica - 150K income for Natwest one isn't it? I dont qualify for that one.... ;-)

See what you say about the changes but once you've experienced the donuts who answer the phone for santander you'll gladly pay for personal service.... :-)

[Jessica@WhiteFieldTax]

Leave aside the bundled insurance and travel bits, a premier account is really what a current account was 20 years ago with a designated branch based contact, direct line and so on - they've just taken that away for the masses and upsold, industry wide.

With the premier accounts, they are as good as the contact bod you have. A good person, worth their weight in gold, a bad one isn't. I'm fortunate to have premier accounts at both NatWest and Barclays with good account managers, although the back up support teams don't really cover themselves in glory.

[psychocandy]

Taking the piss now. After ignoring my email for two weeks the Barclays premier manager has replied apologising because shes been off sick (doesn't anyone else take over in these cases?).

Anyway, she's had the cheek to tell me that good news is I've been accepted for a current account. Are you taking the piss? I could get £71 a week JSA and open a current account yet I'm supposed to be impressed that barclays are letting me hold my money in their bank?

Best thing is I said can I have a car loan please - this was pretty much something that I said I wanted IF I was going to switch to barclays. Now they're trying to tell me I've got to open the account first, then wait 6 months to 'build up my credit record' and I need to open account first (and close santander one).

This was after I provided 6 months bank statements, forms from HMRC confirming income etc. And this is for a loan only just over my monthly income anyway, and about 3/4 of my total savings anyway so not a huge amount!

Sounds to me like they're trying to reel me in and then once there, don't bother with it all.

[kaiser78]

Any recommendations for decent premier accounts?

Barclays Premier !

[jamesbrown]

Any recommendations for decent premier accounts?

I know some people on the HSBC package that are very happy with the level of service.

[psychocandy]

Nice one Barclays. Causing me loads of hassle because I don't have paper confirmation of my overdraft limit with Santander. For the sake of £1000 od limit.

Not a great start when I haven't even opened account and they're wasting my time.

Got zero tolerance with providers who waste even 10 seconds of time with uselessness. Got better things to do.

Oh well. No reply to my emails since Wednesday. It appears they have lost interest due to the fact that I cant produce a paper document for the sake of £1000.

Really got a thing about people not replying to emails. I haven't even opened my account yet and they're not replying to emails. If I'm going to be opening a premium account I'm going to expect emails answered within 24 hours and not have to phone up and chase people. Barclays can now do one.

Any recommendations for decent premier accounts?

Before someone says yes the person may be off sick/hols but someone else should be covering their emails. My accountant, NW, manage it very well. Even if they person I email is off for a day someone else ALWAYS manages to reply within 24 hours.

[psychocandy]

Nice one Barclays. Causing me loads of hassle because I don't have paper confirmation of my overdraft limit with Santander. For the sake of £1000 od limit.

Not a great start when I haven't even opened account and they're wasting my time.

Got zero tolerance with providers who waste even 10 seconds of time with uselessness. Got better things to do.

[psychocandy]

Im getting quite fed up with Barclays rubbish processes and worse call centres.

Anyone know offhand what the tiered rates are with CA at the moment?

**** all up to I think £250K, then just a little bit more than **** all.

[tractor]

..

Im getting quite fed up with Barclays rubbish processes and worse call centres.

Anyone know offhand what the tiered rates are with CA at the moment?

[jamesbrown]

Saying that about Cater Allen they did **** up big time once....

A large credit disappeared from my statement retrospectively. Luckily I had a hard copy because it just disappeared one day. They then tried to tell me it never existed. Not impressed with that.

Turned out they'd duplicated a credit somehow and then managed to delete accidentally a credit from a month earlier. I wasn't impressed that entries can be just made to disappear like that because I argued any amendments should show as contra entry.

Anyway, caused me hassle so I made them cough up some half decent compo for that one. £150 or so in the end because I wasted hours pissing about with them.

Generally been very happy with CA for business banking, but they did lose three foreign payments in a row once, so their system for handling incoming foreign wires is.......probably Dave with the back of an envelope.

Concur on the comments re: Santander. You may not notice it until they screw up, but once they do, it's laughable trying to sort it out. I'd never bank with them based on my g/f's experience.

[mudskipper]

You must be the only one in the UK to get good service out of them.

I've not had any issues with them. Got my business account with them, and my ISA. Setting up the business account was really easy - one phone call, no paper work (I was, apparently, electronically verifiable) and it was all done.

[psychocandy]

WLLS

Airport lounge service is ace !

Had this with santander. Bit wassed off though to find there was no allowable lounge in T4 at heathrow!

[kaiser78]

I have a joint Barclays Permier Life account with my missus, it has good benefits like Airport Lounge access *6 times a year, gadget and mobile phone insurance, travel insurance, RAC breakdiwn cover (anywhere in Europe) and more, all for @17 quid a month.

WLLS

Airport lounge service is ace !

[psychocandy]

I have a joint Barclays Permier Life account with my missus, it has good benefits like Airport Lounge access *6 times a year, gadget and mobile phone insurance, travel insurance, RAC breakdiwn cover (anywhere in Europe) and more, all for @17 quid a month.

Plus £10 a month unless you're mega minted. i.e. over £150K saved or £150K income.
Not quite up to that mark for me.

[LatteLiberal]

I have a joint Barclays Permier Life account with my missus, it has good benefits like Airport Lounge access *6 times a year, gadget and mobile phone insurance, travel insurance, RAC breakdiwn cover (anywhere in Europe) and more, all for @17 quid a month.