Nationwide suck even more [Matthew's Journal]

So, I have to phone Nationwide (on a special number, no less) to speak to their "Change of Name and Address Team". Does it have a queuing system? no. Does it give an engaged tone when busy (so you can leave a phone trying it until it picks up)? No. Does it instead have an annoying answerphone message which says "We are sorry, but all our lines are busy. We apologise for any inconvenience, but ask that you call back later. Thank you", maximising your inconvenience, and making it extra-hard to get hold of them? Yes.

At this rate, I shall tell the Information Commissioner that they are impossible to contact, and are refusing to update my personal details.

ETA: in the interests of actually having correct contact details with Nationwide (more of which anon, perhaps), I bounced on the "speaker" and "redial" buttons for 15 minutes or so, and eventually got through. After updating my contact details, I asked how they'd manage to lose my signature twice. "Let me look. Oh, err, we do have your signature on file." Tragically, however, "the girl who sent that letter out left our team on Friday, so I can't ask her why she did so". She promised me repeatedly that this would not happen again. I am unconvinced, but have wasted enough time on this today already.

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Try writing to the managing director first. Tell him that unless the matter is sorted out to your satisfaction within a short space of time you will write to the Information Commissioner.

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I hate this sort of thing - it's a prime example of Problem Tennis. The fact that Nationwide are incapable of reliably storing and retrieving your customer details correctly is really their problem. But with a very little amount of effort they've lobbed it quickly over the net and made it your problem.

Waving the Data Protection Act at them might help return it to the correct side of the court.

British Gas did something similar to me several years back. After a couple of years of cheerfully writing to me by name at my then address, my bills suddenly started arriving addressed to "The Occupier". I rang up to try to sort this out, and was told "Ah yes, well what you'll have to do is to send or fax us confirmation that you live at that address. The first page of your tenancy agreement, a recent utility bill or some other official letter should do."

"No. I don't need to do anything," I replied. "This is a problem with your system, not mine. I've notified you of the error and I'm not prepared to expend any more effort or time sorting it out than I have done already."

I knew that I intended to pay the bills they sent me, even if they might not be so sure any more. Also, I was going to be moving out shortly afterwards anyway since I was in the latter stages of buying a house. I didn't send or fax them anything, and absolutely nothing happened.

The fact that Nationwide are incapable of reliably storing and retrieving your customer details correctly is really their problem. But with a very little amount of effort they've lobbed it quickly over the net and made it your problem.

Argh, yes, absolutely!

I hate it when organisations do that, and as you say, it's far too common.

"No. I don't need to do anything," I replied. "This is a problem with your system, not mine. I've notified you of the error and I'm not prepared to expend any more effort or time sorting it out than I have done already."

Yay, excellent! Much respect for that. :-)

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The first page of your tenancy agreement, a recent utility bill or some other official letter should do.

You could have faxed them one of their own bills addressed to you…

Did you get the name of the person you spoke to? When you write to the MD to say how badly their systems suck, mention ger by name and say if they have any problems in the future with regard to your signature, they should refer to this member of staff.

did you have a tape recorder running? :)

*hugs*

Silly bastards. I suppose it's good that at least they have acknowledged that they have the signature now.

The more organising of things like readthroughs I do, the less patience I have with the extreme disorganisation of some companies. Life will be better when the Vernons and the Metcalfes rule the world. :-)

*bursts out laughing - Elly, you've _seen_ all my emails to Roz! If I ruled the world, it'd be 'oh, the nuclear disarment treaty was _this_ wednesday, not _next_ wednesday? Oops. I guess we'll have to have WWIII"

*grins*

Okay, well maybe M, N and I can get on with the behind-the-scenes ruling the world, while you do the gadding about in gorgeous dresses and charming people at parties. :-)

Also you can do the making big LJ posts in which you find out what everyone thinks about everything, so that we can gear our policies (or attempts to convince people why they're wrong about everything!) to suit. ;-)

Also you can do maths. This would prove useful, I think. *grins*

But you could pick someone competent and write a reminder on the back of your wrist to tell them to do it right, rather than to fuck it up :)

Matthew's Journal

Nationwide suck even more

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