[arista]

Over 1, 200 jobs now at risk


This is not brexit
this is all banks have closed branches
now its the Spanish owned bank's turn
They bough out all the Abbey Nationals


https://news.sky.com/story/santander...-risk-11615175

[Livia]

I already have to drive 25 miles to my local branch. A fifty mile round trip. Ridiculous.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Livia

I already have to drive 25 miles to my local branch. A fifty mile round trip. Ridiculous.

Is that branch going to close , though?

[Livia]

Originally Posted by arista

Is that branch going to close , though?

Don't know... It's Norwich. Let me have a Google.

EDIT: Oh dear, Norwich St Stephen's Street set to close. Time to change banks.

They've convinced so many people to use Internet and telephone banking so they can close branches.

[arista]

Closure programme (some of the first to go)

The closures start on 25 April when branches at
Bathgate,
Bideford,
Clitheroe,
Corby,
Eastcote,
Helensburgh,
Oakham
and two in London will shut their doors.

The shut down programme will continue throughout the year
with the last of the planned closures hitting branches in
Edinburgh,
Guildford,
London,
Norwich
and Nottingham on 12 December

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46972632

[arista]

Originally Posted by Livia

Don't know... It's Norwich. Let me have a Google.

EDIT: Oh dear, Norwich St Stephen's Street set to close. Time to change banks.

They've convinced so many people to use Internet and telephone banking so they can close branches.

Yes all banks are doing that
It is nasty

[Livia]

Originally Posted by arista

Yes all banks are doing that
It is nasty

And yet, when I worked with MPs, the horror-stories I heard at surgeries from constituents convinced me not to use Internet banking. I heard of people who lost everything and the banks refused to help them. And it seems there's little or no comeback on the fraudsters. You'd think the banks would have got together to fight it, seeing as they are so keen on everyone doing their banking on the Internet, but... no.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Livia

And yet, when I worked with MPs, the horror-stories I heard at surgeries from constituents convinced me not to use Internet banking. I heard of people who lost everything and the banks refused to help them. And it seems there's little or no comeback on the fraudsters. You'd think the banks would have got together to fight it, seeing as they are so keen on everyone doing their banking on the Internet, but... no.

Yes it can not be forced on us.
Going to a Bank is still legal

[Livia]

Originally Posted by arista

Yes it can not be forced on us.
Going to a Bank is still legal

Nat West have closed in my local market town and once a week they send a van. Hardly the same thing.

I always thought it would make sense for banks to pool their resources, take one building and have each bank represented by one window for people who want to do business face to face.

[Toy Soldier]

To be fair more and more people choose online banking for convenience and that trend will only increase as time goes by... and it's not viable to keep branches open for smaller and smaller numbers. The same thing is happening across all retail (yes, in-branch banking is classed as retail) and it's a huge problem for employment, and for high streets, but it is what it is and it's not going to change so the solutions have to be more out of the box than "just keep things as they are".

However... with it being harder and harder to find a branch to go to, they really DO need to improve the quality and availability of (competent!) telephone and live chat operatives. Sometimes you have a complicated banking situation and need to talk to a human being - and one that has the ability (and authority) to actually DO something, not minimum wage call centre staff who need to ask their supervisor for permission to piss.

There should also at the very least always be a large branch for each bank in every major city. With the UK being small and densely populated that at least means there's usually a physical branch within an hour away unless you live in the middle of nowhere.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

To be fair more and more people choose online banking for convenience and that trend will only increase as time goes by... and it's not viable to keep branches open for smaller and smaller numbers. The same thing is happening across all retail (yes, in-branch banking is classed as retail) and it's a huge problem for employment, and for high streets, but it is what it is and it's not going to change so the solutions have to be more out of the box than "just keep things as they are".

However... with it being harder and harder to find a branch to go to, they really DO need to improve the quality and availability of (competent!) telephone and live chat operatives. Sometimes you have a complicated banking situation and need to talk to a human being - and one that has the ability (and authority) to actually DO something, not minimum wage call centre staff who need to ask their supervisor for permission to piss.

There should also at the very least always be a large branch for each bank in every major city. With the UK being small and densely populated that at least means there's usually a physical branch within an hour away unless you live in the middle of nowhere.

Yes that should be made law

[arista]

https://news.sky.com/story/santander...-risk-11615175

Mega long list of Santander branch closing above link


Include 2 in Glasgow
Glasgow - Forge Shopping Centre
Glasgow - Springburn Shopping Centre

And 2 in Edinburgh
Edinburgh - Leith Walk
Edinburgh - Morningside Road


And 2 in Birmingham
Birmingham - New Street
Birmingham - Acocks Green

[Livia]

Looks like I'll have a choice between King's Lynn (90 mile round trip) and Great Yarmouth (70 mile round trip). What a terrible bloody inconvenience I'm definitely closing my accounts.