Natwest to close 197 branches, 5 in Sheffield.

[feargal]

The Natwest in the City Centre is awful now - you are greeted by a gatekeeper whose sole job appears to be stopping you seeing a real-life person, and instead funnelling you to a machine.  I needed to pay a cheque into an account which is not mine, and doesn't have a card associated.  The member of staff wouldn't even let me explain properly, and insisted on me using a machine, with my own card.  I ended up paying a cheque in someone else's name into my own account, which then cleared (well done on that level of security!).  I then had to transfer those funds via online banking... what a joke! 

[Janus]

34 minutes ago, feargal said:

The Natwest in the City Centre is awful now - you are greeted by a gatekeeper whose sole job appears to be stopping you seeing a real-life person, and instead funnelling you to a machine.  I needed to pay a cheque into an account which is not mine, and doesn't have a card associated.  The member of staff wouldn't even let me explain properly, and insisted on me using a machine, with my own card.  I ended up paying a cheque in someone else's name into my own account, which then cleared (well done on that level of security!).  I then had to transfer those funds via online banking... what a joke! 

That's a bit unusual.

[feargal]

3 hours ago, Janus said:

That's a bit unusual.

Not half!  I expected to get a notification that the payees didn't match either from the machine (which I've had before), or once it had gone through clearing.  Nothing!  Luckily I'm not a scamster or a money launderer...   To clarify as well, the name on the cheque was totally different to mine, so not the same surname, or a named child, etc.

[GinTreeS7]

I take it the one at Hunter Bar roundabout will still be there?

 

[Fudbeer]

20 hours ago, GinTreeS7 said:

I take it the one at Hunter Bar roundabout will still be there?

 

Considering it’s only open 5 hours a day and closed Saturday would not bet on it.

[Janus]

I suppose reducing the business hours keeps the overheads lower.

The NatWest in Rotherham closes at 3pm at the moment due to covid.  

 

If the option was close down or open for  reduced hrs , I would prefer a  bank to stay. I imagine that they would still have to pay the same amount for business rates even if only open for 3 hrs per day?  Too many businesses have left the high St  in many towns.

 

 

[redruby]

On 16/11/2020 at 09:43, feargal said:

The Natwest in the City Centre is awful now - you are greeted by a gatekeeper whose sole job appears to be stopping you seeing a real-life person, and instead funnelling you to a machine.  I needed to pay a cheque into an account which is not mine, and doesn't have a card associated.  The member of staff wouldn't even let me explain properly, and insisted on me using a machine, with my own card.  I ended up paying a cheque in someone else's name into my own account, which then cleared (well done on that level of security!).  I then had to transfer those funds via online banking... what a joke! 

I don’t bank with them but a couple of times I went just to withdraw cash from a machine inside that branch. The gatekeeper still tried to stop me to ask what I wanted😂. I’ve not bothered going there in there since for the cash machine  as it’s a bit annoying.

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by redruby

[mikeG]

Around 1964/5, I opened and ran Barclays sub-branches at Banner Cross and Meadowhead.  I don't know if they've survived but I rather doubt it.

 

 

 

 

[Jeffrey Shaw]

4 hours ago, mikeG said:

Around 1964/5, I opened and ran Barclays sub-branches at Banner Cross and Meadowhead.  I don't know if they've survived but I rather doubt it.

 

 

 

 

Banner Cross closed a few weeks ago after being gradually run down to just three mornings a week.