Comments on: NatWest: a very poor bank, indeed http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/ Temporarily Torontonian Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:01:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: . http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-83045 . Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:42:15 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-83045 <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/23/barclays-terrible-ba.html" title="Barclay's terrible bank-security - Boing Boing" rel="nofollow">Barclay's terrible bank-security</a> By Cory Doctorow Security expert Ben "OpenSSL" Laurie went into a Barclay's bank to transfer a large sum of money ("enough money to fund a small country") and discovered an incredibly lax, brittle security system that focused on meeting compliance requirements instead of keeping deposits safe. I'm in the process of switching from Barclay's to the Co-Op, after years of frustration, insane fees, and terrible service. The Co-Op has its own security issues (they won't let you use random passwords, instead forcing you to use much-more-easily hacked passwords that contain no repeated characters) but they're nowhere near as bad as Barclay's. Barclay’s terrible bank-security
By Cory Doctorow

Security expert Ben “OpenSSL” Laurie went into a Barclay’s bank to transfer a large sum of money (“enough money to fund a small country”) and discovered an incredibly lax, brittle security system that focused on meeting compliance requirements instead of keeping deposits safe. I’m in the process of switching from Barclay’s to the Co-Op, after years of frustration, insane fees, and terrible service. The Co-Op has its own security issues (they won’t let you use random passwords, instead forcing you to use much-more-easily hacked passwords that contain no repeated characters) but they’re nowhere near as bad as Barclay’s.

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-15707 Milan Fri, 18 May 2007 16:22:24 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-15707 A new lot of reputation cleansers seem to be at work. 'Discovery One' Their web portal can be seen <a href="http://81.19.183.7/fcgi/discoveryone.fcgi" rel="nofollow">here</a> A new lot of reputation cleansers seem to be at work.

‘Discovery One’

Their web portal can be seen here

]]> By: a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » When only the high-carbon option works http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-12558 a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » When only the high-carbon option works Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:01:08 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-12558 [...] were Eurostar’s or NatWest’s fault. In the latter case, they have sunk even deeper in my estimation. In the former case, they lost a customer because their web interface is unreliable. It failed at [...] [...] were Eurostar’s or NatWest’s fault. In the latter case, they have sunk even deeper in my estimation. In the former case, they lost a customer because their web interface is unreliable. It failed at [...]

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-12008 Anonymous Thu, 22 Mar 2007 18:31:28 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-12008 BBC hidden-camera investigation discovers that big banks are open and honest, run purely in the customer's interest. Just kidding -- <a href="http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=442452007" rel="nofollow">they're screwing you like a whore at happy hour</a> BBC hidden-camera investigation discovers that big banks are open and honest, run purely in the customer’s interest. Just kidding — they’re screwing you like a whore at happy hour

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-10401 Milan Sun, 25 Feb 2007 13:34:18 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-10401 I have a cheque from Canada for about $300. Much as I hate to pay Natwest $23.91 to process it (at a poor exchange rate), it seems a better option than mailing it to Vancouver, having one my parents deposit it in a Canadian bank, and then send it over the next time I wire money across for fees of $60 from the Bank of Montreal and about $20 from Natwest. I have a cheque from Canada for about $300. Much as I hate to pay Natwest $23.91 to process it (at a poor exchange rate), it seems a better option than mailing it to Vancouver, having one my parents deposit it in a Canadian bank, and then send it over the next time I wire money across for fees of $60 from the Bank of Montreal and about $20 from Natwest.

]]> By: a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Creepy stuff http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-3340 a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Creepy stuff Sun, 13 Aug 2006 00:49:51 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-3340 [...] Who runs http://www.vroomfondel.co.uk? Also, why do they keep scanning through my blog? They do so through this page and seem particularly interested in anything involving NatWest: the bank where I foolishly opened an international student account. [...] [...] Who runs http://www.vroomfondel.co.uk? Also, why do they keep scanning through my blog? They do so through this page and seem particularly interested in anything involving NatWest: the bank where I foolishly opened an international student account. [...]

]]> By: milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-1569 milan Sat, 29 Apr 2006 08:30:00 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-1569 Some kind of public relations agency seems to have accessed this page several times. Perhaps they are from NatWest, and will improve some of the worse things about their bank. Perhaps they are from a competitor, and will be able to capitalize off of how bad a bank NatWest is. I don't know the name of the firm, but their domain (vroomfondel.co.uk) is registered as: c/o Net Rank Suite 1c, Western Way, Exeter, Devon EX1 2DE GB Some kind of public relations agency seems to have accessed this page several times.

Perhaps they are from NatWest, and will improve some of the worse things about their bank. Perhaps they are from a competitor, and will be able to capitalize off of how bad a bank NatWest is.

I don’t know the name of the firm, but their domain (vroomfondel.co.uk) is registered as:

c/o Net Rank
Suite 1c, Western Way,
Exeter,
Devon
EX1 2DE
GB

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-1568 Milan Wed, 22 Mar 2006 01:23:00 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-1568 I've been literally astounded from time to time by how ineffective and unhelpful NatWest can be. They are worse than Toronto Dominion Bank in Canada, where I closed my account in disgust before moving to the Bank of Montreal. I've tried the "Payments->Make Payment->Add a new payee" approach, and it doesn't list anything at all in the dropdown menu that appears. In a similar vein, my savings account will not come up as a potential account to transfer into, in that drop down menu. The website therefore allows me to move money from savings to chequing, but not the other way around. Thanks for the information on other savings accounts. I’ve been literally astounded from time to time by how ineffective and unhelpful NatWest can be. They are worse than Toronto Dominion Bank in Canada, where I closed my account in disgust before moving to the Bank of Montreal.

I’ve tried the “Payments->Make Payment->Add a new payee” approach, and it doesn’t list anything at all in the dropdown menu that appears.

In a similar vein, my savings account will not come up as a potential account to transfer into, in that drop down menu. The website therefore allows me to move money from savings to chequing, but not the other way around.

Thanks for the information on other savings accounts.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-1567 Anonymous Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:08:00 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-1567 I'm surprised you're having so much trouble with NatWest's online banking - I've found it to be easier to use than Barclays and Nationwide's services. I don't know why you're having such trouble with paying your credit card bill. NatWest doesn't have to do anything to set it up. Just go to Payments->Make Payment->Add a new payee and select the appropriate card from the drop down list. Works fine for me. Forgetting to pay interest is very bad. I would recommend you shop around for a savings account - what you get from a high street bank like NatWest is always going to be a bad deal. Try some of the accounts listed <a href="http://money.guardian.co.uk/compareandbuy/bestbuys/savings/0,16800,1639349,00.html">here</a>. I’m surprised you’re having so much trouble with NatWest’s online banking – I’ve found it to be easier to use than Barclays and Nationwide’s services.

I don’t know why you’re having such trouble with paying your credit card bill. NatWest doesn’t have to do anything to set it up. Just go to Payments->Make Payment->Add a new payee and select the appropriate card from the drop down list. Works fine for me.

Forgetting to pay interest is very bad. I would recommend you shop around for a savings account – what you get from a high street bank like NatWest is always going to be a bad deal. Try some of the accounts listed here.

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-1566 Milan Thu, 16 Mar 2006 07:40:00 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-1566 Tony, If I can convince ten people to start banking elsewhere, I will consider myself revenged against them. Tony,

If I can convince ten people to start banking elsewhere, I will consider myself revenged against them.

]]> By: Tony http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-1565 Tony Thu, 16 Mar 2006 04:47:00 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-1565 Their high-profile TV commercials, which claim they have a "better way" than other banks - which they then list the defects of - has always put me off, because I always associate the defects with the banks that's named in the commercial, viz. NatWest. I'm not very good target material for TV commerc ials, apparently. Their high-profile TV commercials, which claim they have a “better way” than other banks – which they then list the defects of – has always put me off, because I always associate the defects with the banks that’s named in the commercial, viz. NatWest.

I’m not very good target material for TV commerc ials, apparently.

]]> By: Robert Jubb http://www.sindark.com/2006/03/14/natwest-a-very-poor-bank-indeed/#comment-1563 Robert Jubb Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:12:00 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/wp/?p=288#comment-1563 The Co-op, although it was an arse actually setting up the account, have basically been very good to me since: decent online banking, ethical investment policy, etc... The Co-op, although it was an arse actually setting up the account, have basically been very good to me since: decent online banking, ethical investment policy, etc…

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