Does anyone have a Post Office Instant Saver account? They have been well
advertised for the past couple of years. They paid a decent interest rate
plus a 1% bonus for the first year. It is run for the Post Office by the
Bank of Ireland. We each opened an account but as the bonus period ran
out we wanted to close the accounts.
We each sent a letter (August 11th) as required asking for the accounts to
be closed and the proceeds sent to our nominated accounts. By the 22nd
nothing had happened and I was in the process of phoning them when the
postman delivered letters asking us to contact them. After 24 minutes I got
to speak to a human being. She told me that we had not put the sort code and
account numbers we wanted our money sent to in our letters.They already had
this information from when we had opened the accounts. In fact the first
time I had wanted to make a withdrawal they had got my sort code wrong and
the transaction failed and they did not inform me until I complained that my
money had not arrived.
She said that my account was Blocked as I had made three incorrect attempts
to log into it. This they do not notice so they do not inform you of it and
I would now need a new PIN number sent to me to use to unblock it. In my
wife's case she had never received an I.D. number for her account despite
having E-Mailed, phoned and written to them about it. They would now send my
wife a new I.D. number. After a week we both get a new PIN number but she
did not get an I.D. number.
We phone them again on August 28th.(a 30 minute call to an 0845 number) We
are told that we need not write again, giving them the sort code and account
number (they already have) would suffice.After another week (5th September)
I phone again as nowt has happened. A 20 minute call and are told that they
have been very busy opening new accounts and issuing new bonds and that we
must have slipped to the bottom of the pile. The manager will now gee them
up.
Again nothing happens and I phone again (11th September) on a Freephone
number they have given me. This guy again gets his manager to fire another
rocket at the handling department and suggests that a part solution will be
for him to do a transfer of the daily maximum amount to our nominated
accounts. We naturally agree to this and four days later the money gets to
our accounts but nothing happens to close the account.
On the 12th I phone the Financial Services Ombudsman with details of our
problem. He takes note of my complaints and writes to The Bank of Ireland
I can now access my account on line so I do a transfer of most of my balance
to my nominated account. Without an I.D. number for my wife I have to phone
them again on 17th September. He says that he will do a transfer of
her balance to her nominated account and again get his manager to speed up
the closure of the accounts with the interest to date. I won't hold my
breath.
Today I get a letter from the Bank of Ireland saying that they will
investigate and get back to me in less than eight weeks:-)
I E-Mail them some additional details and part of their reply:-

"Thank you for your e mail. This has been added to your file and we will
respond to you shortly.
I note the comments that you and your wife wish to close your Instant Saver
account. This request needs to be in writing to Customer Service Centre"

I reply Madam, that is what our complaint is about:-)

Derek.




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