NatWest Bank Still Failing Customers

I don't bank with Natwest. However, someone who works alongside me does. This is her view of the events surrounding the problems with the Natwest banking computer system.

I have been a customer of Natwest for more than 18 years and like many other establishments I have mostly found their customer service to be average at best overall.

However, the recent debacle involving a system error that caused millions of people to be unable to access their cash effected me directly and like most other customers I am also asking myself 'where should I move my money?'. The embarrassment of having my card declined at a restaurant recently (due to no fault of my own) was overwhelming - thankfully my friend doesn't bank with them and could therefore pay the bill for me. Of course, my instant reaction was to call the bank and find out why, despite the fact I didn't meet the criteria of those effected, I was unable to pay for my meal. I was told that all accounts were in the process of being reset and as a result my account currently has a zero balance.

Luckily I am not out of pocket, with my bills already paid and no more direct debits on the horizon, but for those who did have payments bounce I feel even more angry.

Right now all we can do is hope that when they say 'It will be resolved in the morning' it really will be resolved in the morning.

Quickbooks Pro 2012 Staples Update

Staples issued a further Tweet at around 11:11. Still offering Quickbooks Pro 2012 at £99. Guess what? On clicking on theTwitter link at 11:13 I found the product was still out of stock! Do the people run their social media actually speak to their commercial department? The image below was taken from the Staples website at 11:13.

Quickbooks Pro 2012 - Out of Stock

P.S.
Possibly due to my pressure, Staples have released an extra 40 copies. These are available via phone on 0844 546 6666, whilst stocks last. I've just bought one.

Staples in Quickbooks Promotional Scam

The Staples Quickbooks Pro 2012 Promotion

Are Staples the stationery suppliers a bunch of scammers? This morning I received a promotional email from Staples timed at 6:02. The promotion offered a one-day only sale on Quickbooks Pro 2012. The offer price was £99.95.

The problem is that at 8:45am I opened the email and tried to buy the Quickbooks Pro 2012 package. The Staples website informed me that the offer at sold out. This less than 3 hours after issuing the email - and before many businesses in the UK had actually opened.

I immediately contacted Staples via email only to be told by customer services that the promotion had indeed sold out!

The out of stock had obviously not been communicated to the Staples online marketing people. The Quickbooks offer shot on the left was taken at 10:00am, whilst the promotion was still live on the Staples website. I suspect that the whole promotion has been entered into knowing that the stock was insufficient. Whether such a promotion is illegal, I'm not sure. But it does seem very odd to target a promotion at businesses that sells out before most of them are open and before they are able to action any response.

The Quickbooks promotion image can be expanded. It states in small print that the offer is available whilst stocks last. But as mentioned the image was taken at 10:00 - 1 hour and 15 minutes after I had tried to buy the product and the Staples website stated they had no more stock. Whether legal action can be taken against Staples is a matter for the advertising authorities. However, this cheap tactic just diminishes the status of Staples as a credible small business supplier.

P.S. Staples even had the cheek to issue a Tweet promoting the offer at around 9:45. This is at least one hour after the stock of Quickbooks Pro 2012 had run out. The tweet was till up, without correction, at 10:45.

Staples Tweet of the Quickbooks Pro 2012 Offer - at 9:45

P.P.S. There is now a thread about the Staples Quickbooks Pro 2012 offer on UK Business Forum. Apparently Amazon have the same Quickbooks offer but the product is in stock.

Fitness First Going Bust?

Is Fitness First effectively about to go bust? It seems the UK's leading gym operator cannot pay its bills and is to enter into a Company Voluntary Agreement or CVA. According to the Daily Telegraph at least 750 Fitness First jobs are at risk of closure as the company is attempting to reduce the rent it pays on 81 or its UK fitness clubs. The CVA is being handled by KPMG. A CVA is a highly controversial technique used to drive down the costs of companies in financial difficulty. It is clear from the figures quoted in the Telegraph article that Fitness First intends to pay no more than 28p in the pound due to the creditors involved.

I am a former member of Fitness First Ashford. I left following a dispute. I have since seen a letter that confirms my suspicion that the Ashford club is targeted for closure. The landlord of Fitness First Ashford's car park has been clamping down on parking. Time allowed for parking has recently been reduced to 2 hours. Given the obvious risks involved in membership payments not being honoured if the club was to suddenly close, perhaps members of Fitness First Ashford should consider their position.