A load of bankers

[Critique]

Ooh, I haven't seen £5 notes in a cashpoint for years either! However, that might be because I have had a rather 'sheltered' experience when it comes to cashpoints. You used to always hear of people who's accounts were fiddled with who had used to the cashpoint outside the Co-op, etc, so I usually just go to the cashpoint inside Barclays.

I never realised you could pay money into your account using one of the special machines in Barclays, until quite recently. There was me, with my 'paying in' slip all that time, before I noticed that you could deposit money into your account without it. Although, the machine doesn't recognise the money half the time, and spits it out again quite quickly. It also beeps very loudly whilst you're inserting the money, because the note entry hole is open. This is annoying.

[Pete]

I never realised you could pay money into your account using one of the special machines in Barclays, until quite recently. There was me, with my 'paying in' slip all that time, before I noticed that you could deposit money into your account without it. Although, the machine doesn't recognise the money half the time, and spits it out again quite quickly. It also beeps very loudly whilst you're inserting the money, because the note entry hole is open. This is annoying.

I didn't realise until recently that you could put envelopes with cheques and cash into normal ATMs

[bilky asko]

I haven't seen a £5 Cashpoint where I live for a good few years!

The banks made a commitment to stock fivers in the machines for the benefit of those with less than a tenner (and more than a fiver, obviously), left in their accounts. That's why giving them away to people asking for £10+ is mental, and makes a mockery of their reintroduction.

I thought they were introduced to get more fivers into circulation, and not have them tatty as hell.

I bank with HSBC, because my mum's friend used to work for them - hence why all my letters from them used to have Master in the title until I changed it at 16.

I had an opportunity to change when I got my student account - however, their overdraft limits are wonderfully high (measured by any credit rating you may have, and how long you've been with the bank). The staff at the bank the account is situated have always been wonderfully helpful - insisting I get a credit card with my student account, for example, to establish a credit rating, but not spend on it unless there was a dire emergency. The Hull Jameson Street branch (one of these primarily business branches) were rather helpful in issuing me a cheque book and adding an address to my account.

My friend is with Halifax (the banks are neighbours on Jameson Street), and always takes an age in the queues for the enquiry podium or the counters - which was annoying for him when the people at the counter couldn't help him get a cheque book for his student account, and then only to be told after 10 or 15 more minutes that they don't issue cheque books for student accounts. The only plus point of them is ATM depositing, which was of no use when his local branch closed.

Basically, HSBC have been wonderful to deal with.

EDIT: I had a Springboard savings book with Yorkshire Bank when I was at school - I think it was transferred to my HSBC account.

[woah]

EDIT: I had a Springboard savings book with Yorkshire Bank when I was at school - I think it was transferred to my HSBC account.

You'll be glad you didn't get stuck with Yorkshire Bank - they must be the most outdated bank left in the UK and I can't see why anyone would choose them these days - tired out branches, rubbish interest rates and outdated technology. Lots of stupid service charges, and not a single branch opens on Saturday! They also continue to issue Maestro cards which are a bit useless these days on some online stores and pay-at-pump stations.

They recently ran some vacuous adverts about it being a local bank, and a bank that 'revolves around you' - but that really isn't true at least around here. There are three knackered out branches in Sheffield City Centre, that's two more than all the other banks, and all three are done in and have the most miserable staff you'll ever find. I'd much rather they closed two of them, kept the central branch and refurbished it so there are more counters and newer technology such as the instant deposit machines - and maybe even push the boat out and consider opening on a Saturday!

I finally moved to Natwest last year, after being stuck with Yorkshire Bank since I was young - and though they aren't perfect, I can actually get to the branch when I'm not working and I can get things done a lot quicker - seems a miracle!

[bilky asko]

EDIT: I had a Springboard savings book with Yorkshire Bank when I was at school - I think it was transferred to my HSBC account.

You'll be glad you didn't get stuck with Yorkshire Bank - they must be the most outdated bank left in the UK and I can't see why anyone would choose them these days - tired out branches, rubbish interest rates and outdated technology. Lots of stupid service charges, and not a single branch opens on Saturday! They also continue to issue Maestro cards which are a bit useless these days on some online stores and pay-at-pump stations.

They recently ran some vacuous adverts about it being a local bank, and a bank that 'revolves around you' - but that really isn't true at least around here. There are three knackered out branches in Sheffield City Centre, that's two more than all the other banks, and all three are done in and have the most miserable staff you'll ever find. I'd much rather they closed two of them, kept the central branch and refurbished it so there are more counters and newer technology such as the instant deposit machines - and maybe even push the boat out and consider opening on a Saturday!

I finally moved to Natwest last year, after being stuck with Yorkshire Bank since I was young - and though they aren't perfect, I can actually get to the branch when I'm not working and I can get things done a lot quicker - seems a miracle!

The only thing I noticed with Yorkshire Bank is that all their ATMs seem to have been replaced in the last couple of years - unlike my local HSBC, which has a machine with a CRT (colour, admittedly) and the old NCR logo.

Interestingly, I spotted the same machines at Hull Interchange (RBS and Natwest), but branded as AT&T. Were they a precursor to NCR?

[woah]

They did replace a fair amount of their cash points - but there's still quite a lot which they've just adapted with a green adapter to avoid card fraud. Again, it doesn't seem really be the right place to invest cash in my opinion.

I've noticed a few of the very old NCR machines with the AT&T logo - perhaps in the early days of ATMs in the UK, AT&T were contracted to put in the networking systems and install the machines for some banks, so they were branded up with those logos instead? I would be surprised if it wasn't something along those lines.

[Gavin Scott]

I haven't seen a £5 Cashpoint where I live for a good few years!

The banks made a commitment to stock fivers in the machines for the benefit of those with less than a tenner (and more than a fiver, obviously), left in their accounts. That's why giving them away to people asking for £10+ is mental, and makes a mockery of their reintroduction.

I thought they were introduced to get more fivers into circulation, and not have them tatty as hell.

Its a mix of both, but the poor circulation of new notes was a barrier to having them in machines.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12668840