The GOOD, the BAD and the downright RUDE!

[Verity]

We are on a mission to discover which companies are treating grandparents well and which aren't. We have already got some of your thoughts from our survey, but would love to know more. Have any companies excelled on service, for example John Lewis, or have any disappointed you beyond belief - some high street banks may spring to mind if our survey is anything to go by. Anyway, do feel free to rant away!

[Mishap]

I was truly disgusted with Lloyds TSB for several reasons:

1. They kept pursuing me to try and get me to take out a business account, even though my business income was minimal and it was not appropriate. They eventually persuaded me to go in and see them (anything to get them off my back) and when they realised I did not want a business account, they then looked at my standing orders and said that they could see I was getting my insurance from x company and tried to sell me their product instead. I pointed out that my financial information was confidential and was not intended as fodder for their marketing department!!

2. My mother died 6 years ago, leaving my father (then 85) a small amount of money. He went to his local branch of LTSB, who,we later found out, persuaded him to invest it in something entirely inappropriate: some sort of bond that attracted an annual fee, gave no dividend/interest for several years, and was high risk. Perfectly immoral to advise a man of his age to take this out. He would have done better to put it in a Building Society where he could have drawn it out to go and enjoy himself with. We said nothing as we did not want Dad to be made to feel a fool when he was grieving, and we did not want the bank to accuse us of having an eye to our inheritance (which was of course not what was on our minds).

I think it is quite disgraceful - and I recently heard an edition of Moneybox Live on Radio 4 which pursued much the same topic and sadly it seems to be a common practice.

[plantaholic]

Lloyds TSB is our bank and I went in there to bank a cheque for a reasonable amount and the very nice lady at the counter said what are you going to do with it as it is a lot just to put into your current a/c, I should have said "I am going to spend it". The next thing I knew I was being invited to go into the manager's office (husband sitting in the car outside). I refused and said we had our own financial adviser and my husband would be dealing with it. They still phoned in the afternoon and spoke to my husband. I have a friend who worked at Lloyds and she said they have to do this and would get in trouble if they didn't. I really object to this kind of hassle, it is no better than people ringing you up to sell double glazing. My a/c is with Alliance and Leicester, no pressure there.

[Granny Goggins]

We are in the lucky position of having an accountant for a S-I-L. So all finacial advice is taken through him where to invest and where not, free financial advice on tap.When we paid off our mortgage 10 years ago we decided to keep paying into the endowment which means a nice little nest age in another 3 years,which we will invest on his advice.

[oldfashionedgranny]

I hate any kind of cold calling. If I'm interested in finding out about a company's products, I'll call them - I don't want a total stranger ringing my home number and disturbing my domestic peace and quiet by trying to sell me a new kitchen, double glazing etc. But the calls I really hate are the ones that start "I don't know if you've made a will". My husband used to be in the legal profession and really objects to this sort of ambulance-chasing and so do I. We're registered with the Telephone Preference Service but that doesn't always put people off.

[Jane Jackson]

I hate junk mail, have decided to put the recycling box outside the front door and to ask the postman just to put it straight in. That way cutting out the middle man!!!!!

[Jane Jackson]

Actually, this thread prompted me to email a garden centre we were in recently, to say how brilliant their staff were.
We are quick to criticise but no so quick to praise.
When did you last write to a company/shop etc to say how good their customer service is?

Jane

[Enid]

We've just spent a night at The Packhorse Inn in New Mills, Derbyshire with a dinner last evening for four of us. Fantastic service, setting and very fair pricing. Couldn't recommend it more highly.

[plantaholic]

Cold calling is deffinitely on the top of my hate list. We get quite a few international calls about 2.00 p.m., I don't answer those, because they ring lots of numbers at once. Hate it!!!! I do congratulate people when I get good service in shops etc and I wrote to the hospital who treated me when I broke my femur to let them know how pleased I was with the care I had. Since I have become a senior citizen I have more confidence to complain about bad food or service.

[Aggie]

We get the plastic window /double glazing calls .................. we are working in your area and would like to visit you to give you a free estimate .............. I usually string them along then ask do they not do wooden windows ? and then rant about how much I hate plastic , one even said he agreed with me and had wooden double glazing , but he couldn't supply it !!!!
I think the same poor chap must have got me twice cos he said oh you don't like pvc , and hung up when i started talking