25 August, 2009 
Eleven days have passed since Abbey stopped our bank accounts because of suspicious activity.
Has Abbey set up new accounts for us?
Has Abbey supplied us with new cards?
Has Abbey updated us as to when we can expect to get access to our money?
Has Abbey contacted us since 19 August?
The answer continues to be “no” to all of those.
We can’t even take our money out and move it to another bank.
Isn’t it amazing that, in this age of instant electronic communication and databases that know everything, it takes even longer than before to set up a bank account, close down another, and shift money from one to the other?
GOOD GRIEF!!!!!
My account was up and running within 3 days after making contact with the bank, the new account being set up as I spoke to the investigator on the phone!
I was also told if I required any cash to go to a branch of HSBC and a phone call will need to made and I needed to show some identification, but the cash would be available upon proof of ID.
I am in awe that you can keep going without access to your money. If it was me… I would have seen my mortgage going bouncing off into the sunset.
I hope it gets straightened out soon.
We can scrape by as we don’t spend much money on a week by week basis. The main concerns are those things that have to be done electronically because organisations no longer accept cash—the mortgage, various insurance policies, council tax, utilities and the like. Also, the Other Half’s salary is paid electronically and there’s no option to paid in cash. There are also a number of croft-related bills that can be paid by cash but our float is very low at the moment due to pig sales falling through.
Tell them you will be handing it to the bank ombusman and claim compensation for your problems. It may work and worth a try.
The Financial Ombudsman Service will not get involved until eight weeks have passed from the time you’ve started a complaint with business providing a financial service.
Have you started tweeting about them yet?
You want me on Twitter as well?
I try to update the blog several times a week, do one or two posts on Facebook, do one or two posts on a couple of forums, and answer 10-15 emails a day (I actually receive 30-50 but can’t answer them all).
I also have to work the croft, look after the boys, do as much domestic work as possible, keep on top of the domestic and croft budgets and do all the paperwork. Oh, and give the OH an occasional hug…
Heh. No, not suggesting yet another ongoing project. But it seems like I’m reading about more and more businesses that pay attention to what’s tweeted about them–seems like it’s a way that dissatisfied customers have managed to get themselves heard.
And still nothing from Abbey.