About 3 weeks ago Patrick and I went to the local ING bank branch to open a joint account. We’re both individual account holders there, so expected it to be quite simple to just open a second account with both names. We knew we’d have to submit another application, though, so went well prepared with passports, address confirmations, financial information etc.
The clerk used our existing account information to gather the data he needed, and copied our documents, attaching it all together and asked us to sign the application and the example signatures. He then told us it would take around 2-3 days for the application to be worked and the account set up.
A week later we returned to the branch as we had heard nothing from the head office. The second clerk we spoke to told us that he couldn’t find any record in the system of an application, but that wasn’t unusual as it could take a week or 10 days for the account to be opened. Although we were unhappy with the initial advice being incorrect we left and agreed to wait a few more days.
After 2 weeks had passed we again returned to the branch and spoke again to the second clerk, who looked again in the computer system and informed us that there had been a problem as our documents had been lost! We immediately asked to speak to the supervisor and were told we had to come back (again) later in the day when she (Miss Beck) would be available. We were not amused at this point – what had happened to our documents? Security of information clearly isn’t foremost in ING’s minds.
We returned at 6pm that day to see Miss Beck, who informed us that our documents had been lost by the head office, but not to worry as they were definitely lost somewhere secure (post apparently can only go to the head office, and not into the hands of potentially identity stealing criminals) and that she had copies kept locally which she would have resent by fax immediately. This raised other issues in my mind – why were they keeping copies? If the originals were ‘lost’ could they be used by someone to steal our identity and open up an account in our names? She didn’t have answers to any of these.
Yesterday (now 3 weeks later) we received a letter with our original application documents in the post from the head office informing us that your original clerk had put the wrong address on the form! Not only was this strange for us to see (as the letter came to the correct address, so they could clearly find the details), but shows that the originals weren’t lost at all. In addition we also received in the package an internal ING letter from the branch to the head office explaining that there had been an error on their part and they had never sent our original forms (dated the day we went in to complain to Miss Beck)!!! She had lied to us!!!
We returned to the bank branch furious, and Miss Beck apologised profusely and offered speedy service and a callback from her manager the next day (today). At the appointed time he didn’t call, so off we went to the branch again. When we arrived Miss Beck was on the phone to him, so we reviewed the situation (again!). The account has now been set up, but still not really a satisfactory answer on why this has been such an issue… lots of apologies but not much action.
My advice; Stay clear of ING as a personal bank. It’s not worth the trouble.