Abbey National Postal ISA (Issue 2)

Also, it doesn't say that the existing ISA remains at its existing rate ?? - In fact, it doesn't mention the original postal ISA (unless someone has managed to find this) ?

Thanks Daniel

>

I can't find anything either, which is odd because I thought they *have* to publish their rates, even if it is no longer open to new investors.

National Counties BS seems to be the best ISA rate for new investors with a guarantee of 0.5% above base rates until 5 April 2006. However, you can't transfer in funds until after 6 April 2006, so if you've already paid into an ISA this year and want to transfer to this, you can't.

50&Amount=1 Although First Direct is currently paing 6.08% that ends on 6th October

2005, when it goes to a crappy 4.35%.

With First Direct you can only transfer in a maximum of 3,000 - so you can't get 6.08% on a full ISA transfer :(

Daniel

• Daniel, May 2, 6:19 pm:

>

I have just spoken to Abbey's ISA customer service about this since I was a bit concerned when I saw this post.

They confirm that current postal ISA accounts are still at the rate of

5.35%, the reduced rate applies to new accounts.

I was also assured that they would not reduce the rate of existing accounts without - as per the T&Cs - notify the account holder.

What exactly does "current" mean in this context? I gather the new issue accounts are those opened from 1st May (i.e. in effect 3rd May, given that 1st was a Sunday and 2nd a holiday).

I applied for an Abbey ISA on 14th April and my cheque has not yet been cashed. If they're dragging their heels processing my application just so they can dump me onto the lower rate, I'm not going to be best pleased.

• Ronald Raygun, May 3, 10:34 am:

Current refers to accounts opened before this latest new 'issue'.

Didn't realise it was common to refer to bank / ISA accounts in 'issues' but never mind.

Seeing as this 'issue' is available from today (first bank day after

1st May), and you applied for an 'old issue' account and presumably accepted its T&Cs some time ago, I don't see how they can fob you off onto the 'new issue'.

'ISA Customer Services' number is 0845 6000 181...

Ditto my adition to the Abbey Postal ISA opened last year. Still no sign of the cheque going through.

Last year they took *months* to cash the cheque and open it. They backdated the interest to date of application after complaint. However they lost my partner's application and cheque and so she lost the interest.

I should have known better of course and moved my ISA elsewhere. Now I'm wondering about just sending a cheque and transfer form to another ISA company. Would I have to cancel the cheque to Abbey? Would that

*work* where Abbey is concerned inasmuch as it relies on them actualy noticing that it's been cancelled or indeed noticing anything at all? [Engaging Rant Drive...]

It seems that the very least I could expect of a company calling themselves a bank is that they'd be able to cash a cheque, but alas even this has proved beyond them. Naturally there's scant point in going to Call Centre Hell about it since it simply informs you that they're very busy and that presumably the cheque will be cashed when Hell freezes over or the Universe dies a Cold Death, whichever happens later.

Not that Abbey are alone in their steadfast stupidity:

Last week I received what I might fondly imagine is a reply from Edinburgh City Council to a letter dated 29/5/2003, and no, I haven't mistyped the date.

In that letter I pointed out that they'd sent me not one but three Council Tax books, all levying differing amounts for the 2003/2004 tax year. To be fair, we had moved house, but even the one book for the last address didn't have our account number on it.

The letter also pointed out why all of the amounts were wrong since we needed a rebate from the 2002/2003 tax year because of the Truly Dumb Plan of taking the payments for the year over ten months rather than the twelve months that Normal Earth Humans use for the year. Then there's the problem that the new domicile's rental overlapped the old by two weeks and we needed a discount for the new abode due to it being unoccupied for the first month of rental once two weeks holiday abroad when moving had been taken into account.

Helpful as ever, I did the calculations for them and informed them that since when we moved into the last place, it had taken 43 letters, about five Council Tax books in the name of "The Occupier", and considerable of my time to obtain a Tax book in our names, at our addresses and in something resembling the correct amounts, they'd hear no more from me, nor receive money, until they sent me a book in our names, our addresses, our account numbers and for something within the ballpark of the correct amount.

I also asked for an Appeal Form because I suspect that a two bedroom maisonette with neither front drive nor garden shouldn't be in the top rating band, and that it is only there because some witless and lazy Council Assessor drove up the street, saw many six bedroom proerties with an acre of garden, and blithely assumed we were all members of the Aristocracy.

So last week we got a "Final Demand" threatening ten percent surcharges and Sherriff's Officers if we don't cough up in two weeks. The amount of course doesn't match any previous amount, and includes a payment from me that I didn't make, which may or may not be some kind of rebate.

They also admit that they're a bit late because they had trouble with their computers. Enough apparently that one third of the households in Edinburgh have had similar mail. They do however concede that they'll accept negotiations to spread payment over the current tax yar.

Naturally my Appeal Form did not accompany this thinly veiled letter of blackmail.

Now I'm willing to pay what looks like it *might* be the correct amount (subject of course to my appeal) if they'll simply confirm that this is the *ONLY* demand I have to pay out of the four that they've now sent me, and they'll *finally* send me my frigging Appeal Form.

The question is how to convey this to them before the two weeks are up.

Sending a letter is clearly pointless. I'll have served a sentence for non-payment and be a free man again before they even read the damn thing, never mind deign to send a reply.

Calling their phone numbers gets even less result than trying to get a Glastonbury ticket that way. I might as well phone Mars for all the good it does.

I decided to try email, pointing out that replying to me and popping in a form would net them a couple of grand, and that if they really were too busy, I'd be willing to drop by and reply to myself for merely half the money.

Needless to say I've had no reply, and the deadline is tomorrow.

Edinburgh City Council are quite clearly staffed by people incompetent well above and beyond the call of duty and quite deserving of a Queen's Award For Indolence. I'm almost at the point of resolving to stand for the bloody Council myself next time on a platform of putting a rocket up their collective arses.

FoFP