'The bank manager paid my parking fee'

We invited readers to send the Herald stories about dealing with the banks.

Not everybody who responded had bad things to say about the banks.

Gaynor J. Stanton, Te Atatu: I bank at the PSIS in Auckland. Great, great bank! I am retired and made an appointment last week to speak to the mortgage person. The manager, Alan Groat, came out and addressed me by name. I had not been in the bank for a year!

It has every service (except a chequebook) and at nominal cost. The costs are so small one barely notices them. Always answer the telephone promptly and give great, immediate service. Any bills that are not on automatic payment, one just sends them into the bank and they pay them. No charge for postage.

One time I was in seeing the manager and got a bit antsy about the parking charge for my car, which was in the paid carpark across the road. The manager dipped into his pocket and paid the parking fees for me as I had been kept waiting a whole 10 minutes!

Ian Miller, North Shore: When confronted with considerable fee increases from my bank, I decided to look at TSB Bank Direct. Through their freephone, I asked dozens of questions regarding their operation and the intricacies of making the change. I joined them in December 1998, and to this date have absolutely no reason to regret doing so.

Everything about them is completely professional and efficient. Their statements and literature are all first-class and my only source of doubt proved to be groundless. The need to use Post Shops for over-the-counter deposits was initially a bit of a worry, but I have been pleasantly surprised by their efficiency and pleasant staff, a far cry from the old Post Office days. All in all, this is the way to support a NZ-owned bank.

Alex West, Auckland: Last year, I switched to TSB in response to their "No fee" advertisement. Having become inured to the usual bank arrogance, I expected no more or less from this one. However, this view was changed when I rang to ask about a new service. I prepared myself for the usual loop of disembodied recorded messages. I was completely taken aback when a voice answered: "Welcome to TSB, John Ainsworth speaking." All my questions were duly answered but, curiosity piqued, I asked if it was usual practice for the GM to answer the phone?

"No, but if the receptionists are busy the telephone switches through to the managers and I was the next in line to answer." That kind of commitment is rare.

My salary is direct-credited to my bank account. I pay for most of my purchases on my credit card to gain rewards. If I want cash I go to an ATM or get extra when using Eftpos. My last loan was arranged over the phone and the bank came to me to have it signed.

D. Fowler, Pukekohe: Why should banks keep branches open unnecessarily? Banks are a business too. They are also accountable to their shareholders. In my opinion, the banks in NZ are very competitive and are providing us with technology that years ago we would never have dreamed of. So what if the number of branches has halved? It wouldn't bother me if there were none.

P. and S. Smith, Orewa: We bank at WestpacTrust, Orewa. We have a cheque account, a credit card and receive monthly statements. Chequebooks are posted to us automatically. Some transactions can be made by telephone. Eftpos facilities are provided and the local supermarket offers a cash withdrawal facility. Regular accounts are paid by automatic debit. The branch staff are efficient and courteous. In answer to your question, "Is your bank providing good service?" our answer is, "Yes."

Name withheld: If you are going to run a series on banking, I trust that for once, the media might try and give it some balance rather than just run the populist arguments. The truth is that the facts do not support these arguments. I'm sure many banks would be more than pleased to sit down with you and discuss the arguments. The slim margins the banks operate on in NZ, driven by competitive pressures, are increasingly forcing them to make the hard calls. No one wants bad PR but the conditions force those decisions such as branch closures.

Next week: Your mortgage analysed

The banks - a Herald series

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