[Dave_3]

Finally got the keys to a house in Scotland I bid on in May.

Just a huge fix - jobs for the boys. And the RBOS is a collection of chart flipping monkeys.

Starting with the "you will need to speak with our dedicated mortgage advisor" ... to be greeted by a wee boy in a cheap shiny suit, who then starts to be condescending ... wtF! I am the customer sonny, your job is not to shrug shoulders (mostly about me living abroad, though banking with then for decades and well known to them), your job is to find ways to get me what I want! Sent him a follow-up e-mail 1 hour after our first "consultation" bullet-pointing what needed to done and what they wanted from me - never even got a reply. If I ever cross that boy's path again ....

Had to bypass that muppet and after a few words with the bank manager got onto their private banking advisors - which went well until you have to drop back into the system.

I lost count of the amount of times I contacted them to enquire what was holding them up - to be told "we apologise for that, don't know why that hasn't been passed on, I'll send you an e-mail/mail/phone call". And get NOTHING. And "charges" pop up everywhere. Things they sent "must have been lost in the post" or sent to wrong addresses.

I went in with well over 75% cash deposit, and wanted a paltry sum as a mortgage. F*&k knows how anybody starting out fares, or is in a chain !! The delays must put huge pressure on the whole chain.

You can walk into a garage, buy an expensive motor and with luck drive out the same day. Why does it take them 2.5 months to organise a mortgage for a similar amount ?



Need a wee lie down now. And ..... breath.

D.

[Dr Dave]

I'd have walked out and gone elsewhere at the first hurdle when you met with the tea-boy.

Cants.

[MalM3]

why didnt you look around for a better arrangement ?
Id move bank in a second if i could get a better deal. Think of the money saved in the end..

[Dave_3]

Originally Posted by Mallard

why didnt you look around for a better arrangement ?
Id move bank in a second if i could get a better deal. Think of the money saved in the end..

I have worked and lived abroad for almost 20 years now. This makes it very difficult if you have no previous history with a British bank to walk in off the street, as most flip charts that the unskilled monkeys use as guidance have no answer to that - other than "computer says no". Which means they actually have to start thinking about what to do ... and that usually means a puzzled, clueless monkey who just wants to forget about it.

I did go straight across the road to the BOS after leaving the wee boy and spoke with their Manager (who knew who I was). Was following that up when i got contacted by the RBOS's private banking staff. But the BOS also wanted a firm commitment that I was returning to the UK now .... something I didn't want to be held to, and they didn't seem to be "flexible" on what exactly now meant.

The RBOS private banking wing had no problem with that, saying they deal a lot with ex-pats in the US, Dubai, HK etc. who wish to buy a property back home for personal use/retirement. And my previous history with them clearly showed my financial position.

I also have quite a few properties jointly with my Brother, and we certainly have shopped around there. But this property was solely in my name, purely as a residence. I have an offset motgage now, but fully expect to have it paid off in a year or so - the biggest expense is all the "charges", which all policies have (those are just blatant rippenoff taxes).

D.

[Em135eye]

Me and wife are making our life's mission to not ever pay a penny to a mortgage company/bank. Getting there slowly but surely...

I trust banks less than I trust estate agents. That's quite some lack of trust...