Whatever you do, don’t bank on them

Bereavement is stressful enough without having to deal with muppets at certain banks and utility companies.

As our family comes to terms with Fil’s passing last week, it has fallen on me, you know, the one who doesn’t get out much, to sort some administrative matters.

All companies contacted over the past week have special bereavement teams to handle these delicate situations.

Barclays are definitely in the Premier League. Phone answered within a few rings, an understanding but not patronising employee, clear explanation of what was needed and all sorted in less than five minutes, including ordering a new chequebook in Mil’s name only.

He promised the account name would be changed within 24 hours – it was.

He said all I needed to do was pop into a local branch the next day with the death certificate, which he said would not take long. It didn’t.

I was only kept waiting for a few minutes and the process of verifying it with the details I’d given over the phone the previous day took seconds. In and out in 10 minutes. And all without an appointment having to be made.

Simples. And impressive.

I won’t go into great detail about the service received, so far, from Santander (two visits to the local branch to date, having to speak to the centralised appointments team (!), two different people seen, all three of us Lasting Power of Attorneys deleted from the system, account still not changed to Mil’s name etc. etc.)

The bank’s bad press goes before them and, based on recent experience, is fully justified.

And as for BT – if the company thinks the following is good customer service at a time of bereavement, then Santander should be winning national prizes for customer care.

It started badly - four calls lasting more than an hour in total of being told "you are in a queue for an adviser". Must be one busy advisor.

It improved slightly when they did transfer the account in to Mil’s name quite quickly. But then it continued to go downhill - as I was informed on May 22 that the earliest date that an Openreach Engineer can swap telephone lines from one room in a residential care home to another (Mil has to move across the corridor this weekend) is JUNE 15.

Yes, that’s right. Three and a half weeks. And note the mention of an Openreach engineer, not just "an engineer". Passing the buck early doors, by any chance?

BT and Santander – I award you the Dishonourable Order of Muppetry.