Subscribe to The Money StopNews Feed

Browse > Home / News, News-Banking / Apology from Lloyds over call centre problems

Apology from Lloyds over call centre problems

April 25, 2007 by admin  
Filed under News, News-Banking

Leave a Comment

Lloyds TSB has made an apology over problem with their call centre number, where customers calling the 0845 number were left hanging on the line to listen to a recorded message for up to ten minutes whilst being informed by an automated message that their enquiry would be dealt with as soon as possible.

The calls cost consumers three pence per minute, and around half of the cost of the call goes to the bank, which means that Lloyds was raking in a tidy profit from all the people that were left hanging on the telephone.

Lloyds recently announced that it was looking into systems that would ensure that customers of the bank received a more efficient and faster service, which made this situation all the more embarrassing for the bank. Its Bombay call centre was closed last month, after the bank claimed that the automated system could handle most enquiries. The 0845 number would also enable customer to get the telephone number of their local branch according to Lloyds, which previously customers could not do.

However, according to staff agencies the bank has failed to ensure that there are adequate staffing levels to deal with the new system, and Lloyds TSB has been accused of misleading employees, media, and customer with its claims about the automated service. Angry customers have been left holding on and paying a small fortune each time they call, the bank – which made over three billion in profits last year – has been raking in a fortune from the calls, and staff have been left to deal with the changes with no additional resources.

Over two hundred staff members lost their jobs when the Bombay centre was closed, and Lloyds have claimed that the efficiency of the automated system meant that staff members could be reduced.

Tom Smith
25th April 2007

Tags: cheap, lloyds, india, centre, phone

Tags:

Related Entries

  • Apologies from Santander over poor service
    • An apology has been made by the Spanish owned bank Santander over the poor level of service it has given to hundreds of thousands of customers. The service problems have resulted in a range of
  • Man claims his Abbey account was frozen in revenge
    • A man who gave a low rating to an employee at a call centre at Abbey bank said that he had his account frozen out of revenge. The customer of the Spanish owned bank said
  • Lloyds Banking Group retains position in UK mortgage lending market
    • Figures that have recently been released have shown that banking giant Lloyds Banking Group has managed to retain its position in the UK market when it comes to mortgage lending levels. This comes despite the
  • Kent quake leads to increased insurance claims
    • Following the earthquake that struck Kent on Saturday April 28th, Lloyds TSB Insurance has reported a significant rise in the number of claims being received.The quake registered 4.3 on the Richter scale and caused damage
  • Repossession schemes will only help small numbers
    • In a recent report it has been claimed that initiatives launched to try and minimise on repossessions will only help a small number of people. The right learning centre for Policy Studies has stated that
  • Banks shouldn’t be given such a hard time, says Mandelson
    • The Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, has recently said to colleagues that the banking industry needs to be given a break, as banks are being given a hard time at the moment. He said that whilst
  • Winter will see more claims
    • Homeowners are likely to make more insurance claims in the coming months as a result of the bad weather.That is according to Lloyds TSB, which says it is expecting to see a 15 per cent
  • 400,000 may not get paid
    • Hundreds of thousands of people may not receive their wages on March 30th because of a problem with the Bacs payment system.The entire banking and payments industry is extending a sincere apology to those affected

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!