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Harpenden Building Society: Savings reviews

Name: Savings
Rating: 4.26 (452 reviews)

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4.26

Based on 452 reviews, last reviewed 15th May 2026

113% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

100% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

82%

Latest highest rating:

5

Great Service Products always clear. Customer Service always helpful and understandable. Reviewed on: 15th May 2026

Latest lowest rating:

2

Put "Sign In" at the top of the Home page I was looking forward to the new website, which has been promised for some years now. Looks great. But....where is the Sign In option??? Idiot design.... Read more Reviewed on: 22nd April 2026

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Harpenden Building Society Savings reviews (452)

In branch service review

I have been with the Harpenden BS since it opened in Leighton Buzzard and have always found the service first class up till the people were moved in the just do not bit in the very unfriendly and the staff and customers. Reviewed on: 5th May 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a five-star review. We really appreciate your support and the loyalty you’ve shown to the Society over many years. It’s particularly meaningful to hear from someone who has been with us since our early days in Leighton Buzzard. That said, I was sorry to read your comments about your recent experience. The tone suggests that something hasn’t felt quite right, and that’s not the experience we want any of our members to have- especially those who have been with us for so long. I would very much welcome the opportunity to understand this in more detail. If you’re happy to do so, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected], and I’ll ensure this is looked into personally. Thank you again for your feedback, it’s invaluable in helping us improve. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 1st June 2026

Put "Sign In" at the top of the Home page

I was looking forward to the new website, which has been promised for some years now. Looks great. But....where is the Sign In option??? Idiot design. The Sign-In button only appears when you click on something else and a new dropdown menu appears at the top - as in when I clicked on the Feedback option. It's always the website that lets you down. Your staff are lovely. Put a Sign In button at the top of the Home page, the way everyone else does. Reviewed on: 22nd April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Dear HCG, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on our new website. We’re pleased to hear that you like the overall look and appreciate your honest comments regarding the sign-in experience. The Sign In and Register options are currently located under the Savings menu. This has been designed so that savings customers can securely access their savings profile, while intermediaries and other users can sign in to their associated profiles by selecting the appropriate menu. That said, we absolutely take your feedback on board. We recognise that ease of access is critical, and with any newly launched system we will continue to monitor how customers interact with the site and make refinements where appropriate. Your comments will also be passed to our Marketing team for further discussion as part of our ongoing review. Thank you again for your constructive feedback and for your kind words about our staff, it really is appreciated. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 23rd April 2026

Great online service

Account opening as a new customer was very quick and straightforward. Great savings interest on accounts compared to most Banks or building Societies . Reviewed on: 22nd April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Dear Clement, Thank you for your kind feedback. We’re really pleased to hear that you found the account opening process quick and straightforward, and that our savings rates compare favourably with other banks and building societies. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and are glad to have you as a customer. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 23rd April 2026

We spoke with Gill at the Harpenden branch regarding...

We spoke with Gill at the Harpenden branch regarding our various ISA accounts her advice was very helpful and appreciated she steered us through the process of applying for our ISA allowance for this year very happy with her advice and professional assistance Reviewed on: 12th April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re delighted to hear about your positive experience at our Harpenden branch and that Gill was able to provide helpful and professional guidance on your ISA options. Your comments are very much appreciated, and I will be sure to pass your kind words on to Gill and her manager. They will be pleased to know that their support made the process clear and reassuring for you. Thank you again for your feedback. With kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 13th April 2026

Great product and branch

I have recently visited my local branch in Harpenden to open a new Hart savings account available. The ladies dealing with my enquiry and account opening were knowledgeable about the product and very helpful in setting it all up for me. Great product and excellent experience, thank you Harpenden. Reviewed on: 11th April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re very pleased to hear about your experience and to know that our Hart Savings account continues to meet the needs of our customers. We are proud to offer the Hart Savings account to our core communities, and it’s always encouraging to receive such positive comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps us continue to support our members in saving with confidence. Thank you again for taking the time to leave a review. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 13th April 2026

New joint accounts and making transfers very difficult

We were trying to close two accounts and transfer the monies to new accounts paying better rates. Process had to be done on-line, but were unable to do this as error came up. We wrote to HO to ask them to open the accounts, and transfer the monies. A call was received and it was explained this was not possible we had to do it ourselves. The assistant was helpful but had to check herself what to do next as she didn't know. After some trying it turned out there was a problem as only one of us was registered for on-line access. Now have to register the second person and once approved can open the two new accounts. So have to go through it all again - twice, not to mention 30 days notice on one account. Did persist, but rather complicated, got thrown out a couple of times, and access is now locked for one of us. Spent considerable time trying to carry out a fairly simple task to still not be much closer. Have to wait 7 days for second registration to come through and can then try again. To be honest, so complicated will probably just close both accounts and move to a new provider, I don't have this issues with other on-line savings. I do understand the problems faced, having worked in the Finances in The City ourselves for numerous years, but this is frustrating, annoying and time wasting. We've been customers for probably 30 years, but this is so disappointing. Reviewed on: 8th April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Dear Mrs J, Thank you for taking the time to set out your experience in such detail. I'm very sorry for the frustration and inconvenience you’ve encountered while trying to close and open accounts, and fully appreciate how time‑consuming and disappointing this has been for you. I recognise that what should have been a relatively straightforward process became unnecessarily complicated, particularly around joint account access, online registration and the resulting system errors and lockouts. We are aware of these shortcomings and are working closely with our software provider to improve the system and make these journeys clearer, more robust and less frustrating for our customers. I'm also sorry that, despite speaking with our colleague, you had to spend so much time repeating steps and waiting for registrations to be approved. I can completely understand how this, alongside the notice period on one of your accounts, has only added to the frustration. Above all, I want to acknowledge and thank you for your loyalty over such a long period, members such as you, with decades of experience both with us and within financial services, provide invaluable feedback. We’re genuinely disappointed that this experience has left you feeling let down, and your comments will be used to help drive improvements going forward. Thank you again for taking the time to share your feedback so candidly and if I can be of any further assistance in this matter then please do not hesitate to contact me directly at [email protected] Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 9th April 2026

I visited last Monday wanting to open some ISA accou...

I visited last Monday wanting to open some ISA accounts. It was extremely busy inside and very noisy. I was assisted by Astrid who was very friendly and engaging. She also put me at ease, as I didn't have any idea of what I needed to do to open the ISA's and was slightly nervous about committing my money. She's a credit to the business. I tried to complete the form but decided to take them home (also some forms for my husband and son) as there was no where to write as there were so many customers and the table was too low to use when it became free. Once we have completed everything we will be back. The branch is really nice but the noise was overwhelming. Reviewed on: 7th April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Hi Marion, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such thoughtful feedback following your recent visit to the branch. We’re delighted to hear about your experience with Astrid. It’s particularly pleasing to know that she made you feel at ease, took the time to explain the ISA process, and helped build your confidence when making an important financial decision. I will be sure to pass your comments on to Astrid and her manager, who I’m sure will be thrilled to see her recognised so positively. As you noted, it is currently ISA season, and the branch has been experiencing higher-than-usual footfall, which can at times make the environment busier and noisier than normal. While this doesn’t excuse the difficulties you experienced, I do hope it helps to explain why the branch felt uncharacteristically busy on the day of your visit. Thank you also for your feedback about the practicalities within the branch, including the limited writing space during busy periods. This is helpful insight, and we will take it on board as we look at ways to improve the experience for our customers. We very much look forward to welcoming you back once you’ve completed the forms, and we hope your next visit will be a calmer and more comfortable one. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 8th April 2026

Registering a Trust account.

I wanted to register my father’s Trust account. Easy to fill in the online form but it did ask for the account number which it rejected as not long enough. I entered the Roll number which it accepted. I hope that was correct. Reviewed on: 1st April 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Dear Gill, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave this feedback. I’m pleased to hear you found the online form easy to complete. The form is designed to request the standard UK account number length of eight digits, which is why a shorter number would not be accepted. For accounts such as Trust or roll number–based accounts, entering the roll number is usually the correct approach, so thank you for highlighting this. If you’d like me to check that everything has been received correctly, please feel free to contact me privately at [email protected] and I’ll be happy to look into this with the team for you. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 2nd April 2026

Lacking in Customer Service

Went into branch to ask for a Cash ISA to be transferred in to Harpenden BS. Just given a form to fill in, no help or real engagement. Meanwhile, someone dressed in casual clothing who was busy playing with his iPad turned out to be staff. Not sure what he was doing but it wasn't helping customers. Given no receipt or copy of the application form when handed in. Next a few days laterwas an email from Harpenden BS saying attachment enclosed - it wasn't. Then, much later, a letter through the post to say Cash ISA transferred. But I still haven't had anything to say the account was actually opened and what the account details are. Obviously a society that is trying to get more modern with some online services but still a lot through the post. It's confusing for the customer. I don't think I will be sending any more of my savings in this direction until they sort out systems and their way forward - paper or online. It could be either, but not a mix for one product. Reviewed on: 30th March 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Dear Mr S, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience in our Harpenden branch did not meet your expectations, and we appreciate you highlighting where things felt unclear or frustrating. I would like to clarify that the individual you noticed in casual clothing using an iPad was a member of our IT team, who was in the branch applying a technical fix to one of our devices. He is not a customer‑facing colleague and was not involved in serving customers at the time. We’re also sorry that the overall process felt disjointed. We aim to offer a mix of branch‑based, online and multi‑channel services so customers can choose what best suits their needs, but we recognise that this must feel clear and well‑joined‑up. Your comments about communication and documentation are particularly helpful, and we will be reviewing these points carefully. If you would be willing, our Branch Manager, Gill Pearce, would welcome the opportunity to discuss your experience directly and understand more about what we could have done better. Please feel free to contact the Harpenden branch at your convenience on 01582 344204. Thank you again for your feedback. It helps us improve how we support our members and ensure our services are clear, consistent and customer‑focused. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 31st March 2026

My local Harpenden Building Society

Harpenden Building Society is my local building society, offers great products and excellent service to customers. I particularly like how they communicate with customers via email. Their messages are clear as they use simple language whilst being succinct. When I go into the branch, I always feel welcome and overall I have confidence in investing my money with HBS Reviewed on: 27th March 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Hi Sylvia, What a lovely review to read first thing on a Monday morning! Thank you for your kind words and we're delighted you are pleased with the service both in our branches and communications. I will make sure that your feedback is passed to associated teams! In the meantime if we can be of any further assistance to you then please do not hesitate to contact us. Kind regards, Jon Sweeting Commercial Manager Response date: 30th March 2026

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