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Harpenden Building Society: Savings reviews

Name: Savings
Rating: 4.13 (446 reviews)

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4.13

Based on 446 reviews, last reviewed 12th Sep 2026

86% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

100% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

81%

Latest highest rating:

5

Opening a Trust Account It was much easier than I anticipated to open the Trust account and then register to manage this online. The application and accompanying documents we... Read more Reviewed on: 6th August 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

trying to resolve query re transfer. trying to resolve query re transfer. NO facility to contact via email or chat apparently only phone and wait or branch visit. Reviewed on: 5th September 2026

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About this product

Harpenden Building Society offer savings accounts designed to suit different ways of saving.

The amount you’ll need to open a Harpenden Building Society savings account varies depending on which one you choose but is usually between £100 and £1000. Accounts can mostly be opened online, but some are branch or via post only.

Harpenden Building Society savings reviews help you find out what it’s like to be a customer. If you’ve used Harpenden Building Society before, you can also leave a review and share your experience.

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Harpenden Building Society Savings reviews (446)

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

This is a short note to express our gratitude

This is a short note to express our gratitude for the warm and helpful assistance we received when trying to set up our Savings ISAs at the Harpenden store. We were particularly grateful for the way the staff patiently took us through the paperwork with such good humour Reviewed on: 20th March 2026

Reply from Harpenden Building Society Hi Charles, Thank you very much for sharing your kind feedback. We’re delighted to hear that your experience at our Harpenden branch was both helpful and enjoyable. Our colleagues take great pride in offering clear guidance and support for our members so it’s wonderful to hear their good humour made the process smoother for you. We truly appreciate you taking the time to recognise the team. Your comments will certainly put a smile on their faces. If we can support you with anything further, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Kind regards, Jon Response date: 23rd March 2026

I closed a 45 day notice account.

I closed a 45 day notice account. I was asked for my bank details, which I sent, expecting the money to be directly transferred to my account. Instead I received a cheque, which meant I had to travel to Milton Keynes to take my cheque to a bank. This was a real nuisance as I had to make a special journey to MK. Reviewed on: 7th March 2026

Helpful staff made for a pleasant experience.

The account I wanted, which had one of the best interest rates I could find, was easily set up when I called into Harpenden branch. Tabitha was most helpful and it was a relaxed experience in pleasant surroundings. Reviewed on: 11th February 2026

Great local banking branch

Great to have a local branch to go into and speak to a human. Good product and lovely people. Reviewed on: 9th February 2026

Exceptional telephone Staff.

I would like to express how extremely helpful the staff members were on the telephone when dealing with Cash ISA questions, namely Jane, Laura and Catherine. They were all very knowledgeable with an excellent manner, and a credit to Harpenden Building Society which I highly recommend. Reviewed on: 2nd February 2026

Leighton Buzzard Branch Staff...

The manageress & staff of the Leighton Buzzard Branch were extremely helpful in walking me through the forms & actions I needed to enable me to change my Branch based savings & ISA accounts to the online versions Reviewed on: 26th January 2026

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