Having made an appointment to open a specific cash ISA bond, my wife and I were initially kept waiting by two colleagues talking to each... Having made an appointment to open a specific cash ISA bond, my wife and I were initially kept waiting by two colleagues talking to each other. When called in, one of these introduced herself as Dorothy and started to follow a script, telling us our meeting could take up to one hour. The other colleague stayed, saying she needed to observe Dorothy. She never introduced herself, nor did she check at any point whether we were happy to be part of this internal exercise. Dorothy then proceeded to tell us everything about Newbury Building Society and how it works. This was totally unnecessary as we have both been members for several years. When we pointed this out and challenged the need for this lengthy process, the unidentified colleague got very annoyed and eventually stopped the process, sending in a different colleague, Bridget, to open the account with us. Bridget did her usual competent, efficient and pleasant job, and the whole thing was over in less than 30 minutes. As usual, we have nothing but praise for Bridget who, together with Samantha, are the shining lights of the Abingdon branch, always doing a great job. We also have no criticism of Dorothy who remained friendly throughout and was clearly just following orders. However, if you need to observe a colleague during a routine transaction, we suggest that you a) tell customers about it when they make the appointment and check they are willing to be part of this exercise, b) re-check on the day that they are happy to cooperate, and c) introduce all colleagues involved. This cannot have been a pleasant experience for Dorothy, nor was it for us. We do not live in Abingdon, and any trip to the Abingdon branch is a half-hour journey for us. As a result, we tend to bundle all our activities in Abingdon on that day, trying to achieve as much as possible. This is why we are always grateful that Samantha and Bridget are so efficient. Read more Read less

Nice to have speedy and helpful responses

Excellent to deal with for things that are no run of the mill standard. They are people you can talk to knowing they will make... Excellent to deal with for things that are no run of the mill standard. They are people you can talk to knowing they will make informed decisions based on common sense and not just a faceless inflexible computerised system. Read more Read less

Had a few hic-cups trying to start an ISA online, mainly my lack of technical knowledge. This was all resolved in Thatcham branch by Megan

Service was personable, professional and prompt. Documents surprisingly easy to understand. Impressive.

The mortgage advisor I spoke to was clear, eloquent and courteous. She obviously knew her subject inside out and explained any points very well.

I met Paula Jones yesterday and she was very informative, helpful and friendly

Friendly, efficient staff, savings rates were excellent too

Bought a one year ISA cash bond as an existing customer (for more than 30 years) all done very efficiently but still took 30 mins.... Bought a one year ISA cash bond as an existing customer (for more than 30 years) all done very efficiently but still took 30 mins. The manager dealing with me was very efficient effective and personable with good customer facing skills Read more Read less