NatWest in the Oracle

[chris_j_wood]

Anybody know what this, on the lower mall of the Oracle, is about:

Are NatWest planning to relocate their fairly sizable Market Place branch and offices to this rather small retail unit?. And if so, are there any plans for their two adjacent buildings in Market Place.

[maggieaitch]

I have been told several times by staff in the Market Place branch that they will soon be re-locating, but they will never say when or where.

[KeithW]

Are NatWest planning to relocate their fairly sizable Market Place branch and offices to this rather small retail unit?. And if so, are there any plans for their two adjacent buildings in Market Place.

Do they have two?

[chris_j_wood]

Do they have two?

Yes. The older one with the branch's main banking hall in the ground floor, and the newer one next door with Stevensons in the ground floor. The offices on the floors above both are interconnected, and include an upstairs business banking hall that hasn't been used for some while.

It is quite a large site, about 50m deep and about 25m wide.

[KeithW]

Do they have two?

Yes. The older one with the branch's main banking hall in the ground floor, and the newer one next door with Stevensons in the ground floor. The offices on the floors above both are interconnected, and include an upstairs business banking hall that hasn't been used for some while.

It is quite a large site, about 50m deep and about 25m wide.

Wow, that's big enough for a whole wunch of bankers!

[Stewart]

I saw my bank manager a few days ago. He says Reading shutting very soon, very large building apparently. He says the Oracle one will only have staff to help people use cash and paying in machines, it will not be a proper branch. It seems a mad pointless place to go to me, the only thing that can be said is there is parking, at a price!

[C.A.Versham]

If it is not going to be a proper branch where will I go to hear about all their exciting financial products and where will the strongroom be? Do banks still have safety deposit boxes?

[dave m]

I've never had enough valuables to know anything about strongboxes

[MickEdge]

If it is not going to be a proper branch where will I go to hear about all their exciting financial products and where will the strongroom be? Do banks still have safety deposit boxes?

I believe Metro Bank do. On the couple of visits there, it seemed busy. I hope they make good use of the Market Place building, must be listed, surely.

[mikejee]

T think NMat west (or at least the Reading branch) got rid of their strongboxes some years ago.

[Lizzy33]

It's good to move to the mall as it'll attract more customers and seems more safer than the high street.
However, I wonder how much difference in rent it really makes for NatWest.

[mikejee]

But presumably one less cash machine that is available at all hours.

[chris_j_wood]

It seems that GetReading have finally noticed this. Apparently the Market Place branch will close on Thursday, January 16, and the Oracle branch will open on Wednesday, January 22. Presumably they need the week to move all their ledgers and quill pens over.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/busin ... gj-wBsTdLg

[OLDMAN]

Didn't Nat West have a branch in The Butts Centre at one time – at the entrance opposite Cheapside, where Slater’s entrance is, which has some empty / blanked of units end that
I know there was a bank as OH used them, and we end up with a big argument in there once!
Can’t remember what bank it was – she changed banks after the argument / other problems

[dave m]

Yes, my NatWest when I first got an account was upstairs in the Butts, accessed via stairs (possibly a lift as well) from the Oxford Rd (Oxford street?) I wasn't aware of any internal access for customers but presumably there would have been emergency exits. It was pretty small in comparison to the market place branch.
I used to use the shinfield Rd NatWest but that went a couple of years back

[OLDMAN]

That’s the one – had a cashpoint by the door but outside the Butts entrance door – we had a problem with that which lead to a right to do

One Friday afternoon OH went to get money out, put her card in and the sliding shutter came down ‘fast’ before she did her PIN code, it caught her hand on the way down – left a mark but no damage
We went in to complain / get her card back and they started being funny about it – BIG mistake
At first, they said it was her fault, maybe she put the pin in wrong, and maybe not enough funds in her account!
W explained what happened (and had to repeat it 3 times) and told them she had several £thousand in the bank so more than enough funds (we’d had a car accident claim pay-out) eventually I had enough and said we are going to claim damages for catching her hand - that sparked some action
But only to say it required a manger to recover the card and he was at lunch – I quired that as this was 3:50pm and nearly closing time – then got told he wasn’t available and had to come back another day
Told them NO as need the money to go and pay something else - still adamant no manager, but did offer to give her some money, but needed a £30 phone call to her own branch in Newbury to confirm enough funds…………….
I then went to great lengths to explain (loudly) we had gone to London the previous week to buy some items, and she had taken £300 from a London Branch, and over the counter as too much for the card…………..and they DID NOT make a phone call, nor charge for it – hence I reckon it was a con or ruse on their part, they didn’t know what to say at that
So, at this point, I said okay we will sit and wait for the manger to appear
Got adamantly told if we don’t leave by closing, they would phone the police - I said okay, I can then report them for ‘stealing’ the card and attempted fraud!

10mins later the manager appeared, with the card but saying nothing wrong with the CP – I told him to come outside and see / prove if it would work………..guess what, he tried, IT DIDN’T and slammed shut again catching his hand this time
That now meant him recovering the card again and apologising big time for the mistake

Cost them as OH decided that (and a couple of other problems with the same branch) she’d had enough, so changed banks and we also reported them to the ombudsman – got £200 compensation from that…………….