On Feb 2, 12:16*am, John Stumbles wrote:
Having just spent half a day trying to set up new bank accounts to replace
our Coop Freeflow which they're closing in a few weeks (recent thread
passim) I've realised one extra desiderata (desideratum?) - that the
online banking interface doesn't automatically log you out if you go off
to get a cup of tea, go to the bog, answer the phone or are just slow
typing.

I don't mind if it locks me out and wants some credentials to get
going again (like a screensaver with password to unlock - I've got that on
my PC anyway) but this evening I just tried to set up a joint account for
me & SWMBO. First logout happened when I came to the terms & conditions
page. It was obviously designed only for speed-readers, or those who
blindly click 'accept' to anything without reading it. By the time I'd
given it a reasonably cursory scan the damn' system had timed me out. But
at least I hadn't got far along with the application at that point.

However there's a page where you've got to enter a great scad of personal
information plus your 5 bits of security information - in duplicate! I got
through that OK but then they want the SO's. Now she's barely getting to
grips with pooters at the moment - can just about log in and google for
what's on at the flicks. By the time she'd entered all the info they
wanted their system had given up and gone home.

I mean, FFS, this was 'smile' (I didn't :-() who are part of the same
sodding bank, the Coop. All they've got to do is authenticate that I am
who I say I am, and that she is who she says she is, and pass over the
info they already have on the old account to set up the new one. What
could be simpler than that? But no, I expect the money they could have
used to get some clueful IT people to make a flexible workable system got
spent on fuelling some pony-tailed 'creative' types' cocaine habits to
produce a cute little pink arc that resembles a smile, for a logo.

So what banks have sensible web interfaces that aren't a total PITA?

--
John Stumbles

My karma ran over my dogma

Smile is great to use once you've actually set it up, although I
remember that was a pain. The timeout is fairly short, but the login
info doesn't take long, and doesn't require the kind of bizarre
passwords that no-one stands a chance of remembering that some banks
use. We have online accounts with several banks, and Smile is by far
the best in day to day use. Plus they don't try and make life
difficult if you want to do anything at a branch or by phone.

If getting the info in at the initial setup stage is the problem, why
not enter it for her? Otherwise, they'll have a telephone team to
assist with the setup for people with special needs of various kinds,
and being slow at typing could probably count!

A