Cartoon: John Sadler

• FOLLOWING up R Hobbes’ letter regarding the creeping closure and the moving out of NatWest in NW3, the strength of feeling regarding the closures still runs extremely high (Joined-up bungling, January 4).

In March 2017 customers of Belsize Park received a letter advising them of the closure of their local branch in Belsize Park. Somehow it omitted to mention that the Hampstead branch, roughly eight minutes’ walk up Haverstock Hill, would also be closed.

In essence both sets of numerous customers would have to either make the trek to what I feel is a very soulless Finchley Road or a bus ride away, in the case of its less able customers, to Camden Town.

On receipt of letter I telephoned its author (Jonathan Brewer, local CEO), as invited, in order to voice my (very firm) views and my intention never to use telephone, online or mobile banking as his letter rather dismissively suggested that “more of their customers choose”.

I also questioned the validity of the closure as both banks are extremely busy and asked if he had measured footfall and customer numbers.

To be fair he listened but it was clear from his reply that it was a “done deal” and this paper published the imminent closure accordingly (NatWest axes branches in Hampstead and Belsize Park, March 30, 2017).

Since the closure I have been attempting to use the Swiss Cottage branch and while waiting up to 20 minutes to be served in extremely long queues (“everyone is using online banking” ringing in my ears – oh yes?!!!) I learnt that NatWest had also closed their branches in nearby St John’s Wood and Finchley when I met other equally disgruntled customers seeking assistance in Swiss Cottage and adamant that they too did not want to bank online for their own very valid reasons.

Some of us have been customers for three or four decades. I am not a technophobe or resistant to change and I would also like to say that we complainers are certainly not all of a “certain age” either.

Every time I watch the TV advert for “your bank” I cannot help but let out a sardonic hollow laugh. Come on NatWest get your act together and listen to us.

GILLIAN LUSH
NW3