Monmouthshire Building Society Reviews 117

Unfortunately, my time at Monmouthshire Building Society (MBS) has not been a positive experience. After reading several reviews, I have to agree with many of the concerns raised. My personal experience has been disappointing, and I’ve witnessed numerous instances of power being abused and individuals being taken advantage of, which is both disheartening and unacceptable.
There are colleagues at all levels, from associate to executive, who should not still be working here, given their behavior. This is especially true for those in the ‘head office.’ The company has earned a reputation for being a toxic workplace for a reason. There have been reports of sexual harassment, bullying, and misogynistic behavior. Yet, time and time again, nothing is done to address it or prevent it from happening again. MBS has adopted an approach of sweeping these issues under the rug. Rather than enforcing real disciplinary actions or removing consistently problematic individuals, the company opts for empty "warnings" that rarely remain on an employee’s record.

I personally know of at least three individuals who have been reported multiple times for inappropriate, misogynistic, homophobic and even racist behavior. These people are notorious for being loud and unprofessional in the ‘head office’, everyone knows who they are. Yet they continue to receive no more than a slap on the wrist. Despite clear evidence, including witnesses, the company chooses to prioritise its reputation over the well-being of its employees, leaving victims to suffer the consequences. The result is that decent, hardworking individuals who truly represent the values of the society leave, while problematic individuals remain unchallenged.

There’s a reason the company claims to have a “zero tolerance for bullying”—because any incidents that do occur are downplayed or outright denied. Acknowledging or addressing these issues would likely mean having to terminate the individual involved, in accordance with their “zero tolerance” statement. Instead of doing the right thing, they choose to protect their record and pretend these incidences don’t exist. It’s a poor way of cheating the system, off the back of victims that come forward. This is something I experienced for myself and unfortunately I cannot work for a company that operates this way.
What’s particularly frustrating is that some of these individuals, despite their misconduct, do not even excel in their roles. So why they are kept is beyond me. A few are known for doing the bare minimum, using company time to send inappropriate teams messages, take long ‘breaks’ outside, even leave work two hours early whilst keeping their teams icon as ‘available’ contrary to their 9-5 contractual hours. They could easily be replaced by individuals who would behave professionally, yet MBS seems content to overlook the issues, neglecting those who suffer the consequences of this behavior.

In one case, an individual who had received an official warning for misogynistic behavior was still awarded career opportunities. This person is well known for being very inappropriate around the office and at work events, often passing her remarks off as ‘jokes’ when in actual reality it’s blatant bullying, misogyny, homophobia, and belittling of other people. It’s particularly disappointing, as many employees work hard for such opportunities but are overlooked in favor of someone who has not demonstrated appropriate behavior. This sends the wrong message and fails to teach the individual that their behavior was wrong. Consequently, they keep behaving inappropriately and nothing substantial is done about it.

The workplace culture is also very cliquey and gossipy, making it difficult for employees to feel supported. When individuals come forward with negative experiences, they are often victim-shamed or blamed. Confidentiality is never maintained, it’s naive to think otherwise and HR and senior management work together to protect the individuals causing harm for the sake of the companies reputation - rather than truly supporting those who have been impacted. This has led to a high turnover in certain departments, where some teams feel like they’re trapped in a revolving door and are always overworked.

I personally experienced bullying within the company. Despite clear evidence and witnesses that saw how I was treated, the situation was not taken seriously, and the person responsible remained unchallenged. I never even received an apology which is the bare minimum. I was the third person to come forward about this particular individual and I reiterate, nothing impactful was done to prevent it from happening again. In the end I had no choice but to leave MBS.

Has the MBS been the subject of a cyber attack? I complained to them about my wife and I not being sent annual statements of our accounts but they have not had the decency to reply

It is a pleasure to give a positive review (in contrast to those I have given to other providers). Needed tax information for my late mother. Talked to Customer Services (short wait time), and they said they would send the required information by post. Arrived today, after a few days (despite Bank Holiday weekend).

.....need to move with the times and use the internet to their advantage rather than insisting on pen and paper and Royal Mail. I needed to prove my identity by providing a copy of my driving licence - I could have done this instantly by email (a push of a button) but customer services insisted that I send it by post - with Easter weekend and the Bank Holiday what would have taken a minute or less is going to now take 8 - 10 days before I receive a response. Do they even have an email address for their customer service department?

We recently registered a death of an account holder . He holds an account with only £27,000 in it . Because of the ridiculously low probate threshold at monbs , we now have to spend thousands on Solicitors to get it . This is the only reason we have to apply for probate. I would advise older savers to be careful how much they
hold here , as their family will get stung in the future .

This is a follow-up review to my previous negative one. The fact that a manager contacted me within days to discuss that review and my experience in general is a huge positive aspect in itself. In addition, she really took the time to listen and explore different scenarios with me. This means that my taking out a mortgage with them is again a possibility. Two slightly negative restrictions are to do with matters of policy and their impact is not decisive: they do not lend on studio flats outside London, and they look at their own calculations rather actual repayments for credit card commitments, which actually penalises savvy balance shifters. On the whole, I would now recommend Monmouth BS to those looking for a mortgage up to the age of 85.

Never open an account with this building society if you are using Lasting Power of Attorney. They will NOT allow you to withdraw any money even on an easy access account. I have been trying for a month to gain access to withdraw money and have been stopped time and again. I have my mothers care home to pay and am unable to do it. Absolutely disgraceful. They have the LPA. They have my details yet they block me from accessing any money. The next step is to try to close the account but I don't suppose I'll be able to do that either.
Update after formally complaining to MBS: have updated my review from 1 to 2 stars after the formal complaint eventually allowed a money transfer to go through and I am able to close the account. This is still by far my worst experience of dealing with a building society via LPA but the complaints procedure was quick and effective.

Non existent customer service
I arranged for a transfer out of my maturing ISA and after approx 2 weeks the funds have not been sent. On questioning Monmouthshire's helpdesk they tell me that they never received the request, despite the fact that the receiving bank say they received electronic confirmation from them and have an ISA URN.
Mommouthshire said that they'd call me me back, but the call never materialised. My receiving bank called on my behalf and was placed on hold for over an hour before being cut off.
The 'send an email' option on the website doesn't appear to work and the address look up is also broken.
Totally pathetic. This may well be one for the ombudsman unless I start getting some service.

Maybe I should have read the reviews before trying to open and transfer into a cash ISA online! As any other reviewers have commented - in branch dealings seem good but online if awful. I recently completed the same online task for my wife but into the Yorkshire Building Society and everything went smoothly. However, I am still waiting for confirmation on mine! Happy days!

Been in to try & close my account today as it is not practical for our requirements, only to be told that our account had been placed on a block. After further investigation by the very helpful lady in the branch, I was advised that a change of name that was sent in in 2018 had not been actioned & the paperwork that I submitted in December 2022 had only been partially actioned (address had been updated but not the signatories!). Account had apparently been blocked in September but no notification of this! I now have to fill in further forms in order to get access to our money & close the bloody account! HOW ARE YOU STILL A VIABLE BUSINESS?? Oh I know, by holding onto our money & "blocking" it so we cant get access to it!

Please can you tell me how activate you website to look at my accounts always have trouble every time i try to get online Getting quite frustrated dont want to have to email you and keep registering waiting for letter from you or telephone conversation Never came across a website like it I understand you need to have rules Website needs improving

This is my second one star review. Once again our Charity has been locked out of our account so we cannot access our funds nor retrieve on line messages. I was given an email address the last time this occurred and was called back fairly quickly and the problem was resolved. Now I’m back to square one, no reply to my two emails and can only leave a message on their customer services phone number! I don’t feel I could recommend this company and we may well remove our savings to another when we can get into the account!

Visited Swansea Branch 15th Nov.2023 found the staff very helpful, friendly and answered all our questions in a professional way

I found this Building Society through Money Saving Expert. They had a good rate for a Cash ISA and I could apply on-line. What I have since found out is that everything apart from the initial application involves sending letters....it feels like the process is going on forever!. I'm reminded of banking in the 1980's. I rang their helpdesk once as one of their instructions seemed a bit ambiguous, the person I spoke to was helpful, friendly and efficient.

Went back into the Risca Branch to top up the bonds I had opened last month. They were all really helpful again and dealt efficiently with another query I had regarding another account I had successfully opened online. So glad I decided to open the accounts with The Monmouthshire.

I can quite easily say that I’ve never been more impressed with the help and commitment I’ve received from a company, in this case MONBS. I don’t think I’ve ever gone out of my way to write a review but this deserves it. Having been in a few unlucky circumstances over the last few years and having certain things that has impacted my credit score negatively, MONBS went above and beyond to help me get my remortgage, even though I may have fell outside of the usual criteria for a obtaining a mortgage. Where I was certain I wasn’t going to be able to get a new mortgage and a new house they made it happen for me. In particular OLIVER TAKI (mortgage advisor) this gentleman needs this praise and thanks passed on by whoever reads these reviews from Monmouthshire. His patience and hard work on my case has really humbled me and I couldn’t be thankful enough. Please whoever reads this pass this information on to Oliver of the Cardiff branch. For people seeking a mortgage, if you are lucky enough to be assigned to Oliver, you’re in the right hands.

Dreadful . What can I say. Tried so many times to see online how much money online was in my account it just doesn't work. I've tried changing passwords it's such a hopeless website..doesn't work they send you a activation code through the post even that doesn't work. I went to the cardiff branch . They tried very hard but couldn't make it work. They said it always does this. Dreadful website.

Terrible experience applying for a remortgage. mortgage offer was accepted and despite providing all the information asked in a timely manner, they keep coming back with multiple questions and ask for more and more proof and delaying the whole process.
Can't even get in touch with them properly.
Would not recommend and I am now withdrawing my application because of it.

i have done everything they want,BUT
they are still not letting me withdraw, my savings. in a easy access account.?

It took weeks to open an account. Nobody answering the phone. Giving me a pitiful rate of 0.05% instead of the advertised 3% although adequate funds in there. Having opened the account at last, as I do not trust them, I tried withdrawing just £1 to see if it worked. So they're penalizing me. Tried raising a formal complaint but was ignored.