Macmillan toilet card - warning

FormerMember
FormerMember
  • 26 replies
  • 34 subscribers
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Just wanted to share a bit of info regarding the excellent Macmillan toilet card. 

It doesn't work in NatWest Bank!  Their Company Policy does not allow anyone to even be escorted to the facilities, even with the Macmillan card. Arrived for a one-hour pre-scheduled appointment to discover I couldnt use their loo.  What an appalling lack of consideration for their physically disadvantaged customers!  I hope this post will help to prevent others getting caught out. 

  • That is annoying!! Going to copy this into the Breast group.

    Karen 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi ,

    Thanks for sharing your experience with the Macmillan toilet card. It's a real shame you haven't had a good experience with Natwest and our toilet card.

    I've passed this feedback on to our team who create the toilet card so they know about this.

    Have you had a look at any of our groups on the Online Community? Once you're a member of one, you can speak to others affected by similar issues and share your experiences.

    Best wishes,

    Jess

  • I suspect this information needs sharing VERY widely, might well apply to other financial institutions too. 

    A sad reflection on NatWest and really makes them look pretty bad. 

    Moomy

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    I think you might find it's standard procedure for a lot of firms. I had a similar problem (different card) with TSB. As a result I left mid meeting to use the loo in Waitrose and transferred the money I was going to transfer to them elsewhere via the Internet.

  • Hi,

    I do think these institutions should serve their customers better by having facilities on the public side of their facilities - it is the 21st century.

    Should they open the security door for someone having a Macmillan toilet card - probably not, as it puts their staff at risk. Unfortunately there's a reason for having bullet proof glass and security shutters for the tellers, and locked security doors. Anyone willing to rob a bank or harm staff would not baulk at using a Macmillan card to do it.  It wouldn't make any difference if you were escorted or not, once you're in they are vulnerable.

    Perhaps its worth putting on the  card for users to  "be aware that the card won't permit access to secure areas"? and lobbying the institutions to provide access to loos that doesn't need them to open secure areas.

    Greg

  • So Greg, they would let someone wet themselves or worse if they couldnt make it to another facility outside of their building, dreadful behaviour, shame on them...how would they feel having had to go all through this dreadful treatment, and the side affects afterwards for months and years to come in some cases,,, take it to the bank ombudsman i say and the papers,, disgusting

  • Hi Kargus,

    I agree with you that its not an acceptable state of affairs. 100% agree. They should do more. They should have facilities on the public side. I suspect the employees feel dreadful when they have to say no. I would.

    The bank has responsibilities to its customers, and responsibilities to its staff. This is one of those cases where the two are in opposition because the bank hasn't gone to the effort to think about its customers more and install facilities on the public side. This puts them in the position where they're damned if they don't let someone in, and damned if they do.

    I 100% agree that its not an acceptable state of affairs. People need to be aware of the limitation, and banks need to be pressured into providing public facilities or at least making it clear that facilities are not accessible, so that no-one faces these circumstances as a surprise.

    If my supermarket can provide public facilities, my McDonalds can, etc then I think a bank can do so to. That means they can serve their customers with some dignity and decency whilst at the same time fulfilling their responsibility to keep their staff safe.

    Until we win that argument, people need to be aware of the limitations of banks, as poor an interim solution as that is.

    G.

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    Many Thanks to everyone for the positive responses and support.... I wasn't expecting that, thank you (I was starting to think I had made a fuss about nothing)

    I WILL share this to a wider audience, if I can figure out how to do that!  
    I totally understand about, and uphold, security procedures as I work in a secure environement myself though we do escort people to the toilets when asked (not just cancer patients) ....  but I had not just wandered in off the streets, I had a pre-scheduled appointment at NatWest  ....   plus I'm 61 years old!  
  • Never to old :-) You would have been the youngster in the Hatton Garden job!

    I wasn't aware of this until today. Now I am, and will also spread the word. If I remember then next time I'm in branch I'm going to ask them (HSBC) what their policy is, and if there are no facilities ask who I contact to make a suggestion. If we all wrote a letter to our banks I wonder if it would have an effect?

    Definitely not a fuss about nothing,

    Greg

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    Hi  

    Sorry to hear of your experience with Nat West Bank and have raised this with Colostomy Association who are actively campaigning for accessible toilets for all.  

    They were part of the campaign to make everyone aware that Not All Disabilities Were Visible and managed to have supermarkets and sporting venues change their disabled toilet signage to this effect. 

    Hope you managed to hang on until you could find a friendly establishment that let you their facilities. 

    Ian

    (Mcmillans was not mentioned in my submission to the Colostomy Association)