[This is an open letter to Nationwide building society, from your customers, about your internet banking service]
Dear Nationwide,
Until recently, you were the only UK bank that ran an OFX service to automatically update the next-generation of online and desktop banking software. This support made you a firm favourite with smart UK bankers.
However, you’ve turned off this service because the most well-known software (Microsoft Money) has slowed to a halt.
But! do you realise that other web services, like Wesabe today and a host of others in the future, could continue to use this service?
And did you realise that many of your customers rely on this service so much that they joined you to use it, and will cancel because you no longer have an OFX facility?
Why?
Until 22 October, Nationwide, you were the only high street bank or building society that allowed us to automatically update money-management software and websites (like Microsoft Money and Wesabe). The type of people who use these facilities are generally smart and had a good chunk of money that they need help to look after.
Good, long term customers for a bank or building society I would think! They could also be your biggest fans and help you to get more customers.
So much so that new customers cancelled their accounts with competitors and joined Nationwide just to use this service. A real win for one of the smaller financial institutions.
Sadly, I don’t think you realise how far in the lead this put you and you have taken a massive step backwards by turning it off.
What we’d like
1. Nationwide – will you reconsider and turn on the OFX service again, after understanding that there are more ways to use the service?
2. UK banks – if Nationwide decide that it’s not important to provide this service, would you be willing to get involved and adopt a bunch of eager customers who understand the future of consumer banking?
Kind regards,
Nationwide customers
Here are some actual comments from Nationwide customers…
“It’s one of the few useful things they do as a bank”
“I don’t understand why they don’t just continue to offer the service but state in big bold letters that’s it’s completely unsupported. Or even if they turned it on for a customer if they ask for it but explain to them that it’s unsupported.”
“The banks have zero idea of what’s constitutes customer service these days.”
“Such a shame, this was one of the best features of Nationwide.”
“I’m seriously considering changing banks despite being with them since I was 16.”
“I don’t understand why a bank would do this. It is a giant step backwards.”
“…it saved me from changing banks twice this year.”
“I am a big fan of nationwide but this is just silly. Withdraw support or have it as an option you have to turn on but don’t just remove useful features.”
“I’ll post if I find a bank I think will be a good alternative.”
“This is just so annoying but typical of an arrogant UK bank.”
“I just signed-up for a Nationwide account in order to use the background services. obviously no point continuing that. (was will to transfer all saving and credit account from Lloyds after 10 with them.) Any other UK bank support background OFX?”
All comments were taken from customers in the Wesabe member discussion forum.
Nationwide customers – get involved!
If you’re a Nationwide customer or anyone who believes in web services like Wesabe then leave a comment, share on Facebook and hit ‘retweet’ using the buttons above.
If more people hear about the problems with Nationwide, they might realise what’s happened and replace the service. If not, other banks might hear what their future customers are asking for and improve their services to gain new customers.
Contact
If you want to send an email, reach us at enquiries@
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I swiched all my accounts over to Nationwide from Barclays because they stopped automated input of statements. I cant believe that Nationwide have now stopped this widely used utility. Time to find another Bank now
CALL & COMPLAIN ON THIS NUMBER, TELL THEM ABOUT THIS SITE AS WELL
01793 697596
Senior Complaints Consultant
Nationwide Internet Services
I too found out the hard way, when MSMoney stopped syncing. The sync was one key reason for me staying with Nationwide – one button, and it was done. Now they’ve discontinued it, they’ve discontinued their one key differentiator against the other banks.
I originally moved my accounts to Nationwide because of their Microsoft Money support. I have now moved to HSBC given Nationwide have dropped their support.
I agree with everything said here about the loss of the service. I have used Nationwide Internet banking since the day it started and have used MS Money since it first worked with the system. This for me is the latest indication that this institution is not as robust as I always trusted. On several fronts I have noticed a fall off in service, the internal oraganisation of the society appears to me to be in disarray, more often nowadays I hear “I am sorry you have found that to be the case’ or ‘I can only apologise for that’; these are the expressions of helpless people working in an oragnisation that is losing it’s grip. from Nationwide staff. Nationwide is sliding downhill fast in my opinion. I beleive serious cutbacks are taking place in Nationwide and at the highest levels I suspect there is concern for the Nationwides viability. I for one am getting out.
I agree with all the above comments. Amongst other things with NW, I had a chat with one of their floor meet and greets. A long standing mature employee who had absolutly no knowledge about OFX or MS Money, or the services that NW used to provide. Intelligent Finance was the top of the tree for dumb banking and now NW is slowly climbing up to join it.
Time to move my main account again!
I only moved from Smile in 2005 to Nationwide due to it’s full support with Microsoft Money 2005, as this has gone and no other method for importing the data I’m left with no reason to stay, their own Online banking portal is far too basic to actually manage your money and report on spending.
Very very disappointed!
I too am disgusted with Nationwide for ceasing the OFX service, which I have used with Microsoft Money background banking for many years.
I am not at all convinced by the reasons given in Nationwide’s FAQ.
Microsoft may have withdrawn support and Money may no longer be being updated, but it remains the leading personal money management software and it works!
Nationwide may elect not to support future OS platforms, e.g. Windows 7, but if MS Money currently works with XP and Vista I see no reason for Nationwide not to be able to continue with the service for these platforms.
I suspect this has more to do with cost savings of their IT infrastructure or their IT support. I suspect they have outsourced support to a third party company with a consequent reduction in experience and knowledge of their applications and infrastructure.
My previous high regard for Nationwide has plummeted with this decision.
The availability of OFX with Nationwide was a factor in my choice of bank. Such a shame they decided to drop it. I wonder who all these people clogging up their help desk were? Certainly wasn’t me as it always worked like clockwork.
Are they nuts I even bought Money 2004 to use the service and now they have turned it off and don’t even offer a down-loadable version like every other financial institution I use so that I can reconcile my accounts accurately! They obviously have idiots running there IT and don’t give a dame about there customers arghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
Strongly support views expressed above. NW staff replies to complaints don’t seem to understand the difference between basic account transaction data, and transaction data PLUS the kind of categorisation/analysis and reporting that is available through one of the financial management packages like MS Money. Transaction categorisation is needed even to do expenses or annual tax return reporting. Since the NW computer systems were clearly already set up to provide an OFX download within the previous MsMoney wrapper, why can’t they just give us the OFX download on its own. The ending of Microsoft support for MsMoney is nothing to do with ending an OFX download. Wake up Nationwide, and realise what your financially competent customers are needing, and why!
I am have just found out NW no longer supports Money it`s probably the reason why Ihave not moved my acc`s yet . Well now there is no reason to stay .
I have been a loyal customer of Nationwide for over 20 years. This is the most useful feature that they have provided to keep me there.
For the first time I am looking at alternatives
Like many of Nationwide customers who made use of the statement download into Microsoft money I am fed up with they way Nationwide treat their customers. Even the CSV. download only works on odd occasions. I have been with Nationwide for over 40 years. This year will be my last.The interest rates for savers are insulting. I pity the customers forced into Nationwide due to the greedy takeovers by Nationwide of other building societies. Like many others I have not received a satisfactory answer from Nationwide. If they won’t talk to me why should I bank with them.
Have been with Nationwide since my teens: just noticed MS Money has stopped being able to download transactions from NW. What a bloody PITA – Money integration is the #1 reason I’m still with Nationwide – it’s certainly not their crappy savings rates at the moment!
They don’t even provide a QIF or OFX download alternative! Their FAQ for why they discontinued the service (http://www.nationwide.co.uk/troubleshooting/microsoftmoney/microsoftmoney.htm) hints at online tools to do this, but that means our workflow is now:
1. Visit Nationwide website, click login button
2. Type out various login details
3. Navigate to the download statement section, including bypassing that stupid bloody message screen that appears most times you logon!
4. Configure dates to show correct data, download as CSV
5. Visit conversion web service (e.g., http://edwilde.com/Nationwide2OFX/)
6. Upload CSV, enter details, download OFX file.
7. Import OFX into Money.
Thanks Nationwide – thanks a lot. How about a little customer research before you pulled that one? I’m genuinely going to now look for an alternative bank, one that *at least* supports QIF or OFX downloads (many of NW’s rivals do).
Grrr, BJ
Another loyal customer here.
I use Money as it allows me to set up catgories that match those on my Tax Return – can’t do that with your online banking can you now Mr Nationwide.
I recommend MT2OFX (search online) – comes with far better customer service than Nationwide and it’s free! Only pity is that I now have so many extra clicks to do what should be so simple…
Why can’t Nationwide just offer transaction downloads in ofx as do most other Banks? Natwest,tesco,saga,Lloyds, even my French Credit Agricol to name a few.
I don’t have time to manually enter all my transactions, so will use another credit card
I have been using this internet banking for a very long time, but it refused to accept my log-in details yesterday after several attempts and a long phone-call with Matt at your Sheffield office and I have had to register again.
I was so used to logging-in my remembered details and I cannot understand why I couldn’t continue.
It will be a great nuisance to remember the new details and now have to wait until I receive them , please explain to me why this has happened.
I don’t use Wesabe: I use Gnucash. However, I found this forum while googling for ofx download from Nationwide. I am a Nationwide customer and I sent them a complaint from my internet banking telling them I had already left Nationwide for another bank because of their withdrawal of ofx download. I got a rather glib response (the usual party line about Microsoft Money) which made me rather angry so I wrote back telling them how insulted I was by this and that they were totally missing the point. Anyway, they just phoned me to apologise and to listen to my comments. Unbelievable! Obviously they are not going to reinstate ofx download for just one customer but if enough people complain or threaten to leave…
I have moved to Alliance & Leicester and MBNA who both offer ofx downloads.
If you are interested the email correspondence to/from Nationwide is below. You might be able to write something more coherent and with less foam coming out of your mouths than me!
Just to reiterate, I contacted them via the secure email facility in internet banking.
——- Email 1 to Nationwide ———
Dear Sir or Madam,
I will not be using either my Gold Card or my Flexaccount ever again. The reason is that you have withdrawn downloading transactions as ofx files and withdrawn direct connect. I know you withdrew these services because Microsoft have withdrawn MS Money. However, lots of other accounting programmes still use ofx. It is the preferred download format for transactions as it is much more robust than qif.
Your current offering of downloading as csv files is not good enough as it is a non-standard file type that I have to manually convert in a spreadsheet before I can import it into my accounting package. This makes banking with you just too much effort so I now bank with Alliance & Leicester and use an MBNA credit card. Both companies allow me to download my statements as ofx. It’s that simple, that’s why they retain my business because they make it easy for me to manage my accounts electronically.
Yours faithfully,
Jonathan Ellis
—– Email response from Nationwide —-
Dear Mr Ellis,
Thank you for your message.
The last full UK release of Microsoft Money was in 2005, since then there has been no development work done on this programme. Microsoft no longer offer any technical support for Microsoft Money in the UK. This has impacted on our ability to resolve customer queries, for these reasons; regrettably, we withdrew support for Microsoft Money on 22 October 2009.
For more information please visit our site via the following link http://www.nationwide.co.uk/troublesh…tMoney.htm
Whilst I understand that other packages may chose the Microsoft file format, we have never provided support for those packages. It is also worth noting that in order for us to provide our Money service we needed to run a MS Money server. The difficulty is that Microsoft there is no means of supporting this server when problems occur.
Nationwide do offer the option to download account balance information in CSV (Comma Separated Value) format, these can then be imported into Excel. To download our files into a money management package you will need to convert our files into OFX (Open Financial Exchange) format. Nationwide do not support any money management software, therefore any further help you may require will need to be sourced externally.
I confirm that the CSV file is a standard file format compatible with many applications ranging from spreadsheets to word processors and text editors. I would argue that it is more open and accessible than the proprietary MS OFX file format.
Nationwide currently have no plans to support or provide OFX file downloads. Instead we will continue to improve our online banking service for the benefit of users as a whole. In light of Micosofts removal of support and the fact that the overwhelming majority of our users chose to use our web site as opposed to MS Money I do not believe this policy will change.
I am sorry to see that you have decided not to use your account. I hope you will reconsider. I have recorded your comments on our Member Service Log. The log is regularly reviewed in order to assess member satisfaction.
Regards,
Mark Newman
Senior
Customer Consultant
http://www.nationwide.co.uk
Nationwide
—– My angry reply —-
You guys are missing the point. Its not about Microsoft. Many, many accounting packages use ofx. Lots of other banks recognise this and offer the ability to download as ofx. Your coment that csv is a common standard is also missing the point. Yes of course, spreadsheets and text editors can open it. But there is no standard mapping of columns so that an accounting package could open it, as there is with both ofx and qif. It is quite frankly too much of a pain in the arse for me to have to manually convert each statement before I can import it into my accounts package. If you google ofx and Nationwide you will find many users of many different accounting packages (not Microsoft Money) bemoaning that you no longer offer ofx download. If your server can format transaction downloads as csv it is a relatively simple matter to format them as ofx. The standard is widely documented. For you to not bother is just a cop-out.
You will lose customers over this. Alliance and Leicester, MBNA and HSBC all offer ofx, qif, csv and pdf downloads.
For you to say that most customers just use your website instead of accounting software demonstrates that you dont put yourself in your customers shoes. Many people have accounts at more than one financial institution. It is impossible to categorise transactions on your bank website and nobody would want to. All people want is to be able to use their data in the way they choose. For many people this will be using an accounting package. You will lose those customers as they vote with their feet. Most customers will not even bother to tell you why they are leaving. I am probably unusual in that I could be bothered to share my reasons with me.
Please try to see things from your customers point of view rather than just giving a glib answer (essentially telling the customer they are wrong). Whatever happened to the three most important rules of customer service ?
1: The customer is always right
2: If the customer is ever wrong, see rule 1
3: For every customer that complains about something, you don’t know how many didn’t complain and just took their business away.
I run a small business. If I treated my customers like you have just treated me, I wouldnt still be in business. You have really annoyed me!
— And another thing! —-
Incidentally, the reason Microsoft withdrew MS Money is probably that it was a terrible program and most users, like me moved on to better software from their competitors. For MS to have made Money useful would have cost them too much and was probably not seen as core business. They just couldn’t compete. Competitors who specialise in financial software do a much better job because it is their core business and they actually understand the market.
Its not that users stopped using accounting software – we just moved to software that was flexible enough to actually support our needs. I (and I suspect many others: check the forums) have moved away from Nationwide to other banks that better support my needs.
— Next came a grovelly phone call from Nationwide and then this —
Dear Mr Ellis,
Thank you for your message.
Further to our telephone conversation today at 17:18:01, I am writing to confirm this matter is closed .
I have logged all of your comments on our Member Service site, so we can continue to review and improve the service we offer our customers.
Regards,
John Jeans
Senior Customer
Consultant
http://www.nationwide.co.uk
——
All of this response was within 24 hours so as you can see, they do respond to complaints. If enough customers complain then hopefully they will do something about it.
Well Nationwide, after 12 years of happy banking with you, I’m off.
It beggars belief that you couldn’t just have carried on with the MS Money background banking unsupported but to withdraw all support for OFX completely is unbelievable and shows what has now become a usual lack of customer service across your entire organisation.
It is hard to credit just how quickly Nationwide has gone from being one of the best, most reliable and customer focused banking organisations in the UK to one of the worst.
I had 2 current accounts, e-savings, bonds, ISA and mortgage with you….now I have none. Happy?
LIke everyone else here, I’m frustrated and mystified by Nationwide’s decision. The cost of supporting the facility cannot have been high – and it surely added value and served to pull in customers (proof – read the comments above).
Nationwide – please restore it or we will go elsewhere!
I too joined Nationwide largely because of its compatibility with MS Money which I have been using for years with HSBC and like many above wrote a letter of complaint to Nationwide Customer Services. I got a standard reply about not being able to continue support due to MS Money servers being withdrawn. This is a woeful excuse particularly as they knew over a year in advance that this would happen but did nothing to replace support with manual OFX or QIF download as so many other leading banks do. CSV is pants! I am now shopping around for another account provider, and when I find the right one Nationwide will be losing all my business.
I wish to add my voice to the many above. I have used MS Money for years (after Quicken stopped producing UK versions) and it was a very good match for what I needed. Getting the online statements was a great time saver as I am involved with three separate accounts. Although I already bank with another company as well I would prefer a solution that would allow me to keep my existing arrangements,
When I spoke to Nationwide, I was told that there are packages on the market that can download their statements but that he could not tell me which ones.
So, if anyone made some progress regarding, would be nice to know.
I followed up Phils Heard’s recommendation and can confirm that a Nationwide Statement was successfully converted with MT2OFX and imported into MS Money. This is good but obviously not seamless as it was previously.
Nationwide has a removed a valued facility and managed to anger a great number of users without any gain (that I can see) to themselves.
The facility was already in place so it could not have cost them much to keep it going even after MS stopped its involvement.
In a way Nationwide did me a favour by withdrawing support for MS Money. I now use ACEmoney in conjunction with MT2OFX to do the conversion from CSV to OFX. ACEmoney is superior to MSmoney, I tried it for a couple of weeks and because it was so good and easy to use purchased a licence for $30. The only drawback is that you have to download the CSV from Nationwide and then do the conversion, after doing this two or three times it is dead easy and any duplicate entries are automatically dealt with by ACEmoney.
I’m another long term Nationwide customer who is extremely disappointed by the withdrawl of this functionality. Bankers get fat sitting on our money, the customers half of the deal is supposed to be convenience and good service………..
Sometimes voting with your feet (or wallet) is the only way!
An update – I wondered if Nationwide had been impressed with the complaints and requests for OFX and asked them if they now intended to produce OFX or QIF. Their reply:
Please accept my apologies but I must inform you Nationwide have no plans to implement the use of .OFX or .QIF files via internet banking.
We do offer the option to download account balance information in CSV (Comma Separated Value) format, these can then be imported into Excel. To download our files into a money management package you will need to convert our files into OFX (Open Financial Exchange) format. Nationwide do not support any money management software, therefore any further help you may require will need to be sourced externally.
I have logged all of your comments on our Member Service site, so we can continue to review and improve the service we offer our customers.
So that’s a ‘No’
I just gave my new employer my Nationwide account so that I could use OFX. Not that it’s no longer supported, I’m going to see if I can quickly switch my account back to my old HSBC account!
I am a long time customer of Nationwide and an equally long term user of Microsoft Money.
Not only am I disappointed and angry at Nationwide’s retrograde step here, I am pretty disgruntled at Microsoft’s gradual disassociation with personal finance software.
My main two concerns with this action are:
1. Nationwide prides itself on continuing to be mutualised, and therefore ‘owned’ by its customers. Yet recent changes like this as well as changes in overdraft arrangements and charges makes me suspicious that the current management wish to wring more out of its ‘owners’, reduce costs as well as service.
2. I have looked at a number of alternatives to the now creaking MS Money, but have yet to find anything quite so simple and effective. While a number of small developers have produced money management tools, they are rather immature and clunky. (not helped by the total lack of OFX/BAnking Integration).
In an age where we can tweet/facebook/email to anyone else on the globe at the touch of a button, surely it is not beyond the wit of man to develop a comprehensive, stable, secure and effective integrated banking application?
Or perhaps the banks don’t want us to have quite so much control over our own money?
I’ll be closing my nationwide accounts becuase of this
The Nationwide OFX download service was extremely valuable to me for managing my financial affairs and I am really disappointed it has been withdrawn. I am sure that, with sufficient will, Nationwide could provide this without Microsoft help (the standard is available at http://www.ofx.net). So please, Nationwide, re-consider!
I have been a Nationwide customer for over 20 years. I contacted Nationwide about providing OFX files and it was clear that they had no intention of doing so. It was a big mistake withdrawing support for MS Money without providing OFX files to allow us to continue to use that or another program. The available CSV files take too much effort to filter date ranges and convert.
I have now moved my current account and my esavings accounts to Natwest who provide OFX files in a convenient way. Well done Nationwide – you’ve lost another good and previously loyal customer.
Another big organisation which prides itself on “putting you first” & “Listening to you”. I moved to Nationwide in 2006 after being with Alliance & Leicester ( previously Giro ) since 1972. I left them due to their ongoing bad attitudes to any problem raised. I am now looking around for an alternative with a view to closing all my Nationwide accounts. It is a great inconvenience but sadly it is the only thing that prods these people into doing the right thing. I am told that Nationwide are working on a new internet banking system for 2011 which “may” include OFX, but no promises – too little too late.
I complained to NW several times about their withdrawn of msmoney sync. Their ears were deaf. I voted with my feet and have moved my main banking to Lloyds (better interest). I would have stayed with NW had they continued the feature. I can’t believe how bad they have become at listening to the customer.
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