Is anyone else still experiencing problems with NatWest’s online bereavement service? I had hoped the issues would be ironed out over time but I seem to encounter a problem at virtually every stage. For example:
Death certificate verification forms are routinely rejected. This is so even though I often upload a letter from NatWest which confirms they are acceptable (provided in response to my request for confirmation that the Crown had permitted such use of their copyrighted documents).
The e-sign closure instruction form is auto-filled with my details. In cases where I am not one of the executors, and so cannot give the declarations/indemnities stated on the form, I have to get the executors to sign a paper form and ask NatWest to create a new button on the portal to enable this to be uploaded.
The latest issue is the rejection of scanned copies of Grants. I have been informed that the computer will only accept photographs, not scans. We do not have a camera or business smartphones and I am will not use my personal phone for GDPR reasons. We have been told the only way around this is to submit everything online via the portal, but to then send the Grant by post.
I find I am wasting so much time and cost in trying to resolve these problems. I cannot recall a single instance when the process has run smoothly and I have submitted complaints on every estate I have with them at present. The system may work for lay executors but, if the experience of myself and my colleagues is anything to go by, it is not fit for purpose for use by estate practitioners. That being the case, why do they continue to make it mandatory for us?