This week, Cambridge building society wins plaudits from Catherine Groom, 31, who lives in Cambridge.
She writes: “I play historical harps and recorders for TV and theatre [in productions such as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Wolf Hall]. I use my maiden name for work, so I also use this name, Catherine Groom, for all my personal banking and documents such as driving licence.
“I use my married name, Catherine Horsewood, for family affairs, such as utility bills, and my joint account with my husband, Adrian.
“I’m therefore quite regularly at a loss in situations where I need to prove my identity, as often the requisite items don’t match and I’m faced with a ‘computer says no’ attitude. I’m amazed that society in 2017 isn’t better set up to handle this issue.
“I came up against this when I tried to open a savings account for our baby daughter, Rosa, with Cambridge building society. Its First account pays 1.3% interest on balances over £1. My godmother, Jenny, put in the first £20 and Rosa has a total of £270 now.
“I was touched by the effort put into resolving the problem by Shaz Begum and her manager, Debra Isaacson, at the building society’s branch in St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge.
“Shaz jumped through a lot of hoops with great charm, even ringing me at home to update me on how she was getting on.
“This kind of personal touch is one of the many reasons I plumped for a small building society over a big high street bank, and I’m glad I did.
“Many people in customer service could learn a lot from my experience.”
