“This is the THE WORST BANK EVER! I can’t believe they exist. We are a small buisness and opened an account a year ago. We work on a contractual basis so as and when we get a client we can deliver our services to. After a year of building our network and word of mouth, we secured our first client and got paid! Excited to get things moving and using the money to get us on visible platforms , we attempted to transfer the funds to one of the named directors of the company.( which they are aware of as I had to list the directors to open the acount) so questioning who the person was when I had to provide proof before opening the account is wild. That will be the beginning of our nightmare, payment was blocked and card suspended. It’s been 2 weeks going back and forth with what appears to be an automated ineffective and scripted customer service. Asking repeated questions of the same things. Asking for proof of transactions , frequency of use with tide (like you can’t see that from your backend), and even to the extent of showing chat conversations with clients ?!!!! I have never , in my 29 years on earth known a bank to ask for chats especially when I haven’t committed or crime or in an investigation. There is absolutely no reason for intrusive , interrogating questions on transactions that small. Claiming they are asking to abide my FCA guidelines. Top banks HSBC BARCLAYS NATIONWIDE , don’t go to those lengths to be intrusive to their customers transactions especially when we’ve given them no reason to. I’ve provided proof of registration , service agreements and invoices. Now they are asking for chats ??? It’s like they are stalling and not trying to fix the situation but making you go round in circles.
I have reported the case to FCA. At this junction my business is beginning to suffer and so is my mental wellbeing all in the name of claiming my legitimate money.
IF YOU LOVE YOURSELF, STAY AWAY FROM THIS BANK.”
“I am a small business owner and mother to 7 children, tide has paused my account for no reason, will not call me, the replies by the chat are copy and pasted scripts. Made a complaint which was upheld however still waiting for them to unpause my account. They have left me and my young children without access to money and unable to trade. Very very poor service!
Party mascot hire ltd”
“the Tide Bank can lock your account for very long time. You won't be able to do anything at all.
The Tide Bank is the worst in UK. My business account locked for 9 day already. There are 7 questions about small transactions, something like what is your relationship with the Toolstation?
I cannot pay wages, cannot pay to the suppliers. The chat conversations is like talking to the bot. No one can say how long it is going to last. Don't touch this crazy bank. I have sent them all the information regarding their pointless questions and after 9 days the bank account is still blocked. Their chat is just bot tirelessly repeating the same staff about some regulations. No one can give me any update on how it is going and when I can access my money. Avoid This "Tide Bank" as a plague. Any brainless person would be able to review 7 small transactions and connect them to the online suppliers or people I am paying the wages, Especially as those references available with any transactions and I have resupplied them immediately, just to be sure. AVOID!!!
This is what I have this night - 35 days your business account blocked by the Tide Bank - just think...
"We are getting in touch further to our previous email which acknowledged your complaint. Unfortunately, we’re continuing to investigate your concerns so are unable to issue our response at this time.
Please be assured that we aim to resolve this matter within 15 business days of receipt of your complaint however in the event we’re unable to do so, we will provide a response within 35 working days.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the app or by emailing ______
Kind regards,
"
Date of experience: 05 March 2024”
“The Tide Bank is the worst in UK. My business account locked for 9 day already. There are 7 questions about small transactions, something like what is your relationship with the Toolstation?
I cannot pay wages, cannot pay to the suppliers. The chat conversations is like talking to the bot. No one can say how long it is going to last. Don't touch this crazy bank.”
“STRONGLY RECOMMEND TO KEEP AWAY FROM THIS BANK
It seems to be normal practice with this bank to freez your account without any prior notice!!
They asked for some transactions, provided all the evidences, yet they froze my account, even though it is only 2 month old, nothing happening, imagine cutting the lifeline of your business without even knowing when will it be restored!
They forze it in the middle of my operations resulting in disrupting my business, cash flow, as well as reputational damage, now I have all my vendors refusing to provide any goods before paying in advance!
Customer service? what customer service? you will get the same template answer every time you inquire, and nothing but pathetic excuses while you losing your business!
KEEP AWAY FROM THIS SO CALLED BANK”
“Useless customer support. Message them about an account switch they have rejected and then they stop responding after 1 reply.
Messaged on twitter, and got the same amount of help there too.”
“Stay away will freeze your account and keep you in the dark still. Have 10k stuck with them and all I get is well were doing checks for a week to see if I'm able to transfer money to my other account”
“Total and utter discrace
The chat system is slow, account frozen with no warning or reason given
I have staff, suppliers and bills to pay and they don’t give a shit
I even got told today that by chasing them was a waste of time and make no difference
Takes 20 days apparently but that can take longer
I will attach a very typical reply from them”
“As the director of a transportation company, I feel compelled to share my distressing experience with Tide Bank (Clear Bank) to warn other businesses and potential clients of the pitfalls they might encounter. My account with Tide Bank has been an integral part of my business operations since March 2021. However, the bank's recent actions have not only disrupted my business but also raised serious concerns about their professionalism and customer care.
Sudden Account Freeze and Inaccessibility to Funds:
Tide Bank, without warning or explanation, froze my business account, cutting off access to my funds. This arbitrary action has left my company in a precarious situation, unable to make payments for goods, services, or meet obligations to contractors and employees. The blockage of incoming payments only adds to the distress, hindering the smooth running of my business.
Unexplained and Inadequate Communication:
Adding to the frustration, Tide Bank's communication has been far from satisfactory. A request was sent via their banking app asking me to document certain transactions. I complied by sending the requested documents in photo format, as I lacked access to scanning facilities at that time. Despite this, on February 16, I received an email informing me of the imminent closure of my account and requesting details of an alternative account to transfer my funds. The lack of clarity and reason behind these actions is alarming.
Inaccessible Customer Service:
Since the freezing of my account, attempts to contact Tide Bank have been futile. Neither emails nor messages through their app have been answered. This lack of response is unprofessional and disrespectful, leaving me without crucial information about the status of my funds and the future of my business banking.
Questionable App Communication Practices:
The reliance on app-based communication by Tide Bank has proven to be ineffective. Notifications don't always appear reliably on phones, and the absence of timestamps in the app's correspondence makes it difficult to track and document interactions properly. This lack of transparency favors the bank and puts customers at a disadvantage.
Previous Technical Issues with the Banking App:
This is not the first time that Tide's banking app has caused operational disruptions. Past technical issues have often resulted in limited access to banking services, with no prior notice of planned maintenance. Such unreliability is unacceptable for any business relying on seamless financial operations.
Potential Retaliatory Actions for Voicing Concerns:
My decision to share my grievances on TrustPilot seems to have led to further punitive measures from Tide Bank. Rather than addressing the issues I raised, they chose to freeze and then close my account. This reaction to customer feedback is concerning and suggests a lack of commitment to resolving legitimate customer concerns.
Echoing Complaints from Other Users:
I am not alone in my experiences. Other Tide Bank users have expressed similar frustrations on platforms like TrustPilot. It appears that my case is not an isolated incident but part of a larger pattern of inadequate service and disregard for customer needs.
In conclusion, I strongly advise current and potential customers of Tide Bank to reconsider their banking choices. The bank's handling of my account, lack of transparent communication, and apparent indifference to the impact on my business are red flags that cannot be ignored. It is crucial to partner with a financial institution that values its customers and provides reliable, professional service. Unfortunately, based on my experience, Tide Bank falls short of these essential criteria.”
“Summed up in short, shockingly bad! Customer service is terrible, they only have a chat system which resulted in endless amount of chats with no real outcome at the end. Set up the account and after about a week of putting up with nonsense and no customer support whatsoever, I closed my account. I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be if actual £’s were involved!”
“This actually deserves no stars. Absolutely useless organization. . Tried to open an account it was torture. Conflicting information, “we will be in touch promises” with no answer. Multiple contacts from TIDE from different people making their organization look dysfunctional.
Once the account account was opened their ridiculous mithering held our account hostage despite as a new business we needed to pay urgent invoices. Muck promise from eager to please minions but frankly no action with much lying. Suggest you avoid them.”
“This actually deserves no stars. Absolutely useless organization. . Tried to open an account it was torture. Conflicting information, “we will be in touch promises” with no answer. Multiple contacts from TIDE from different people making their organization look dysfunctional.
Once the account account was opened their ridiculous mithering held our account hostage despite as a new business we needed to pay urgent invoices. Muck promise from eager to please minions but frankly no action with much lying. Suggest you avoid them.”
“AVOID by all cost. Suspended my account today with no explanation. No communication at all. Tried to contact them by chat and got absolutely no where. Put a complaint in and takes 3-15 days what an absolute joke tide is.”
“This is the worst bank ever I would never recommend to use this bank to anyone.
I’m unable to make the payments, the application doesn’t work which cause the problem running my business.
This is not the first time it happened.”
“They are not a bank, they're a laughing stock!! The give you an IBAN number on the app but fail to mention that you can only be paid in GDP. An American client made a payment however unbeknown to them or me, the bank took the payment but did not place into my account. Tide stated my clients should have their bank request the monies are returned, which they did. 2 weeks later, the funds were still not returned. When you message Tides customer service, you will typically receive a generic response within 3 days, and this is to ask a ridiculous question. When you pay for an account upgrade, just for the pleasure of speaking to someone, you'll be told someone will call you back. This again, will take days, and with no assistance. My Tide account will be closing as soon as this matter is resolved, whether through the FCA or solicitors. These people are not fit for purpose and should be avoided without question!!”
“I had 2 business accounts with Tide and honestly it was the biggest regret of my entire life, my first company account got frozen whilst they conducted a review “following FCA guidelines” leaving me unable to receive money for weeks, I managed to open a new account for my company with Barclays (who are great) and then spent weeks begging tide to close my account down whilst they still took fees from me
My second company account had a £20,000 invoice due to be paid from a client in the next day or two, Tide decided to freeze my account for a review on 3 small transactions from November last year, I explained how important it was for my invoice to be able to get paid in and they confirmed to me that no money will enter my account whilst the review takes place for the next 3-5 working days
I begged and pleaded for them to unfreeze my account as I have staff and bills to pay out of the invoice, after 6 hours of messaging back and forth they made the decision to CLOSE MY ACCOUNT WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT!!! Meaning my £20,000 invoice due will get rejected back to the client and the other £20,000 invoice I had pending through tide is also lost
No matter your situation do not ever even contemplate opening a tide account, this is your urgent warning to avoid them now!!”
“Ive had nothing but problems with this company since i opened a bank with them in 2023.
But most recently they are just USELESS!!! Messaged about an unauthorised payment and straight away they froze my account leaving me unable to pay my bills or rent. Over a 93p payment. Then the woman i was speaking to just stopped responding. I got a reply from someone else saying i had to order a new card, so basically rather than helping me they let the payment come out anyway, dint adress the actual issue, ive had other payments declined because they froze my account and had to order a new card and wait for it it come then ill have to update all my accounts with this new card.
But better than that they now say if you want support or replies from customer service you have to pay an extra 9.99 a month... so basically you cant speak to anyone and if you actually need help you have to upgrade your account again and pay even more. Will be taking my business elsewhere the first opportunity i get!”
