'Local' Bank TSB Shutters Counter Services at its Baker Street location in order to Wean Customers off using said branch before it Closes Down Fully in May!

Since the start of the year the hours of coverage at Baker Street have already been reduced to 10:00 to 15:00 and it was only when arriving at the branch yesterday that I was informed that those premises would be wholly closing down in May, actually May 4th to be exact. Strange that I had not received any form of notification about this change to my service provision - where I've been passed from pillar to post ever since I was shunted from Lloyds into TSB some years ago - I believe Baker Street is/was the 4th Branch I had been officially assigned to - the previous 3 obviously long since shut down by now.

I don't have an issue with the branch closing per se - as I use bank branches very rarely and am wholly in favour of streamlining an operation if its level of use doesn't justify that certain element as a going concern. My beef is entirely with the manner of closure - the somewhat subterfuge of it - and the fact that while the branch is in theory supposedly 'open' until May 4th, it has deliberately been rendered inoperative!

There were plenty of staff onsite during my visit, while the management had decided to entirely shut down all counter services for the remaining months. Staff were instead milling about explaining to shocked 'customers' that the shuttered counters were a deliberate move to get customers used to not having access to said branch - fully 4 months ahead of its official shutdown.

I was advised that if I wanted counter service I should head for the nearest post office. The Branch Manager could not understand why I was upset about these sudden changes to my service provision and tried to assure me that there had indeed been no reduction of service at TSB as far as he was concerned!