Annoying National Bank

Trying to tidy up my banking back in New Zealand and am closing the various bank accounts I have.

I can close my Rabobank by sending a message from the Rabobank website.

I rang National Bank to close my account with them, an account charging me fees every month just for having it open, and they advise that I have to write into my branch to do it. Hoping this was just a mistaken call centre operator, I sent a message through the online banking bank mail facility, like I can do under my Rabobank account. I get sent back an identical message (at least they are consistent).

Now you may think that this ok, but think about the fact that the bank acts on every other instruction I give them over the phone or internet, from transferring money to increasing credit limits. The bank also has indemnities to protect them from acting on instructions that appear to come from me (i.e. if they do something based on a phone or internet instruction, but it wasn't actually me instructing them, I have agreed to meet all their costs and not argue with them that it is their fault that the instruction was followed). There should therefore be no danger with them closing my account on a phone instruction (like Rabobank do).

This is just National Bank being difficult because I am closing an account. What is particularly annoying is that they keep charging fees while I organise sending them a letter.

I am yet to attempt to close my Kiwibank, but I am picking I won't have to send a letter in. Why... No fees.