Smile Bank customers - time to leave

nick74

WTFUK wrote: »

Smile are crap

Perhaps, but in my experience they are less crap than the high street banks I have dealt with in the past, most notably Natwest and Barclays.

The only time I have had better customer service than Smile was with First Direct, and even they managed to c0ck up the direct debit for my Visa card, resulting in erroneous late payment charges, on two occasions.

meester

margaretclare wrote: »

...and I don't think it is up to you to tell other people what they should do just because of your bad experience.

I have had no problems at all with Smile, so I shall not leave just because you think I should.

My point was they have been ripping me off for about five years, I should have left years ago, and they are certainly doing the same to you and indeed all their other customers, because their rates stopped being competitive a long time ago. And if you pay interest or charges they have gone up steeply as well.

Interest rates here:

http://www.smile.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Smile/Page/smView&c=Page&cid=981460724908

They started off at base rate, after 2 years fell 0.25% below, in 2003, 0.5% below, then last year 0.75% below.

Same on the current account:
http://www.smile.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Smile/Page/smView&c=Page&cid=981460722726

started 1.25% below base, 1.5% below in 2004, then 2.75% last year.

on the ISA:

http://www.smile.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Smile/Page/smView&c=Page&cid=981460725012
started 1.25% above, fell to 1% above 02/2001, then 0.75% above 05/2001, 0.25% above 01/2002, then base rate 03/06, finally 0.25% BELOW base 02/2007

As for the credit card, that's gone from 9.9% to 16.9% without any change in base rates. Rip-off

http://www.smile.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Smile/Page/smView&c=Page&cid=1025604827072

Smile had a cheek to tell me their rubbish rates are because of their 'ethical investment policy'. More likely those dodgy loans to the Labour party. Nothing ethical about that.

I deal with RBS (Tesco Personal Finance), Nationwide, and Lloyds on a regular basis, and all three are much better on customer service than Smile.

So yes, my message is Smile suck, their rates suck, their service sucks, that's my advice to you, you can do what you like obviously, but I think it's the least they deserve is for me to point this out. I do not take kindly to receiving 15 automated phone calls from a bank that can't even spell my name correctly.

brookerbabyisababy

I have said many times Smile are the worst bank in the UK.

storminbalder

Smile had a cheek to tell me their rubbish rates are because of their 'ethical investment policy'. More likely those dodgy loans to the Labour party. Nothing ethical about that.

So yes, my message is Smile suck, their rates suck, their service sucks,


I think you have here destroyed your own argument.

CopperPlate_2

Yes smile have been offering a deteriorating level of rates and service for the last few years - I was a customer of them for a few years and moved primarily because of that. The thing being I left because of the poor rates/service and simply did that. I didn't feel the need to stand and scream it from the rooftops due to some perceived slight.

Some people thing Alliance and Leicester or Barclays to be the worst banks in existence, others have never had a problem. It's called perspective. Perhaps you ought to try and acquire some over this.

[Deleted User]

I think smile is a FAB bank but then again I am a good customer. Always pay my cc in full, never go overdrawn and have savings. I can`t fault them as a bank. I use their savings as a safety net and feeder account and we have rubbed shoulders for a very long time

ps: excess savings are in higher interest accounts but smile is a bank not a purely savings institution

Tirian

nick74 wrote: »

It is, although they don't advertise the fact. I have one set up on my Smile Visa card.

And even if you do set a full payment direct debit up, there's no guarantee that they will get it right - even if you call them to double-check just before the first payment is due to go out, like I did :

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1007913

meester

oh and the other thing they screwed up was my ISA transfer to Hargreaves Lansdown, which they refused to do anything about until I called them, having received several letters from HL telling me that they weren't playing ball.