First Direct current account - £100 on leaving

mpx_3

Just a warning to anyone to be very careful when trying to ensure you get your £100 for leaving . Although the original documentation is very clear that you only have to leave to get it "no questions asked" according to fd; fd call centre staff (and supervisors and what I think was someone standing behind the supervisor coaching them) have tried very hard to make it out that there has to be some specific provable failure of service on their part causing your departure in order to qualify. Oh and that you mentioned it at the time. And gave them a chance to rectify it. They're also relying on Ts & Cs that didn't exist at the time (as regards what type of activity you put through the account). Although the activity problem will just have to be fought through by letter - my advice to anyone ringing up to close the account is to make clear your very real unhappiness with their service to avoid the other issue - regardless of the service encountered.

CopperPlate_2

Was there a specific problem that meant you wanted to leave or did you join fd for the £100 incentive and planned to leave after the prescribed period of time to get the next £100? I think I know the answer to this question but nevertheless...?

sofa_surfer

It is not the ones that are 'eating the cake' that are crazy - it is the ones that gave them the cake to eat.
...and if a promise was made (although as existing FD client I hate it!!!) - they better live up to it rather than trying to wriggle their way around it!

rb10

Surely it is not hard to find a reason to give, even if it wouldn't actually persuade you to close your account. Something like I can get a higher credit/lower debit interest rate elsewhere, I don't like not having branch access, I don't get on with your web site, ...

mpx_3

CopperPlate : It was a bit of both - opened it for the incentive - if there had been something great about the account / service might have stayed around. There wasn't.

rb10 : I agree it's not hard to give a reason but when you've already got a promise that you'll get the £100 "no questions asked", then ignoring the (minor) issues you did have and blurting out the automatic politeness of "no there were no real problems" can happen. I just thought it best for consumers know in advance that (in my opinion) fd aren't playing by the rules so they can make up their own minds how to discuss it.

ShelfStacker_3

I've actually read the procedures concerned with the offer - you have to have cited a specific reason that you're unhappy with FD and closing the account, while you're on the phone closing the account. If you don't give a specific reason, you don't get the £100.

mpx_3

The in-house procedures don't reflect what the customer signed up to - I've never been told anything like that in the Ts & Cs or other paperwork sent to me by fd. In fact the paperwork specifically says "no questions asked". Therein lies the problem. Anyway fd paid mine as a goodwill after correspondence. That they did that is to their credit.