Best Internet Bank?

97trophy

Bernie wrote: »

.. If we had to choose a single bank to consolidate to, it would be Smile.

Bernie, what do you like so much about Smile?

Cheers

Altarf

For customer service, First Direct, without a doubt.

I have yet to find another bank that when you phone them answers the call (in the UK) within a couple of rings by a human being. And who then asks for your name, not your account or customer number.

rb10

Altarf wrote: »

And who then asks for your name, not your account or customer number.

But they must ask for your account number if they are to answer any question about your account...?

Or do you mean that it's the first thing they ask? As when you phone Halifax, they always ask me for my full name first, and then go into the other details.

Altarf

rb10 wrote: »

But they must ask for your account number if they are to answer any question about your account...?

No, they never ask for your account number. They ask for your postcode, your name, the answer to one of several security questions, and two letters from your security word. Obviously all this is done talking to a real person and not a "key this" or "speak this" machine (they don't have any "key this" or "speak this" machines)

They are also the only bank that when they call you back (at a mutually convenient time and not "some time in the next 48 hours") automatically asks "is it convenient to speak", and if you say "sorry it isn't, can you call back in 15 minutes", they do.

I have accounts with just about every high street and internet bank, so I have direct experience of the others, and for customer service First Direct really are in a completely different league to everyone else.

username

Altarf wrote: »

No, they never ask for your account number. They ask for your postcode, your name, the answer to one of several security questions, and two letters from your security word. Obviously all this is done talking to a real person and not a "key this" or "speak this" machine (they don't have any "key this" or "speak this" machines)

They are also the only bank that when they call you back (at a mutually convenient time and not "some time in the next 48 hours") automatically asks "is it convenient to speak", and if you say "sorry it isn't, can you call back in 15 minutes", they do.

I have accounts with just about every high street and internet bank, so I have direct experience of the others, and for customer service First Direct really are in a completely different league to everyone else.

Lol, to be picky, they do ask for your postcode or customer ID number.

I do agree with the points though, none of this press this, press that rubbish. Or speak into the computer stuff that some other banks (cough, citibank) use. All their call centres are UK based as well.

You can also use HSBC's network of branches to pay in money and use their machines to get statements etc. Also a plus in my opinion (as with hsbc) they print the names of the payments taken from your card, rather than a bunch of obscure codes and amounts on the mini statements from cash machines.

The internet banking is pretty good, I have found. There's some bits and pieces that could be added, and tweaked, but Faster Payments works all the time. And no annoying calculator-esque pin sentry devices required to do online transactions.

Altarf

username wrote: »

Lol, to be picky, they do ask for your postcode or customer ID number.

A fair cop, but to be ultra-picky, they (or at least they certainly used to) only ask for your post code if you called on their 0845 number, but if you called on the geographic phone number asked for your customer ID (which are only issued to overseas customers without a postcode) or postcode, in that order.

With more people using the geographic number (for obvious reasons) they seem in the last few years to have swapped it around. I don't know what they do on the 0845, as I haven't called it for a very long time.

And unlike a lot of the other banks, they have always published a geographic number and are quite happy for you to call it.

EarthBoy

Altarf wrote: »

A.. I don't know what they do on the 0845, as I haven't called it for a very long time.

..

The drill goes as follows: Hello, this is First Direct. May I take your postcode please....

(after you give it) Thank you, and may I take your surname and initial...

followed by request for two letters from your password and the answer to a security question.

In 15 years of banking with them the only time they ever asked me for my account no. was when I gave the wrong postcode and they couldn't find me on the system. It was my fault, I had moved address and couldn't remember the postcode correctly. I have never been asked for a customer i.d. -never having been given such a thing. As Altarf says, these must just be for overseas customers, as they are the ones whom the geographic no. is intended for.

I don't think they used to cater for overseas customers years ago, as one of the conditions of having an account was that you had a UK landline. Having a mobile alone wasn't sufficient, -although this was before mobiles became common!

SparciaM

Have you received any secure messages from them?

I always use secure messages to do things, simple and complex things and in the last month I've never received a reply to setting up a new s/o or closing an e-savings account.

Either they are really getting bad at replying to their messages or something really odd is happening at FD Headquarters.

7sefton

All things considered, I think Halifax and Nationwide have the best internet banking systems. Both are easy to use and pleasant to work with. You can switch off paper statements on both if you do not need/want extra post through your letter box, and of course can always drop into a branch/speak to someone on the phone should you wish to.

They differ in one crucial area. Nationwide has the facility to send 'secure messages' to the bank to operate your account; Halifax do not. HOWEVER, Nationwide uses a card reader device for a lot of transactions which may cause you inconvenience.

97trophy

7sefton wrote: »

Nationwide has the facility to send 'secure messages' to the bank to operate your account;

I think this is an important service and I have used it several times with HSBC.