Very Impressed with Co-Op.

Madmonk

lol - good way to think of it, I hope they go bankrupt titter titter!!!!

MM

alastairq

think they'll wake and smell the coffee soon enough!

This IS the Co-op we're talking about here.....Britain's most parochial financial institution....whose administration is very 1970's with computers....it may just be, at Balloon Street, they only have one coffee machine....

MicheH

I was talking more about tesco to be honest. They're the only big wig that is really paddling in the water with the visa debit.. oh, I know all about the cogs that are the Coop - still, wouldn't be without them eh?!

alastairq

Another that wont accept online payments using the co-op electron, is the Yorkshire Water folk.


so...I pay, using a book, at a Paypoint [a village shop]...via my electron card....not when THEY want it, but when I feel like it....

i shop/pay bills, going to or from work...so no travel expenses, etc......cannot use tesco home delivery as that means I have to be at home when THEY want me to be......so no loss, electron-wise, there?


regarding electron availability..last eyar I amde an online purchase froma small trader.

they came back to me as my electron card would not accept.....by their machine.

However, before I could offer to pay [over the phone]...the guy announced he would see to a card reader upgrade.....phoned back 10 minutes later, and asked me to go online and re-order..card accepted!

MAybe it's a Tesco thing?

Maybe something to do with their financial tie-up with RBS?

Maybe RBS have a grudge against us BR's? [nothing unusual there, is there?]

planethurf

The Coop Cashminder is a great account to help you get back on your feet. But a word of warning - DO NOT GO OVERDRAWN!

I had 2 payments bounce over a 3 month period - due to payments arriving late into my account (by one day) and I had a couple of warning letters saying they would close my account and the 3rd time this happened (after another cross over in payment and one final bounced direct debit) led them to close my account with about 2 weeks notice! Which has caused a lot of unpleasant knock ons - creditors claiming I have broken agreements etc, by cancelling my agreement. They didn't care that the CO-OP cancelled the instructions - not me - so Please Be Careful!

Big_Poppa wrote: »

Just a quick post to confirm a few things that i saw disputed alot when i was researching for Bankrupcy.

Opened a Co-Op Cashminder the same day I went bankrupt, I would strongly recommend doing that and not waiting for the bankrupcy to hit your file. I think that's where some people are failing a credit check, if they even perform one. Took them 3 days to open it, and over a week to send out my card and pin number. so I imagine they do some sort of check, that some people aren't passing, however minor.

-Full Visa Debit Card. I know people will reply saying 'no it isn't, it's an electron card without electron written on it', but I can assure you mine is. Just used it on an american site that doesn't take Electron obviously, and it worked. Probably the people who already had an electron still have an electron card number, but new people like me must get a newly issued Visa number. Pretty great, since i do 100% of my shopping & bill paying online, and only ever carry about a tenner in cash on me at any time, I really would struggle badly without a proper card. Even for 1 year.

-Works on Paypal.

-Direct Debits and standing orders and full online banking.

-Paying in from the post office without need for the paying in book. Money credited into account instantly.

So it's pretty great. And I'll be keeping this account forever now I think. No point upgrading, because I never intend to go a penny in debt again in my life.

One thing I'd say is I think they'll make it far harder to go bankrupt sooner or later. I'm using this account thinking "There's not much of a catch here at all, except that I don't have a chequebook or an overdraft." And my OR call lasted about 10 minutes, with no punishments.

Just seems very easy to me. and I've gone from about 12k in debt to 3k UP!!! in the space of 2 weeks. So anyone thinking of doing it, unless you stand to be homeless or really messed up, i say go for it. Sounds bad, but that's my honest account of the situation.

nervousmother

Unfortunatley planethurf the co-op are well known on this board for the '3 strikes and your out rule' iv had my account nearly a year now and have made sure the least it dropped to was £30.