Avoid First Direct - They are gonna charge all customers £10!

westernpromise

nbbradshaw wrote:

Westernpromise, this is not about cross subsidising, they were already making £5.7bn before the 'surge'.

Understood, but it isn't rational to say that they will pass up revenue opportunities in one area because they're doing so well in another. Their job is to blag every £1 they can.

CopperPlate_2

At last - as seen in another thread - HSBC have given the first warning shot...

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=411250&in_page_id=2&ct=5

EagerLearner

Interesting - sounds like I need to e-mail First Direct and get an official answer then - will post any news here.

CopperPlate_2

Phoned them already myself - just got told, no bank can guarantee never charging. If we are going to charge, we will tell you in good time.

Sounds great :rolleyes:

Welshlassie

I have had an account with them - as has my husband for well over 10 years and was shocked to hear this as I have always been very impressed with them, however if they do do this I will leave.
I have just phoned them and been told exactly the same about new ideas and many not seeing the light of day. I asked her if she was reading this as it was word for word what I had been told and she said she wasn't and preceeded to repeat herself.
I told her her I would leave if they did charge. She did ask where I'd heard it though.

CopperPlate_2

That's interesting that she asked. I wonder if the hit rate to this site will suddenly go up overnight as banking execs try to get an idea of public opinion... They could do worse than look here I think.

nbbradshaw

Well the writings on the wall and I have to say that FD just isn't what it used to be!. Sent them an email last night to say goodbye and applied for an A&L account this morning.

moomintroll_3

I wrote to FD yesterday asking whether they could confirm the rumours etc. and got the boilerplate response...

FD wrote:

first direct is always brainstorming new ideas, as you'd expect. Many of these ideas never see the light of day, but we are committed to letting you know in good time about any changes we will be making.

Extemely non-commital (as is to be expected) but not answering the questions I asked. Seems to me that FD staff have been given a template response to give anyone who asks about this. Oh dear!

G

nbbradshaw

moonintroll, that's exactly the same response that I and others have been receiving. You would have thought that with the money they are making they could have employed at least one person who could have scripted a number of variations !!

Just shows how thick headed the Senior Management really are.....

FULL_MOON_AVENGER

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