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

robublind

One word GREED, the OFT have forced the banks to cut their charges on overdrafts/creditcards etc. So to aid PROFIT PROTECTION AKA skinning the loyal customer another way, to keep their shareholders happy.

robublind

If you all read your newspapers over the last week or so when HSBC, announced its £6.7B profit for 6 months. The Chief Exec mentioned that he saw an end to free banking and that it would probably be 2 years away. Guess who owns FD (HSBC) they are using FD as a testing ground. Come on people lets scare the living daylights out this bank and others so they will never try this again. people power does work!!!!

EagerLearner

I am still awaiting a response to my message to them - anyone else had any luck?

Please let FD know how angry you are about this.

kimber_surprise

robublind wrote:

I have to agree with Mrs Jangles, it is going to happen soon. All you doubters out there just wait until you get the letter, which is due to be sent out in September and the £10 charge will apply from January. Don't say I didn't warn you. Wife works for them so thats how I know, also another point staff will be exempt from this

Maybe you could ask your wife for more information as you're not giving the whole picture.

Assuming the rumour is true then it wouldn't be fair to expect staff to have to pay £10 a month as they are obliged to have FD accounts to get their salaries paid into.

I know this as my long-lost cousins pet tarantula once telephoned them so it must be true.

:rotfl:

kimber_surprise

robublind wrote:

One word GREED, the OFT have forced the banks to cut their charges on overdrafts/creditcards etc. So to aid PROFIT PROTECTION AKA skinning the loyal customer another way, to keep their shareholders happy.

GREED - human nature. Our economy is based on so-called greed, admittedly the chief executives who oversee initiatives such as this alleged one do get hefty bonuses and salaries based on generating profits, but the story doesn't end there.

I'm greedy, I pay into a pension scheme which I hope will fund my retirement and I suspect that the fund managers of the pension scheme invest in shares. Heaven forbid they might even want to invest in successful companies who actually MAKE A PROFIT by charging customers for goods and services instead of giving everything away for free.

I'm going to see if there is a fund which I can invest in which only invests in companies who don't charge for goods and services...........

OK, so I am being deliberately obtuse, but hopefully you can see what I'm trying to get at!

robublind

What you say is true staff salaries are paid into FD accounts. I have a joint acc with my wife so it wouldn't apply to me either. why am I doing this? Work it out for yourself. If you don't believe me then fine, don't say I didn't warn you

EagerLearner

Robublind - can you tell us any more details apart from the fact it is going to happen? I mean what we'll get and any general juicy stuff? Anything...

ihatepasswords

I've followed this post for a while with interest and I'm quite surprised that people are actually closing their accounts based on a rumoured charge that isn't supposed to come into affect until next year anyway.

If I were a customer of theirs I'd wait until confirmation from the horses mouth before doing anything, even if they do charge people they have to give a good period of notice.

moomintroll_3

I'm in the "wait and see" camp as well but given what the HSBC chief has said recently and the fact that FD are giving out a standard response I hold out very little hope that this isn't going to go ahead.

I've already let them know that I absolutely will move my accounts away if they do this.

EagerLearner

It's more about the pre-emptive strike - letting FD know now that we don't like being skinned, before they get to the skinning as it were, so they understand our feelings about the whole shenannigans...

Good on you for letting them know too - the more the merrier...