Why First Direct is one of the best!

baby_frogmella

CopperPlate wrote:

1 - Why on earth would anyone bother with a cheque card nowadays? Since petrol stations and various other retailers (Next being one of them) are refusing to take cheques. £100 card is more than enough anyway since if it was any more than that the extra protection of paying by credit card is better after that.

2 - Same as above. I can't ever remember thinking, on the spot, "Oh, I must go and take that £500 out of the bank. Blast! I can only take out £250 today!" Online banking has done away effectively with the need (for me anyway, and I'm sure others) to withdraw vast sums from ATM's. The security aspect of only being able to withdraw £250 at a time is an advantage too if someone gets a hold of your card and PIN.

3 - smile offers this too. So does just about every other bank.

4 - Granted that is an advantage, but how many times do you actually need to call your bank. Secure messages systems are brilliant (usually - with smile they are as good if not better than FD's). Saynoto0870.com is also a God-send.

5 - Well, that says it all. Yes the customer service is good, probably excellent, but I've found smile to be as good as FD in those stakes. The times I need to actually speak to anyone are few and far between though.

All in all, it ain't worth a tenner a month. Especially when you'll be paying for what you've already been getting up until now.

1) Many small retailers/tradesmen do NOT accept credit/debit cards. I mean does you local plumber take AMEX/VISA/Mastercard/Switch? Mine doesn't....its cash or cheque and knowing i have a £250 limit on my card gives me peace of mind.

2) In EMERGENCY situations where hard cash is required fast, it helps knowing
you have a card which allows you up to £500. I have never drawn more than £100 from a cashpoint, but its the peace of mind it offers me. Of course, you could have 10 diffrent cards with £250 limit each but that defeats the purpose.

3) Co-op doesnt

4) Not everyone has internet at home. The majority of people have a telephone of some sort and First Direct allows them complete banking facilities just using their handset. And fd's 0113 2345678 number is impossible to forget....now matter how hard you try

Stormy

As has been mentioned already, most people who have dealt with FD realise that the customer service is usually excellent. Although as I mentioned in an other email I have had JUST as good customer service with Nationwide (who also have UK call centre staff btw).

My fee free overdraft with Nationwide is £1000, with a rate a HELL of a lot lower than FD's. FD have great customer facing support, just their products dont ever seem to be that competative anymore.

Mike

moneymode

Stormy wrote:

As has been mentioned already, most people who have dealt with FD realise that the customer service is usually excellent. Although as I mentioned in an other email I have had JUST as good customer service with Nationwide (who also have UK call centre staff btw).

My fee free overdraft with Nationwide is £1000, with a rate a HELL of a lot lower than FD's. FD have great customer facing support, just their products dont ever seem to be that competative anymore.

Mike

Sorry have to disagree Nationwide customer service no where near as good. Telephone service is a joke. Phone Nationwide....go through automated system blah blah.....then put in a queue for relevant dept....last time in queue for 15mins before speaking to someone. Phone FD....call answered within 3 rings......human being at other end....call all done in 5 mins. Absolutely no comparison.

Tom_Jones

Does baby frogmelia work for FD I wonder ?

If your happy to pay more to a bank for them to use YOUR money to lend to others invest etc, so they can make huge and quite obscene profits then you must be bonkers IMHO.

SparciaM

<I> Quote </I>

Originally Posted by CopperPlate
1 - Why on earth would anyone bother with a cheque card nowadays? Since petrol stations and various other retailers (Next being one of them) are refusing to take cheques. £100 card is more than enough anyway since if it was any more than that the extra protection of paying by credit card is better after that.

2 - Same as above. I can't ever remember thinking, on the spot, "Oh, I must go and take that £500 out of the bank. Blast! I can only take out £250 today!" Online banking has done away effectively with the need (for me anyway, and I'm sure others) to withdraw vast sums from ATM's. The security aspect of only being able to withdraw £250 at a time is an advantage too if someone gets a hold of your card and PIN.

3 - smile offers this too. So does just about every other bank.

4 - Granted that is an advantage, but how many times do you actually need to call your bank. Secure messages systems are brilliant (usually - with smile they are as good if not better than FD's). Saynoto0870.com is also a God-send.

5 - Well, that says it all. Yes the customer service is good, probably excellent, but I've found smile to be as good as FD in those stakes. The times I need to actually speak to anyone are few and far between though.

All in all, it ain't worth a tenner a month. Especially when you'll be paying for what you've already been getting up until now.

1) Many small retailers/tradesmen do NOT accept credit/debit cards. I mean does you local plumber take AMEX/VISA/Mastercard/Switch? Mine doesn't....its cash or cheque and knowing i have a £250 limit on my card gives me peace of mind.

2) In EMERGENCY situations where hard cash is required fast, it helps knowing
you have a card which allows you up to £500. I have never drawn more than £100 from a cashpoint, but its the peace of mind it offers me. Of course, you could have 10 diffrent cards with £250 limit each but that defeats the purpose.

3) Co-op doesnt

4) Not everyone has internet at home. The majority of people have a telephone of some sort and First Direct allows them complete banking facilities just using their handset. And fd's 0113 2345678 number is impossible to forget....now matter how hard you try


AGAIN.

1) Cheques will be dissolved within the next 2 years, even sooner. It's already said in the media and banks that they're trying to move away from cash and cheques as cards and chip&pin are more secure, so a CGC wont matter.

2) IN EMERGENCY situations you can call your bank and they will increase the limit, OR as smile do, allow you to withdraw £250, then another £250 and so on until you've got the money you need. Even HSBC whom I have a student account with let me take £900 out of a cash machine as it was an emergency.

3) Co-op is one bank that don't. BUT a&l give you an OD at 0% and fee free - BETTER THAN First Direct

4) Over 70% of the UK banking population at Internet access (according to BBC and Which?) and most people interviewed with these, say they rarely ring their bank and when they do it's more likely to complain that do day-to-day banking. Where moving away from talking to people and managing things ourselves - ok it'll take a while but it's getting there.

karatedragon

Isnt there a bank called Coutts and Company?

I believe they charge for providing accounts but you don't see people moaning about them all over this website.

Anyone here bank with them?

garbadine

I thought Coutts was the kind of bank you had to have a million squids (no joke) to open an account with....

... so possibly not that many people on here who bank with them - unless they are VERY good moneysavingexperts!

karatedragon

Coutts is an exclusive bank then

well maybe First Direct wanna turn into a type of coutts and get rid of low earners, kinda keep the riff raff away for those that earn serious money

i must admit though it is a scary precedent. i wouldnt be affetcted by the charge and am now thinking of fleecing the £50 reward (leaving them at the earliest moment after opening the account) for joining FD as a kind of punishment for treating people bad

Cypher

well maybe First Direct wanna turn into a type of coutts and get rid of low earners, kinda keep the riff raff away for those that earn serious money

Thats exactly what they do want to do. They told me so on the phone last night whilst I was closing a couple of savings accounts.

karatedragon

maybe once the dross is kicked away they will increase thier interest rates and make their products more competetive and sought after