Question for first direct current account holders

sk8ir

Hi folks,

I'm thinking of moving my current account to first direct...

Those of you with a "first account" - do you receive marketing phone calls trying to get you to upgrade to "first directory"?

Reason for asking:

My current account is - um - currently with HSBC. But even though I've opted out of being contacted by telephone in my marketing preferences, I still frequently get calls trying to get me to sign up for their £x a month "Plus" service.

I've asked them to stop, but they claim the calls are for customer service rather than marketing purposes and so refuse to stop calling me.

Funnily enough they never rang me once in the years before the Plus account was launched :think:

This alone wouldn't be enough to make me change banks after 18 years, but various other niggles in recent months have had a cumulative effect.

Anyway...

I've asked first direct if they'll do the same - contact me by phone for spurious customer service reasons even when opted out - but of course they won't commit to a firm answer and replied with some woolly marketing speak.

So - can anyone on here provide any reassurance, or warnings, from their own experience? Do first direct leave you alone, or are they on the blower all the time even when you ask them not to?

michaels

Never been called by them in 18 months.

JonathanA

We've been current account holders since 2003. We've never had any phone calls asking us to sign up to the first directory, though they do seem to phone annually to review our account and others we have with them. They did recommend I try their insurance for a quote in one of those calls, which I subsequently did and found it to be more competitive than our existing home insurance quote.

They have never pushed the first directory, except with leaflets in with our monthly statements, which we recycle!

Hope that helps.

mitchec1

Can't say they've called the wife or myself in past 13 years and tried to force anything on us.

Have been sent marketing e-mails with offers but that's about it.

MarkFromCornwall

sk8ir wrote: »

Those of you with a "first account" - do you receive marketing phone calls trying to get you to upgrade to "first directory"?

They've never phoned me. I get a marketing email from them but only occasionally.

Mark

Horace

I have never been called by First Direct, I get the odd email from them and they have only ever mentioned First Directory once when I rang them about my account, I politely declined.

I have had an account since 2002 and they have never called me in that time.

They have an opt in for them to send you text messages about the state of your account - I only get them when I am close to my overdraft limit.

GFA

I agree with all of the replies above. I've been with FD for about 14 months now and I have never received any unsolicited contact from them whether its pushing other products or the First Directory.

sk8ir

Thanks all for your quick and helpful replies :beer:

Sounds good to me, I will give them a try!

UnderControl_2

I switched to FD a few months ago and I have been very impressed with the service so far. I used the switching team, so that if I decided to leave I would get another £100 - but there is no chance I will be leaving.

Never had a marketing call from them either, I've had a secure message about first directory but apart from that, nothing.

If you are interested I have a referral card for £50 for new account openings, PM me if you would like to share £25 each so you would get £125 for moving to FD.

meer53

First Directory is not an upgrade to a 1st account at FD, it's another service which you can choose to subscribe to.

zagfles

Been with them 20 years!! and don't think I've ever had a marketing call off them. Occasionally they'll mention something like first directory or mortgage etc when you phone them about something else, but it's the exception rather than the rule.

There were a couple of times when I applied for an ISA with them that somehow I got opted into the HBSC marketing list (they sent me an email saying I had agreed when I hadn't), but they soon sorted that when I complained, and never actually got any marketing calls.

The great thing (as you probably realise) about FD is when you phone them, someone who can sort your query will answer in a few rings, no waiting in a queue, no menu system, no being passed around etc.