Which bank would you recommend?

PinotGrigio41

We havent had a great experience with Natwest since falling into difficulties debt Wise, but before that they were great and their online banking is really good and easy to navigate. We have just opened a Nationwide FlexAccount online, due to DMP which was very easy and so far all running smoothly.

Bloomberg

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

We havent had a great experience with Natwest since falling into difficulties debt Wise, but before that they were great and their online banking is really good and easy to navigate. We have just opened a Nationwide FlexAccount online, due to DMP which was very easy and so far all running smoothly.

All banks are the same - very nice to you when there is money in the pot. When your circumstances change for the worse then the bank follows suit.

christ87

JacksterD wrote: »

The Co-Op's really good, no problems with them here.

Co-ops basic bank account is still as brutal on the poorest customers with their charges for bounced direct debits!

hackers_1979

Definitely First Direct for me. A totally different experience from the rest of the bunch.

Very professional and ALWAYS deal with any issue straight away without the need to follow anything up or worry that they won't do what they have said they will.

samwsmith1

hackers_1979 wrote: »

Definitely First Direct for me. A totally different experience from the rest of the bunch.

Very professional and ALWAYS deal with any issue straight away without the need to follow anything up or worry that they won't do what they have said they will.

Exactly - this is what makes them different, they will make sure that any problems are solved and accurately record things in your account notes. When the chip in my credit card was faulty I was on the phone for around 20 mins with the staff member helping with a solution, and documenting it all in my account notes so that if I had any other problems the next person I spoke to could see quickly what had been done etc.

Johnny_Barnes10

First Direct see to be very popular, shame there's no branch by me! Only things I dislike about Natwest is having to use these machines to put my card it to set up a new payee. Can never find the thing so end up doing it with my LloydsTSB account after transferring the funds there. Really grinds my gears!

samwsmith1

Johnny_Barnes10 wrote: »

First Direct see to be very popular, shame there's no branch by me! Only things I dislike about Natwest is having to use these machines to put my card it to set up a new payee. Can never find the thing so end up doing it with my LloydsTSB account after transferring the funds there. Really grinds my gears!

First Direct don't have any branches - it's an internet and phone based bank with the ability to pay in cash and cheques at HSBC branches.

Johnny_Barnes10

Ok thanks for the info, will look into this today.

jfh7gwa

Avoid Santander (just through the sheer volume of horror stories I've heard lately without really asking about them e.g. a colleague coming in from a lunch visit to the bank spitting feathers with their latest incompetence!).

Avoid NatWest - certainly not as bad as above, but me and two other family members have had rather fundamental issues with accounts with them in the last 5 years (sending statements repeatedly to the wrong address where the address had the same surname... !!!!!!... that type of mistake - not trivial).

If I were making a choice about bank which was unbiased in favour of ones that I could walk to within my lunch hour, I would choose First Direct/HSBC probably. or the Co-Op.

alanq

samwsmith1 wrote: »

First Direct don't have any branches - it's an internet and phone based bank with the ability to pay in cash and cheques at HSBC branches.

It is also possible to withdraw cash at HSBC counters.