What would you like to have from your bank?

jfh7gwa

meer53 - paying in, coins and cheques usually (usually take DCs along with me to pay their saved pocket money - i like to show them how banks work ).

Always take out coinage in specific coins too, due to public transport needs (no change given, but don't use it every day so a pass works out dearer). i normally take out at least 50 quid in coins, just so i don't run out.

also the last time i had to make a saturday trip in to a bank (not my normal one), i had to take in my customer mandate form and proof of ID - wanted to open an account so the bank staff had to countersign it and send it to head office (apparently) before my extra account was fully open.

MsSupertech

Who cares about branch opening hours...? It doesn't matter if you use a decent online bank.
I can't remember the last time I set foot inside a branch of a bank or building society. Smile please!

jfh7gwa

MsSupertech wrote: »

Who cares about branch opening hours...? It doesn't matter if you use a decent online bank.

Well, maybe not for you. And that's cool. But I clearly need a bank which has decent opening hours. Different customers need different things

lr1277

jfh7gwa wrote: »

What use is that to me when I (currently) live outside of Glasgow? Not everyone is in London/SE you know!

Have you thought of having an account where you can do your transactions at a post office?
I understand Barclays allows transactions at post offices, even if it is just putting payments/bills etc into an envelope and sending them to Barclays.
I understand that HSBC/First Direct also use post offices in Scotland.

Edit: just read your post from 2:05pm and I believe the post office can meet your needs in both putting in and taking out money.

And to answer the OP, I am quite happy the services provided by my bank. The internet side is a bit clunky but I can live with that.

Dr_Cuckoo3

I want dog biscuits a water bowl

A coin counting machine that does not have the facility to directly credit accounts would be great too

jfh7gwa

lr1277 wrote: »

Have you thought of having an account where you can do your transactions at a post office?

Actually if I think about changing my current (main) bank, I will definitely consider this. Until I spotted a list linked from MSE a few weeks ago I didn't realise the Post Office banking service was quite so comprehensive... I'd still got it in my head that the accounts were quite basic and suitable only for my gran to use for her pension payments :rotfl:Learning something new every day

KxMx

My local bank in the Town Center have a tiny branch, it is the only one, with just 3 counters. Thankfully they have improved the machines but there are still times when I need to queue. Barclays a few doors down has 15 counters!! Even Santander (formerly a tiny Abbey National) has 5. It is the smallest bank branch in town, so annoying. I am talking good sized town center and not chocolate box village. And it is rare to have all 3 staffed and open at once.

And there is no counter service on a Saturday either. You can use the machines, talk to staff etc but not use the counter.

A deposit machine which takes coins.

They just refurbished (no extra counters as I was hoping!) so unlikely to move buildings or add more.

Can't do anything via Post Office.

Internet Banking is very good but could do with better real time updates, show the transactions as pending and names/amounts, instead of me sitting with my transaction book and a calculator to see if they have all gone through! At the moment I just have "balance" and "available balance".

I am talking about HSBC in Ipswich.

JDC14

I currently bank with Barclays, but was previously with NatWest.

1. A coin counting facility - I'm not fussed if it has to be paid into my current account as I'll just withdraw it outside if neccessary, but I like to keep change in a jar, so this is a big must for me as I hate bagging.
2. Less pressure - I know, as a 19 year old, the bank will see when it comes to saving, I will need that extra little push, I'd appreciate it to be honest. My Personal Banker is a nightmare and will even transfer money for me.
3. Flexibility - Barclays offer gadget insurance up to £500. I purchased my laptop for £530, but they won't even insure it up to the value of £500 which is a little annoying, considering I pay for my account and their Phone Insurance doesn't seem all that great.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure to come up with some more.

willo65

jfh7gwa wrote: »

meer53 - paying in, coins and cheques usually (usually take DCs along with me to pay their saved pocket money - i like to show them how banks work ).

Always take out coinage in specific coins too, due to public transport needs (no change given, but don't use it every day so a pass works out dearer). i normally take out at least 50 quid in coins, just so i don't run out.

also the last time i had to make a saturday trip in to a bank (not my normal one), i had to take in my customer mandate form and proof of ID - wanted to open an account so the bank staff had to countersign it and send it to head office (apparently) before my extra account was fully open.

Is dc's children? If so surely they can only go with you on a Saturday? If your office is open till 8pm then surely you could have a day you finish at 8 meaning you start at 12ish? Can you not go to the bank on the morning?

jfh7gwa

Dcs - children, yes

Some days when I start at 12, they are in school Mon-Fri. So not really convenient to pop in with them on a weekday morning. Besides, that's normally when I do the housework and food shop if I can help it - easier to do it on my own without having to drag everyone along with me.

I think the suggestion of having an account where i can use the Post Office is one of the best ones - post offices tend to be open much more flexibly than banks. I wish I'd taken the time to look at the list of accounts you can operate out of them these days- it's huge!