Who Do You Bank With (and why)?

ERICS_MUM

Nat West since I started working for them in 1974. Now retired but still keep my Advantage Gold account. I like their on-line banking, never had them mess anything up for me.

innovate

ERICS_MUM wrote: »

Nat West since I started working for them in 1974. Now retired but still keep my Advantage Gold account. I like their on-line banking, never had them mess anything up for me.

Amazing how quickly people forget how they got messed about by Natwest.

EarthBoy

innovate wrote: »

Amazing how quickly people forget how they got messed about by Natwest.

If you're referring to the system problems earlier in the year, these didn't affect everybody. I've no idea why some were affected and not others, but I have several friends with Nat West who had no problems whatsoever.

Chrisblue1962

Main account with Yorkshire Building Society as I don't have a debit card on the account - this is so I can't spend bills money on other thing.

Other subsidiary basic accounts with Co-op, Lloyds and Natwest

Halifax81

Currently with Coventry Building Society I tend to switch on a yearly basis

katejo

My first bank was Barclays in the early 80's but I left them because of their involvement with South Africa (apartheid). Then Nat West for a short time . Have been with FD since about 1991. No plans to change due to superior customer services. No "your call is important" , menus to choose from . Always a real person to speak to who is not reading from a script

You-kip

katejo wrote: »

My first bank was Barclays in the early 80's but I left them because of their involvement with South Africa (apartheid). Then Nat West for a short time . Have been with FD since about 1991. No plans to change due to superior customer services. No "your call is important" , menus to choose from . Always a real person to speak to who is not reading from a script

I've actually phoned my Bank barclays 3 times in about 15 years so IMO they must be doing something right.

I can't get my head around how answering the phone quickly can justify being the best bank as FD's internet banking & interest rates are useless.

JuicyJesus

You-kip wrote: »

I can't get my head around how answering the phone quickly can justify being the best bank as FD's internet banking & interest rates are useless.

FD target themselves at people with more money than time and slightly more complex banking needs. As such their telephone service level is what they pride themselves on, since those people will need more and more flexible service. They have never aimed themselves at the mass market (who mostly don't need anything from their bank other than transactional services) or at MSE-style rate tarts.

That's the main difference from Barclays, Lloyds etc, who all explicitly aim to be all things to all people.

TheEffect

I have a few accounts.

Nationwide Flex Plus (£10 gets me all the insurances).
First Direct (£500 withdrawal limit, £250 free overdraft, otherwise they're not great).
NatWest (£1700 free overdraft, student account, don't use).

John1993_2

Citi, HSBC, Natwest and Coutts.

Have worked for pieces of each, so was required to bank with them, and like keeping them for various uses.