Avoid First Direct!!

Archi_Bald

MABLE wrote: »

Bloody nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't use FD for my regular current account as I prefer banks that pay interest and cashback, but I do have an account there because of their Regular Savings account. I do use the current account irregularly as it's the only one of my accounts for which I still have a cheque book, and although their online banking isn't pretty, it does everything that needs doing. I don't care for their telephone support and have called them less than half a dozen times in the 9 years I have had an account with them.

Calling them a "bloody nightmare" is an emotional outburst and has no justification.

Archi_Bald

Suzy_Hastings wrote: »

My point in my initial post was that I was told that my application was saved and annotated as progressing and that I was NOT to re-complete the form, and the next day I was told that team didn't know what they were talking about, that my details hadn't been saved (although they insisted on me going through 'security' by providing personal information), and that I would have to start from the beginning again. I was perfectly happy with the information the lady gave me yesterday, until I was told today by someone else that it was rubbish.

Calm down. People do make mistakes. It was only a current account application that you decided to leave until the last minute when it had been on offer for months. May be it was a mistake to leave it so late?

meer53

MABLE wrote: »

Been there, done that. I hate this bank with a passion. Bloody nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

http://discover.firstdirect.com/awards

Maybe it was something you said ?

YorkshireBoy

Suzy_Hastings wrote: »

My point in my initial post was that I was told that my application was saved and annotated as progressing and that I was NOT to re-complete the form, and the next day I was told that team didn't know what they were talking about, that my details hadn't been saved (although they insisted on me going through 'security' by providing personal information), and that I would have to start from the beginning again. I was perfectly happy with the information the lady gave me yesterday, until I was told today by someone else that it was rubbish.

Rather than slag them off on an internet forum, advising others to avoid them, I'd have gone ahead and opened the account and then 'grumbled' to them about the misinformation given...calmly.

Willing to bet they'd have given you the additional £25 had you done this.

Man_on_fire

As others have already said, and although I can sympathise with your disappointment with regards to first direct, and having never banked with them myself I can't comment first hand about their service it does seem at bit harsh to tell people to avoid them completely from what you have wrote.

To me advice to avoid a company should be issued if they act in a fraudulent manner or they REPEATEDLY fail to deliver. From what I understand, you are disappointed that you didn't get the £125 offer. And were disappointed with the service you received by their website and operator.. At the end of the day all companies are run by humans, who can and will make mistakes once in a while.

Reapply for the £100, you haven't actually lost anything, you just are gaining less than you originally wanted.

Suzy_Hastings

I have, and at no point raising my voice, very calmly discussed this issue with four people (well, five indirectly) at First Direct. The point of my post was the standard of customer service. Following the IT failure, I phoned as the error message advised... I spoke to a very nice lady who conferred, twice, with her supervisor (I don't mind waiting if someone's not sure - good on them for being honest) and was assured, twice, that all my data was saved in their systems, my application was "progressing", I didn't need to re-complete the application form, and all I had to do was phone back the next day and the new accounts team would sort it out, which I did. The next day I spoke to another lady, who also went off to speak to her supervisor (no problem again), and returned with information that was different to the assurances I'd been given the day before. I then asked to speak to a supervisor, a nice chap, who gave me different information to the lady I'd just spoken to. I then phoned back to be sure... and spoke to another nice chap who gave me a mix of all the information I'd received. That is what frustrated me! I'm perfectly calm... I have current account I've had for over 20 years - I'm not desperate to change. Life is way too short... I was purely concerned that if I got this much misinformation while trying to open an account, what would it be like once I had?! That's all

mgdavid

Suzy_Hastings wrote: »

...... I'm not desperate to change. Life is way too short... .....:)

....just greedy for the account incentive.
Yet another whinge from somebody who thinks the world revolves around them. This all started when you 'pressed the edit key' - but you neatly avoided saying why you did that, presumably 'user error'.

Suzy_Hastings

You are very rude! I don't think the world revolves around me at all! I was disappointed that having done all that was asked of me and the customer service staff having consulted with their supervisors, that the information I received was incorrect.
I pressed 'edit' because despite their initial questions asking for flat/door number, which I completed correctly, I wasn't sure from the 'check your details' page that it had been captured clearly - it looked like all the numbers had been merged together - flat 6, number 95 was muddled. You might be happy with your financial post going to an incorrect address but I'm not!

GingerBob_3

meer53 wrote: »

I would call applying for a bank account and expecting it all to go through the day before a deadline is pretty much last minute.

To expect every department to be open 24/7 is a tad unrealistic really.

No it isn't. This bank trades on its reputation as being there 24 hours a day. Clearly it's only partly there for this time. I sympathise with the OP. The sign-up process for current accounts online is way over the top and driven by the ubiquitous money laundering paranoia. Why aren't they saving details as you progress from one screen to next (to be deleted after 24 hours if the application doesn't complete)? Because they are hopeless, like the majority of financial institutions.

GingerBob_3

mgdavid wrote: »

....just greedy for the account incentive.
Yet another whinge from somebody who thinks the world revolves around them. This all started when you 'pressed the edit key' - but you neatly avoided saying why you did that, presumably 'user error'.

I do wish posters would comment on the issue being discussed rather than slagging off individuals who they don't agree with. Most unedifying.