How did First Direct come first in MSE polls?

colsten

DesiBadBoy wrote: »

Btw I managed to get a £25k loan in literally 120 seconds using their website. Easy money...

I suppose it all depends on what you are looking for in a bank. If you are looking for £25K credit, you are clearly a very different customer to the one who wants to deposit £25K. FD might be great for the former, and they are rubbish for the latter.

Borrowing £25K outside a mortgage is of course anyone's own business, but it does strike me as an unusual loan request. If I needed a £25K unsecured loan, I wouldn't brag about getting it. If I, as a personal customer, was offered £25K credit within 2 minutes of applying online, I would be very worried about the creditor (and no serious business would expect to be granted any credit within 2 minutes online). Most of all, I would be worried sick about paying back the £25K.

ChemistDude

colsten wrote: »

I suppose it all depends on what you are looking for in a bank. If you are looking for £25K credit, you are clearly a very different customer to the one who wants to deposit £25K. FD might be great for the former, and they are rubbish for the latter.

Borrowing £25K outside a mortgage is of course anyone's own business, but it does strike me as an unusual loan request. If I needed a £25K unsecured loan, I wouldn't brag about getting it. If I, as a personal customer, was offered £25K credit within 2 minutes of applying online, I would be very worried about the creditor (and no serious business would expect to be granted any credit within 2 minutes online). Most of all, I would be worried sick about paying back the £25K.

Cheaper than bridging finance ;-) Took it out October last year as a 7 year loan, been overpaying it from earnings, balance reduced to £8,400 in a mere 5 months from taking the loan. Will be zero by August.

I'm not bragging about getting the loan, the point is, that if you have a great credit rating and good earnings then with FD everything is as you expect, ultra efficient.

Also reason I'm not a customer who deposits £25k is at this phase of my life age 30 I am buying assets with earnings. Trying to build a decent passive income from property and equities over a 20-30 year horizon.

enthusiasticsaver

I recently switched from Santander to FD. The initial email with switch details took about 6 days to arrive but the call centre were efficient as was the switching team. My account was switched in just over a week and I got my bonus about two weeks after that.

Yes I would agree the amount of security information is annoying to set up but I use the mobile app and Internet banking with no issues. No better or worse than other banks tbh.

Ken68

Just had a letter from First Direct reminding me to log on occasionally, or go back to paper statements. Nice touch. First Rate.

alternate

The thing most people like about them - UK call center, no phone menus - is thing that stops me using them as my main bank.

I prefer not to talk to a human if possible and FD online banking isn't great. There call waiting times (even off peak) seem to have got a lot worse recently too.

No_6

I always ignore the stuff at the top but have just realised that only
77 people voted on this !

some big poll to get FD to the top again

and I didn't vote for them

freyasmum

I dislike the fact that I have to tap the app to open wait for the failure and then tap it again.

Switching to them was easy, even if it did require a few calls. Whenever I call them (day or night), the staff are always very pleasant and quick to explain whatever needs clarifying. I'm happy with them.

hellopaul

A few weeks ago I successfully switched away from First Direct back to NatWest, due to the NatWest site/mobile app NOT being something terrible from about 1992 like First Direct's, and I can download a year's transactions in one go. AND I got the £100 leaving money from First Direct. So that's all good news!

JuicyJesus

As mentioned elsewhere, I left them recently after I got the distinct impression I wasn't "their type of customer" (especially after a particularly bad bit of rudeness off a staff member).


Realistically, Halifax do me just as well given I basically just need an account for my Amex DD and phone bills to come out of, and also don't seem to look down their nose at me whenever I ask for lending.

hellopaul

JuicyJesus wrote: »

...I wasn't "their type of customer".

I guess "their type of customer" is someone who has never used any other online banking in the past couple of years and doesn't realise how bad First Direct's banking experience is!