So is First Direct good or not ?

karlos1992

According to the money supermaket site it's the best thing ever winning all the customer service awards yet on trust pilot it has one star how can they justify advertising the bank as this great thing without even one mention of the trutpilot rating ?

alternate

Depends on what you want.

The fact that you have to phone a human to do nearly anything is both major selling point and a major turn off - depending on the individual.

Although I think they started skimping on staff in the last few years - based on the complaints about how long wait times have become.

I would still recommend them to certain ppl. If nothing else - they pay you to sign up and will pay you again to leave if you don't like them.

warwicktiger

nowt better!

Katiehound

I had an account with them when they first started and they were excellent... then. It was always handy to speak to a person rather than key in a load of digits to activate an automated system. Things have moved on somewhat since then!!
Sadly means I can't take advantage of any switch deals now

Jlawson118

I'll be honest here, pretty much everyone only ever goes onto Trustpilot to rant, because I, myself do it all of the time. I've left some good reviews on there and First Direct got four stars from me.

I think it's an amazing bank! I was having trouble with HSBC and switched my account. I love how easy and quick it is to get through to somebody straight away. No buttons to press and no robots talking to you, as well as getting through to somebody English, rather than how HSBC puts you through to an Indian call centre. First Direct's is based in Leeds, not too far from where I live, and then there's one in Scotland somewhere too.

If you're wondering why I gave it four stars instead of five, well last year there was a bit of a fraud incident, and First Direct were reluctant to pay, but after a bit of a fight, they did pay out. I have to admit, the payments didn't look fraudulent but they were.

A few weeks ago, I applied for a Sharedealing account, and afterwards I decided I no longer wanted to go through with it. So I dialled the number and somebody answered before I even got my phone to my ear.

bigadaj

Jlawson118 wrote: »

I'll be honest here, pretty much everyone only ever goes onto Trustpilot to rant, because I, myself do it all of the time. I've left some good reviews on there and First Direct got four stars from me.

I think it's an amazing bank! I was having trouble with HSBC and switched my account. I love how easy and quick it is to get through to somebody straight away. No buttons to press and no robots talking to you, as well as getting through to somebody English, rather than how HSBC puts you through to an Indian call centre. First Direct's is based in Leeds, not too far from where I live, and then there's one in Scotland somewhere too.

If you're wondering why I gave it four stars instead of five, well last year there was a bit of a fraud incident, and First Direct were reluctant to pay, but after a bit of a fight, they did pay out. I have to admit, the payments didn't look fraudulent but they were.

A few weeks ago, I applied for a Sharedealing account, and afterwards I decided I no longer wanted to go through with it. So I dialled the number and somebody answered before I even got my phone to my ear.

Though first direct are of course owned by HSBC.

colsten

karlos1992 wrote: »

So is FD good or not?

what is it you are after?
- loan
- mortgage
- overdraft
- savings
- switch bonus
- investments
- Branch access
- internet and mobile banking
- telephone banking
- other

warwicktiger wrote: »

nowt better!

nowt better for what?

Ballard

I have had accounts with FD for yonks and I find them to be generally very good. I am a little biased because I have an offset mortgage which has very good terms and has allowed me to borrow money to lend at a higher rate elsewhere.

I rarely call them but when I do I always get an answer very quickly and the operator is always friendly and helpful. I understand from other posters that they aren't always as quick as they should be to answer. I was probably a little fortunate the last few times that I called as I was in Australia and would have been early hours which I dare say helped. I can't remember when I would have called them during the daytime here.

On the down side, other than the regular saver they don't offer a great deal for those wishing to deposit.

I have made one complaint to them in 15 or so years and that was entirely my fault. I withdrew some cash abroad and was charged about £7.50 against the £2.50 that Santander charged me on a different withdrawal. It was in their t&cs so I had no right to complain but I emailed them to let of steam and they refunded the full amount. I have since taken out a Clarity card so I learnt the lesson well.

In summary I'd give them four stars for overall standard, having lost a star for poor deposit rates.

typistretired

I have kept my firstdirect as my main current account despite opening current accounts with those banks/building societys that pay interest and have regular savings. It is so long since I first opened an account with them they used to pay 2% interest on the account. I agree other than the 6% regular saver their savings rates are dire. I never need the £250 free overdraft on the account but I imagine it is handy for those who run out of cash near payday. Why? Because I am rather fond of them just like I am fond of Marks & Spencer and John Lewis. Doesn't stop me opening other current accounts for the cash incentive.

enthusiasticsaver

I have my main personal account with First Direct and their regular saver at 6%. I switched from Santander 123 and the switch process was good and efficient and unlike other banks I mainly spoke to people rather than the annoying system of many other banks of having to go through half a dozen phone menus before getting to speak to an advisor. The switching bonus was paid within 2 weeks and I have had no issues with them since.

Saying that I have never really had too many issues with banks customer service wise and I have accounts with Santander, Nat West, Tesco, Nationwide, TSB, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland in addition to First Direct.

Futuristic

I haven't had any issues with all the major banks either including FD.

Have you tried searching other banks (or that matter any other provider for Energy, Internet/TV etc) on Trustpilot? The amount of people complaining to the amount of customers each bank has is extremely minimal.

People don't have time to write glorious positive reviews but they do when something goes wrong.