So is First Direct good or not ?

OneLeggedPig

I joined a few months ago, mainly to get the switching incentive.

I’ve found them to be really good. When I’ve called them, I get answered within a couple of minutes, and there are no menus to go through. The person who answers just helps you with whatever it is. Among other things, I’ve rung to change my registered address, and to ask fairly detailed questions about standing orders. They’ve been very helpful.

The online banking works well. There are a few different things to remember when logging in, which I know some people have complained about. But I think it’s good to have a more secure system.

So yes, I’d recommend them.

HappyMJ

I do have a bank account with FD.

My complaint....too many passwords, secret words, PIN's, cryptic answers need to be remembered.

I've written them all down which is not secure at all.

To do some banking online you need a secure ID which usually means finding the little calculator device or getting the mobile out to get a number to enter to complete the transaction.

Very secure but also very annoying.

mgfvvc

When I joined them they were telephone banking only and I've generally been pretty happy. Service levels have always been good for me, which is the most important thing for me. Their interest rates are pathetic, but the answer to that is not to keep large sums if money in my current account.

The deal on our mortgage was excellent.

I have a few niggles with the Android app. When they first introduced two factor authentication it was sufficiently annoying that I went back to writing cheques.

Given the troubles my wife had with Nat Worst and Santander we wouldn't consider leaving First Direct unless it went sharply downhill.

xylophone

I use FD for the regular saver.

Wednesday100

My personal experience of FD was dire and I am just keeping minimal amounts in a current account and savings account to operate the Regular Saver.

1) Long queues on the phone.
2) Cumbersome online system, that looks ten years out of date.
3) I opened a FD credit card to get the £25 incentive. However there was no mechanism to actually make payments to the card online! Using online messaging - it took about 8 separate messages before FD added the option to pay the card to my account.
4) I opened a Regular Saver and FD set up two £300 standing orders, instead of one, putting me into an overdraft. Also strange considering you supposedly can't pay in more than £300 a month. They did credit the second £300 back to my current account as soon as I called them about it and did not charge me.

drinkduffbeers

Wednesday100 wrote: »

4) I opened a Regular Saver and FD set up two £300 standing orders, instead of one, putting me into an overdraft. Also strange considering you supposedly can't pay in more than £300 a month. They did credit the second £300 back to my current account as soon as I called them about it and did not charge me.

Well you up f***ed that one up. Should have kept quiet there

meer53

drinkduffbeers wrote: »

Well you up f***ed that one up. Should have kept quiet there

Eh ? 2 standing orders were taken from the OP's account leaving them overdrawn. What would they have gained from keeping quiet ? They would have been charged for being overdrawn, your post doesn't make sense.

Think you need to keep off the beer.

bigadaj

meer53 wrote: »

Eh ? 2 standing orders were taken from the OP's account leaving them overdrawn. What would they have gained from keeping quiet ? They would have been charged for being overdrawn, your post doesn't make sense.

Think you need to keep off the beer.

I think they meant it was an opportunity to either get two regular savers or double the amount going into a single regular saver.

However the overdraft charges would probably exceed the additional interest so less than a nil sum game.

benjus

I've generally found the telephone service good, although I hardly ever had to call them. The one time something went wrong (a transfer to another account in my name at a different bank disappeared - turned out it was the other bank's fault) they were very good.

However, I really dislike their online and mobile banking. It's not just that it looks outdated - it seems to fail often for me, meaning that I have to go back to the beginning of whatever I was trying to do. And given that it takes quite a few clicks to do anything, this can get very annoying.

I switched to Barclays last year - much better online/mobile experience. Haven't had to call them yet, so don't know about telephone service.

robatwork

My personal experience is that their online offering is the worst of all the major banks, at least the ones with which I have had current accounts - Santander, Barclays, Nationwide, Natwest Halifax, Yorkshire.

They were very friendly and efficient on the phone so that reputation seems to be well earned.

Depends what you want really....