First Direct Mobile Messaging - New Fee

Indispensable_Hobbes

Got an enclosure with my statement today, they will be charging £2.50 per month for any other messages than your weekly/monthly mini statement on your first 3 accounts.

pinkfluffybabe

Thats a bit rubbish, I like a wee message telling me when payments have cleared. :eek:

nearlyrich

Not seen that one yet, I should be OK as I only get info on 2 accounts and it's just once per month on one. To be fair they did say when they started it that it would become chargable in the future so I'm not complaining too much.

Indispensable_Hobbes

I think the fees are applicable from 01/09/05 but I'll have forgotten by then so have deleted all but my weekly mini statement.

Was quite nice to get a reminder when money went in or out. Will just have to login to my account more often now.

glasgowc

you will be able to have one statement per week for free, you can have unlimited alerts if you take out their first directory product.

penrhyn

Send a few protest e-mails to First Direct customer sevices, won't do any good but you might feel better. I've been with them since the early days, I guess they are getting too big to care now. Still at least you can talk to a human at the call centre, unless they relocate to India.

pricefighter

Why not save yourself a bit of money when you ring them, and use the alternative geographical number to 08456 100 100 which is 0113 2766 166.

Tuesnightspecial

I am completely disgusted by this move. I'd like to highlight a few points:

- EVERBODY gets charged £2.50 per month. Whether you are a high user of texts or whether, like me, you are low user. I like to be told I've been paid once a month and get an alert if I near my overdraft limit (having been stung by First Direct OD fees last year). Its all worked well and FD have collected not a penny in fees from me since ;-)

- Why can't they offer the option to "pay as you go" on low users and offer the high users the £2.50 deal. OR are the low users subsidising the high users??

What's worse is:

"We hope you'll agree this is a small price to help you to manage you money, especially if text alerts stop you exceeding your overdraft limits"

When I was reorganising my finances last year, I found it invaluable to have text messaging to monitor how close I got to my overdraft limit. To have had to pay a fee for that (when money was so tight) would have felt like being held to ransom - "pay the £2.50 or else".

While it is free for first directory customers - I have no need for the other products in First Directory - it is a good deal, but when I investigated each of the parts I did need, the actual product didn't come up to scratch.

Just needed to vent. I find it ever more frustrating that services change things and up prices with impunity. One of the reasons I joined First Direct is now chargable - I thought it was all part and parcel of being a customer.

Guess I will just have to take my business elsewhere (not that it is that much!!!). Is there anywhere else that comes close to the service you get at FD?

soolin

I saw this announced in the press a week or so ago and cancelled my text messaging then as it was useful but not worth the £2.50 charge a month.

The enclosure in the bank statement envelope did say that all users would receive a letter before the charge took effect so that they could opt out of the scheme in future. I do wonder though how many people just won't read it and then get stung for this charge, I certainly don't read all the stuff they send me as it is usually just about loans and things that I don't want.

Soo

thefirs

Cancel the text service, saving £2.50pm

Then make a point of calling First Direct every day of the month to find out if anything has credited, are you close to your limit etc. This will only cost you a maximum of 2p/day using 18866.com on their geographical number 0113 2345678, or free if you use one of the VOIP services. Tell the person who takes your call (there is always an enquiry at the end of the transaction "is there anything else I can help you with today?") that you would not have had to call if their text service was still free.

The bank's cost for servicing your calls will far exceed the penny or two that they've sliced off their sms costs.

Revenge is a dish best eaten cold.

Tuesnightspecial

I got a reply. I disagree that it is value added, to me it is part of the service (provided free) that I signed up for. I'd sign up for their First Directory product if the mobile phone insurance included cover for calls made if your phone was stolen.

"Providing personally selected information as and when it happens is viewed as a value adding service. Where a customer feels that value is added then charging for the service should be expected. For example, value is added in many ways i.e. helping customers avoid overdraft charges or saving them the time it takes to contact us to find out if a credit has arrived."