NatWest - what's the best alternative which also has good customer service?

GustyGardenGalaxy · 8 December 2023 at 6:44PM

I've been with NatWest for many years and rarely need to call them but whenever I have some account related enquiry I've noticed that it's becoming increasingly difficult to talk to somebody.

Even their Trustpilot score is truly lousy.

Had a really bad experience with them today and I've had enough, it's time to move.

Can anyone advise on a suitable alternative for a credit card and basic banking services please?

My credit card (Mastercard) is via NatWest and I have a basic current account ('Select Account'), also an 'Instant Saver' account which I barely use.

I'd like the service to offer telephone and online banking (the latter NOT via an app but via a browser on my PC).

Which services would people here recommend please?

wmb194 · 8 December 2023 at 6:49PM

GustyGardenGalaxy said:

I've been with NatWest for many years and rarely need to call them but whenever I have some account related enquiry I've noticed that it's becoming increasingly difficult to talk to somebody.

Even their Trustpilot score is truly lousy.

Had a really bad experience with them today and I've had enough, it's time to move.

Can anyone advise on a suitable alternative for a credit card and basic banking services please?

My credit card (Mastercard) is via NatWest and I have a basic current account ('Select Account'), also an 'Instant Saver' account which I barely use.

I'd like the service to offer telephone and online banking (the latter NOT via an app but via a browser on my PC).

Which services would people here recommend please?

For financial institutions TrustPilot mostly only attracts complaints so it's not a particularly reliable indicator.

To your question, First Direct, part of HSBC, is the obvious suggestion. I'm, 'meh' on it but I know people who have banked with it for a long time and love it. It always scores highly in the customer service ratings surveys.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/386749/uk-leading-banks-by-customer-satisfaction/

eskbanker · 8 December 2023 at 6:56PM

There is also the 'official' bi-annual survey carried out at the instigation of the CMA:

https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/personal-banking-service-quality-great-britain-august-2023

GustyGardenGalaxy · 8 December 2023 at 6:58PM

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll look into the top 3 on that list. :-)

GustyGardenGalaxy · 8 December 2023 at 7:23PM

@wmb194 - "For financial institutions TrustPilot mostly only attracts complaints so it's not a particularly reliable indicator."

In some cases I would agree, but when looking at, for example, the top 3 banks in the post after your reply it seems that those mostly have people making positive reviews:

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.monzo.com

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/starlingbank.com

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.firstdirect.com

lr1277 · 8 December 2023 at 8:22PM

I am a little confused by your 1st post.

I thought you needed a basic account but on the basis you have a credit card, you should be able to get a regular account i.e. one with an overdraft. Having said that, one of my current accounts with First Direct (FD) has a 0 overdraft, at my request.

Regarding FD they don't offer basic accounts. Also you can use either the web or an app. However if using website only, you will need to get a keypad from FD. When I asked for a replacement keypad either 1 year or 2 years ago, they did say it would take a few weeks. I don't know the situation with new appliations.

If you choose the app option, you can bank on the app, or the app will generate a code so you can access the website.

Edited to add: I am a big fan of FD because of their great customer service. I now love using the app even though previously I was a website only user. Btw: when setting up the app, the FD staftt member stayed on the line with me whilst I set it up and was thinking of passwords etc. Took about 30 mins including thinking time.

eskbanker · 8 December 2023 at 8:27PM

lr1277 said:

I am a little confused by your 1st post.

I thought you needed a basic account but on the basis you have a credit card, you should be able to get a regular account i.e. one with an overdraft.

NatWest confusingly refer to their Select account (that OP has) as a 'basic' bank account, but it isn't the bottom of the range basic account in the sense you're meaning - that's their Foundation account, which doesn't offer overdrafts (unlike Select).