Thinking of opening a new current account (not switching) and would prefer one woth a UK call centre

lr1277

I have had 2 attempted frauds on my FD credit card this year. Each time I reported it, I was passed onto a member of a specialist team.

No mention was made of HSBC on the transfer. In each case the person I spoke to had an English accent, so I guessed they worked for FD in the UK. But I have no proof of that claim.

Admittedly the fraudsters had English accents too. But one of them pronounced my town name in a way I have never heard before. I didn't think you could mispronounce my town's name, especially by somebody who is from the UK, but there you go.

Anyway after the 1st fraud attempt, somebody from FD called me back. When they asked me to go through security, I said no, I would call the regular FD number and they said fine. Unlike the fraudsters who kept begging me to go through security with them.

Anyway I called and they had an update on my issue.

I suppose the difference (for me at least) when speaking to FD now is that there is no background chatter. I used to hear the background noise pre-covid. So I suspect they are now all working from home or FD has changed the telephony software in the call centre. Slightly weird to me.

Theleak250

I recently phoned Amex and heard his dogs barking. 

Rob5342

Futuristic said:

To answer OPs question if you don't need a branch then go with Chase. Phone line is open 24x7 even for payments/blocked transfers late at night Wait times are minutes at most. 

There's no need to limit yourself to one bank either. You could use Chase as your main account and have a separate account with an old fashioned bank for when you want to pay in cash. 

gt94sss2

Futuristic said:

To answer OPs question if you don't need a branch then go with Chase. Phone line is open 24x7 even for payments/blocked transfers late at night Wait times are minutes at most. 

It's not quite that simple. 

For instance, you can't pay cash or cheques in with Chase not do put their card numbers on their cards (which many don't like)

As such I doubt it will be suitable for the OPs needs.

TheBanker

[Deleted User] said:

Yes, WillPS, there is a Nationwide Branch not too far away and I actually have a Savings Account there.  I'm probably very old fashioned but I always looked uponNationwide as not an actual bank.  The overall suggestions seem to be to use a card rather than cash - I need to move with the times.

I have always resisted using the contactless part of my debit card (too fast!) but, again, it is the way things are going.

I would have a look at their current account offering. They are indeed a Building Society but their current account works just like a bank account. Nationwide will tell you that being a Building Society, and therefore not having to create profits for shareholders, allows them to do things like their Branch Promise. 

Just check the opening times of your branch though. There are four Nationwides near me. The City Centre branch is open Monday - Saturday, but the other branches in smaller high streets are only open four days a week - I expect they are sharing staff to keep costs down. 

[Deleted User]

Thanks very much, TheBanker.  This is the best choice for me - thank you to everyone for all the information.

Rich1976

lr1277 said:

I have had 2 attempted frauds on my FD credit card this year. Each time I reported it, I was passed onto a member of a specialist team.

No mention was made of HSBC on the transfer. In each case the person I spoke to had an English accent, so I guessed they worked for FD in the UK. But I have no proof of that claim.

Admittedly the fraudsters had English accents too. But one of them pronounced my town name in a way I have never heard before. I didn't think you could mispronounce my town's name, especially by somebody who is from the UK, but there you go.

Anyway after the 1st fraud attempt, somebody from FD called me back. When they asked me to go through security, I said no, I would call the regular FD number and they said fine. Unlike the fraudsters who kept begging me to go through security with them.

Anyway I called and they had an update on my issue.

I suppose the difference (for me at least) when speaking to FD now is that there is no background chatter. I used to hear the background noise pre-covid. So I suspect they are now all working from home or FD has changed the telephony software in the call centre. Slightly weird to me.

HSBC handles all the  administration for First Direct’s credit card I believe including any fraud so you would be put through to an HSBC call centre either in the UK or overseas.

Don’t forget that FD is just a brand name of HSBC despite the very noticeable difference in service quality .