Smile Current Account

brookerbabyisababy

First Direct is an excellent bank. They came first in the BBC Watchdog survey. First Direct offer you a proper true 24 hour first class service based in the uk. They are 100% the friendly and most helpful companies to have dealt with.

wishiwasarichgirl

I've never really understood what "service" you get from a bank. over my 27 years I have had accounts with TSB, Northern bank, Ulster bank, NatWest, Halifax, A&L, Smile, and HSBC and they have all been much of a muchness, except A&L who are just a pain in the rearend cos of the multitude of different passwords & pins you need. otherwise I do most of my banking online so don't have to deal with the banks themselves much.

i don't find smile particularly competitive and only opened the account for the free case of wine they were giving away.

so far I have never paid for an account, as most of the supposed "benefits" are available cheaper elsewhere.

[Deleted User]

I still like smile after being with them from start and previously the co-op bank. About 28 years in total. Their current and savings accounts are seamless and I use the savings account as my feeder account doing instant transfers to my current account as and when needed

The rate on the savings account is 4.75% and their cs phoneline is in the uk

Gambit

wishiwasarichgirl wrote: »

I've never really understood what "service" you get from a bank. over my 27 years I have had accounts with TSB, Northern bank, Ulster bank, NatWest, Halifax, A&L, Smile, and HSBC and they have all been much of a muchness, except A&L who are just a pain in the rearend cos of the multitude of different passwords & pins you need. otherwise I do most of my banking online so don't have to deal with the banks themselves much.

I suppose it's like anything, it all depends on your experience with them. If someone doesnt contact the customer service side of a bank much or never has had any problems to complain about then they wouldnt have any problems with their bank and wouldnt make a difference whether they were with one or another. Its when things start to go wrong that you can see the good customer service from the bad... that's what I think anyways!

topher_2

I bank with Smile and I've said the same thing about them several times on here - good customer service, interest rates aren't very good now and the website needs a few features adding. I'm happy to stay with them because of the customer service - I simply save elsewhere.

Another point to note - if you keep the overdraft at £500 you don't pay an arrangement fee. I don't need the overdraft but like to keep it "just in case".

oldagetraveller

SparciaM wrote: »

I had to send 4 secure messages to ask the same question as they never answered it. Obviously, it was probably a one off and they were having a bad day.

Possibly, can't understand why they never answered. Did you 'phone to ask why?
I've always had all secure messages answered promptly, usually by the next day. Sent one to them last evening, there was a reply waiting this morning. From memory the longest wait for reply has been two days. Shortest, same day within a couple of hours.

montycat - the £10/month is not worth it for me but depends on whether you want the "extras".
A couple of months ago a CS rep tried to flog me the smilemore account but I eventually persuaded him to use Tesco clubcard deals for his RAC membership when he brought up the subject of the breakdown cover included in the account!

MissMilton

I am a very unhappy Smile customer in the process of changing my account.

Be careful when setting up direct debits as, if they are claimed on the day your salary goes in, Smile will pay but will also charge you £20 for each. So despite the fact that your salary is in your account, you have cleared funds and you're within your limits, you still have to wait one full working day before any direct debits can be claimed. This is because Smile debit before they credit and will happily apply their 'service charge' of £20 despite the fact that the money is there.

SparciaM

smile do debit before credit, but in their T&Cs and most other banks - you need to have funds in your account ONE WORKING BEFORE debits are due.

So debits need to go out of your account AFTER your salary has gone in (the next working day).

I should've explained better on the secure messages. They never answered it properly. 1st reply didn't understand what I was asking (even though I only asked for a dd to be canx AFTER it had come out for that month). 2nd reply said they couldn't canx the dd on the day, even though I didn't ask. 3rd said that dd was canx but wasn't and 4th apologised for all replies and did what I asked, and said those people would be spoken to.

I do miss smile secure messaging as FD's is terrible. You can read what you sent, keep records online etc, not good.

Overall smile were a great bank, but as their rates kept reducing and reducing and the customer service declining from what it used to be I decided to switch to FD. Even though I don't like their website and stuff, overall their a good bank and I make more money with them than I did with smile - which is the main point afterall.

Gambit

MissMilton wrote: »

I am a very unhappy Smile customer in the process of changing my account.

Be careful when setting up direct debits as, if they are claimed on the day your salary goes in, Smile will pay but will also charge you £20 for each. So despite the fact that your salary is in your account, you have cleared funds and you're within your limits, you still have to wait one full working day before any direct debits can be claimed. This is because Smile debit before they credit and will happily apply their 'service charge' of £20 despite the fact that the money is there.

Yeah, I think all banks do that which is why I always make sure nothing comes out of my account the day my salary goes in to avoid such a problem. I understand what you are saying and agree its not fair but think thats more of a 'banking industry' issue and not one specific to Smile...

realaledrinker

MissMilton wrote: »

Be careful when setting up direct debits as, if they are claimed on the day your salary goes in, Smile will pay but will also charge you £20 for each.

Have to say i have never experienced this. I check my balance daily & move cash in/out of a Co-op High interest savings a/c to cover any movement into the red. I have never been charged any fees even though I in theory do not have enough in the account to cover the following days' transactions on several occasions each month.

But as SparciaM says, you are breaching the account T&Cs so I can't see any validity in your argument.