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First Direct Current Account Switch Blagged Deal

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  • meer53
    meer53 Posts: 10,217
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    RG2015 wrote: »
    First Direct currently carry out a telephone interview before opening a current account for anyone. Thereafter it is your choice whether you use telephone banking or just stick to online banking.

    This is incorrect, you can apply either online OR by telephone.
  • I keep seeing ratings of how great First Direct customer service are, which is patently untrue. I've found them to be absolutely awful. How does one get to contribute to these ratings so that they might actually represent the true picture?
  • I keep seeing ratings of how great First Direct customer service are, which is patently untrue. I've found them to be absolutely awful. How does one get to contribute to these ratings so that they might actually represent the true picture?

    You vote in the polls this site does, every so often. You'll simply be part of the minority percentage that have a bad experience.
    So the true picture may be 70/30 in favour a good experience. And that would represent the true picture.
  • eskbanker
    eskbanker Posts: 30,375
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    I keep seeing ratings of how great First Direct customer service are, which is patently untrue. I've found them to be absolutely awful. How does one get to contribute to these ratings so that they might actually represent the true picture?
    You vote in the polls this site does, every so often. You'll simply be part of the minority percentage that have a bad experience.
    So the true picture may be 70/30 in favour a good experience. And that would represent the true picture.
    I agree that anyone wishing to express their opinion via the MSE polls can do so - they're conducted biannually and last year's summer one was at the end of July, so watch out for the link in the weekly email around then, or monitor https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/poll.

    However, to glorify these as representing any sort of 'true picture' is a fallacy! They're no more valid than the likes of TripAdvisor and Trustpilot, where anyone and everyone who feels that they've got something to get off their chest (positive or negative) can vote, and (to the best of my knowledge) there is no statistical control to prevent people from voting multiple times or to ensure a valid cross-section of society or to validate that those voting for FD actually have a FD account, etc.

    So, for anyone who feels that these polls don't represent their view, you can of course add your voice to the mix if you believe it's actually worth it, or you can just do what the rest of us do and ignore the things entirely!
  • It is what it is; a representation. You can only work with the sample data provided.
  • eskbanker
    eskbanker Posts: 30,375
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    It is what it is; a representation.
    But the point is that it's a meaningless, unscientific and heavily-flawed representation and shouldn't be seen as anything else - I recalled a thread from a few weeks ago where I agreed with another poster that it was completely inappropriate for MSE to misrepresent these questionably-collected subjective opinions as if they were facts ("First Direct has without question the best service of any fee-free bank account") but see that you disagreed then too!

    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=74240229#post74240229
    You can only work with the sample data provided.
    Not really, you can (and should) gather and measure findings in a much more scientific and structured manner if you plan to attach some sort of importance and weight to them....
  • eskbanker wrote: »
    I recalled a thread from a few weeks ago where I agreed with another poster that it was completely inappropriate for MSE to misrepresent these questionably-collected subjective opinions as if they were facts ("First Direct has without question the best service of any fee-free bank account") but see that you disagreed then too!

    It's almost as if I stick to my opinions.
    They do consistently top MSE's poll. That is a fact. I've not once said the results should be taken as gospel. However, that is in a poll which includes many of their peers, and all of them will have people voting, who has got something to get off their chest (positive or negative). I don't think it can be completely dismissed as 'meaningless'.
    But the point is that it's a meaningless, unscientific and heavily-flawed representation and shouldn't be seen as anything else
    Not really, you can (and should) gather and measure findings in a much more scientific and structured manner if you plan to attach some sort of importance and weight to them....

    You're possibly thinking a little too much in to this. But I'm happy to listen to what is a scientific method to gauge this sort of thing. And how MSE would go about it, with their resources.
  • RG2015
    RG2015 Posts: 5,815
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    RG2015 wrote: »
    First Direct currently carry out a telephone interview before opening a current account for anyone. Thereafter it is your choice whether you use telephone banking or just stick to online banking.
    meer53 wrote: »
    This is incorrect, you can apply either online OR by telephone.
    You can indeed apply either online or by telephone but that is not what I am saying.

    I applied online in October 2017 and everything went fine. However I received a letter saying that I had to phone them so they could conduct a telephone interview. The customer services agent said that it was usual to carry out a telephone interview.

    I took this to mean that the telephone interview was mandatory. I am not now sure of this and neither can I say when this was instigated.
  • eskbanker
    eskbanker Posts: 30,375
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    It's almost as if I stick to my opinions.
    They do consistently top MSE's poll. That is a fact. I've not once said the results should be taken as gospel. However, that is in a poll which includes many of their peers, and all of them will have people voting, who has got something to get off their chest (positive or negative). I don't think it can be completely dismissed as 'meaningless'.

    You're possibly thinking a little too much in to this. But I'm happy to listen to what is a scientific method to gauge this sort of thing. And how MSE would go about it, with their resources.
    It doesn't bother me if it's run as a bit of fun but some mistakenly take them seriously (such as the poster you were replying to, who neatly encapsulates the mindset of those who feel the need to participate) and obviously a line is crossed when MSE start to read more into them than can be justifiably sustained (such as the "without question the best service" quote).

    If they wanted to do it properly they could either engage a market research company or simply emulate one by establishing a statistically legitimate closed sample and undertaking a controlled survey with quantifiable responses, but, as remarked in the thread I linked, the subjective exercise will be rendered obsolete anyway by the banks imminently being forced to publish meaningful customer service performance figures versus agreed metrics....
  • meer53
    meer53 Posts: 10,217
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    RG2015 wrote: »
    You can indeed apply either online or by telephone but that is not what I am saying.

    I applied online in October 2017 and everything went fine. However I received a letter saying that I had to phone them so they could conduct a telephone interview. The customer services agent said that it was usual to carry out a telephone interview.

    I took this to mean that the telephone interview was mandatory. I am not now sure of this and neither can I say when this was instigated.

    Several friends and members of my family have opened accounts with them without a telephone interview and without having to provide any documents for identification purposes so it's not mandatory.
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