First direct bank

[swee'pea99]

I joined them about 20 years ago after getting fed up of my then bank making constant (monthly) errors. I can't remember FD ever making a single error. 'Nuff said.

 

[slowmotion]

Within a couple of months of joining, decades ago, my wife was driving down the M5 and pulled into Taunton Deane services to get more fuel......and realised that she had left her handbag at home with all her cash and cards. She begged a phone call from a shop to contact me at work. I rang First Direct and asked if it would be possible for me to send some money so she could pick it up at a local bank. Within twenty minutes, they had set it up, and she drove into Taunton with her last drops of fuel. This was years before electronic bank transfers were a possibility for retail customers. I asked the FD lady on the end of the phone what the bank charges might be for helping us out.

"No charge".

 

[PK99]

Within a couple of months of joining, decades ago, my wife was driving down the M5 and pulled into Taunton Deane services to get more fuel......and realised that she had left her handbag at home with all her cash and cards. She begged a phone call from a shop to contact me at work. I rang First Direct and asked if it would be possible for me to send some money so she could pick it up at a local bank. Within twenty minutes, they had set it up, and she drove into Taunton with her last drops of fuel. This was years before electronic bank transfers were a possibility for retail customers. I asked the FD lady on the end of the phone what the bank charges might be for helping us out.

"No charge".

First Direct are the bank customers would design !

 

[slowmotion]

First Direct are the bank customers would design !

After twenty six years, I've never been disappointed.

 

[PK99]

[QUOTE 4501683, member: 259"]It's an HSBC product - we have had many problems with them and would not touch them with a bargepole.[/QUOTE]

You are the only FD customer I have come across who holds that view. Would you care to expand upon the issues you have with them?

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 4501683, member: 259"]It's an HSBC product - we have had many problems with them and would not touch them with a bargepole.[/QUOTE]
If you defected to First Direct, you would get a hundred quid introduction gift, even if you are a current HSBC customer. If I introduced you to FD, I would get a £50 finder's gift too. Send me a PM, and I'm sure we can thrash out some kind of a deal.

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 4501701, member: 259"]No chuffing way![/QUOTE]
OK, no deal this time. I'll still keep you in my Filofax.

 

[Milkfloat]

Whilst their customer service is great, I have found their mobile app to be horrendous and their interest rates to be uncompetitive. I have a relatively dormant account with them still, but the mobile app was the deal breaker for me.

 

[PK99]

[QUOTE 4501700, member: 259"]I don't have any issues with HSBC but I have had a lot of problems with them.[/QUOTE]

I'll try again.

What sort of prpblems?

 

[colly]

First Direct are under the HSBC umbrella but they are a seperate bank. True you use HSBC branches to do any direct banking but other than that, that is the only contact with HSBC.

In fact the HSBC branches are the only weak link in the system.

 

[srw]

[QUOTE 4501683, member: 259"]It's an HSBC product - we have had many problems with them and would not touch them with a bargepole.[/QUOTE]
As others have said, the only thing that HSBC and FD share is ownership and a balance sheet. The operations are completely different. FD was presumably set up when HSBC realised that high street banking had a time limit - and I suspect they're surprised that people still want to use branches even when the service is shoddy.

Whilst their customer service is great, I have found their mobile app to be horrendous and their interest rates to be uncompetitive. I have a relatively dormant account with them still, but the mobile app was the deal breaker for me.

...and I'm very surprised by this. Their mobile app (on an Android phone) is a model of what a good quality app should be. Very easy to use, delivers all the services you need regularly, regularly updated for security and customer features.

I can't speak for the interest rates, but then I'm of the opinion that anyone with a positive bank balance who doesn't pay down their mortgage is missing a trick, and anyone with a positive bank balance and no mortgage should probably be finding a different home for their savings than a bank account.

 

[Glenn]

First Direct were set up by Midland Bank in 1989, HSBC bought Midland in 1992.

I've been a happy customer from shortly after they formed, I have no intention of changing anytime soon.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Yep been with them from the start and would never dream of leaving them. Superb service everytime and even admitted a mistake before I spotted it and gave me £50 as an apology.

 

[slowmotion]

Can I sing First Direct's praises some more? I'm not a shill, honest. I went to a Nat West ATM at about 9:45 on my way home five years ago, and asked for £40 in cash. The ATM gobbled my card and the screen said there was a fault with the machine. I tried a few random key strokes to no avail and began to sweat as there was another punter queuing behind me. I explained the problem and he suggested that entering the card PIN a few times usually gets your card back. It didn't. I rode home and rang First Direct. They could see my request for £40 in cash......and also another cash withdrawal of £360 at a local garage in the previous 30 minutes. It seems the guy who offered advice at the ATM had seen my PIN as I entered it twice, and had previously stuck a simple plastic cash card "trap" over the card slot so he could get my card after I left. The lady at FD told me to ring their fraud department in the morning because they were shut at 10pm.

I did. FD credited me with my £400 within 10 minutes, and all I had to do was complete a brief written form that arrived in the post a few days later.

Anybody want to haggle over my £50 introduction fee? I'm a reasonable man....

 

[ianrauk]

I'm also confused that some one doesn't rate the phone app. It's simple to use and works perfect everytime.