Reply to: Santander bank? Any good?

[lilelvis2000]

I've had my personal banking with Smile (Co-op online) and business with the Co-op. Smile is spot-on, but their interest rates aren't as good as they were relative to the competition. The Co-op business account online is rather Noddy like, but I've yet to encounter any problems.

Overall I'm very happy and you can always chat about the Stockport pyramid if you give them a call.

Actually, they did turn down my mortgage application, but even then it was a very nice, polite Indian chap who did so. If everyone in India is that polite than I rather fancy a trip over there.

The wife banks with co-op and has had no end of problems. Why she stays with them I don't know - I don't think switching to any bank really makes much of a difference. I business bank with Cater Allen and the only issue I have is the slow delivery of my bank statements - which I regularily complain about. Their online is okay...no better or worse than any other. I personal bank with Nationwide and they are okay, their online is terrible - I keep losing my credentials and so I have to re-signup again and again. I've given up now and just go to my local branch to do everything.

These banks all look posh on the interior but when you go into the back room, man is it terrible. I go to the Preston co-op sometimes when I need to directly tie into the CFS LAN and I tell ya, I don wanna go back there again! Whatever money they are making, they sure arn't spending it on staff facilities.

[Scary]

Where?

In Spain.

P.s. if the banks are too big to fail, break them up. Take your money to a mutual. The govt won't do anything but you can.

[Lockhouse]

I use Abbey for business banking for Plan C and have had no issues.

[gadgetman]

They are all as bad as each other. Go for one with exclusively UK call centres like the Nationwide.

The one good thing Abbey/Santander have done recently is that their 2 factor authentication system works by sending you a text. Barclays, Nationwide etc make you use a stupid calculator-like device so you have to physivally have the card and the device with you.

The Abbey thing even works while I am here in Oz.

[The_Equalizer]

I'm thinking of moving my personal accounts at least to someone like the Co-operative.

Maybe it would be a pointless and futile thing to do but its got to be better than staying with my current bank, RBS.

I've had my personal banking with Smile (Co-op online) and business with the Co-op. Smile is spot-on, but their interest rates aren't as good as they were relative to the competition. The Co-op business account online is rather Noddy like, but I've yet to encounter any problems.

Overall I'm very happy and you can always chat about the Stockport pyramid if you give them a call.

Actually, they did turn down my mortgage application, but even then it was a very nice, polite Indian chap who did so. If everyone in India is that polite than I rather fancy a trip over there.

[Clippy]

I opened an Abbey high interest current account (when such things existed) around about 1988.

Back then, their service was absolutely brilliant - small queues in my local branch, staff who were polite and knew what they were doing and a similarly high standard for their telephone banking service.

However, about 5 - 6 years ago, their service started to go downhill and fast.

Long queues at my local branch with everyone in the queue loudly complaining and staff ignoring them whilst appearing to not actually be doing any work. The call centre service was quitely moved to India which led to an inevitable decline in service. Staff at the call centre saying one thing, their website saying something else and branch staff making it up as they went along.

Suffice to say, they finally wore me down a couple of years ago and I withdrew the bulk of my funds out of my accounts (current and savings) and moved them to First Direct. (Funny how attentive and grovelling the staff were when I wanted to withdraw my large wad of cash).

Anyway, touch wood, First Direct have been excellent so far and I'd never touch Abbey again.

[scooterscot]

I am British yes.

Nope nothing to do with the Civil service and all to do with mild dyslexia that make me hugely sensitive to the context of words. Spellings aren't the issue, it's when people are lazy and use the wrong word I struggle and have to read carefully rather than skim read which I find seriously annoying.

Look on the plus, you'll find that lost remote or car keys long before the rest of us will.

[TykeMerc]

A fine example of Britishness :O)
Per chance have you ever had a job in the civil service?

I am British yes.

Nope nothing to do with the Civil service and all to do with mild dyslexia that make me hugely sensitive to the context of words. Spellings aren't the issue, it's when people are lazy and use the wrong word I struggle and have to read carefully rather than skim read which I find seriously annoying.

[scooterscot]

No idea what a pettifogger is sorry. As to the other that's my business.

A fine example of Britishness :O)

I despise people being lazy and using there instead of the actual word they mean and since it throws the meaning of the sentence off I find it hard to read.

I thought this was a forum for grownup professionals and not idle l337sp34k1n6 teenagers...

Per chance have you ever had a job in the civil service?

[RichardCranium]

I thought this was a forum for grownup professionals and not idle l337sp34k1n6 teenagers...

l_3375p33|<1n'

n00b5!





Sorry. but I'd have burst if I hadn't done that. :-)

[TykeMerc]

Pettifogger!! I bet the girls love you

No idea what a pettifogger is sorry. As to the other that's my business.

I despise people being lazy and using there instead of the actual word they mean and since it throws the meaning of the sentence off I find it hard to read.

I thought this was a forum for grownup professionals and not idle l337sp34k1n6 teenagers...

[scooterscot]

Where?

Pettifogger!! I bet the girls love you

[TykeMerc]

I tell you, the Spanish are buying our banks, buying our Airports.... but we're not going to let them get away with it.

We've got there costal real estate.. Ar har, bet you they never saw that coming.

Where?

[scooterscot]

I tell you, the Spanish are buying our banks, buying our Airports.... but we're not going to let them get away with it.

We've got there costal real estate.. Ar har, bet you they never saw that coming.

[minestrone]

What have they done?

They dropped the interest rate in one of accounts from 2.something to 0.1 and never told us last year. I forgot to pay a credit card bill a few years ago and I had some Indian bint calling me telling me that she though I never had the money to pay off my bill (she got a disiplinary) for it when I complained. They always switch off my card if it gets used once oversees and then I have to go to the hassle of calling them to reset it. The business manager always calls you up trying to get you to take on some product, the personal side phone you up constantly using some opening gambit then sneak in the hidden agenda of trying to get you to buy a service. They want you to pay 300 quid a year to get the best interest rates. Charges on the business side are getting to 7 quid a month. They wont let you transfer more than 8 grand between accounts unless you go into the branch.

Also they do not let you set up monthly transfers from a savings account, I appreciate that most people get paid into ther current accounts and put a bit aside into their saving account but I tend to dump 20 or 30 grand into my savings account at a time and want to automatically put a grand into my current account and a grand into the savings account each month, then it is easy to budget my spending and I do not have to keep on top of my finances. I dont really want to have more than 5 grand in my current account at any time. so the way they have their accounts set up does not really work for me.

Also they are a heavy user of ICT staff.