Anyone got experience of banking with the Co-Op? Can I hear your POV pls?

[GinPalace]

We currently bank with RBS and are being moved to Santander due to the buy-out of part of their business, however I do not want to bank with them.

I would like to go to the Co-Op Bank as I like their ethical banking ethos etc. I like what they stand for, but still need a well functioning bank so would like to know if the efficiency / customer service is up to scratch?

I will be using internet banking a lot and like to avoid foreign call centres if possible as have struggled with communicating successfully with Barclays foreign call centre before.

Can I expect a reasonable experience of I move to Co-Op?

TIA. :)

Well, this is a first - a whole thread of people who are happy with their bank.

Excellent!! Thanks guys - doesn't seem I have too much to worry about. Happy about that. :)

Agent Yes!! Hadn't thought of it that way!!!

We're with Smile. Lots of positives - can talk to a human being in this country whenever needed just by calling - don't have to endlessly press buttons or say things to an automated robot!

£500 interest free overdraft. Good online banking.

Only real downside for me (in particular because it's our main joint current account) is that the online banking does not reflect a real time balance in the way that, for example, Barclays does. So, for example, our balance was showing online as £700 or so. BUT, in reality, there was only about £200 in account as I'd paid lots of bills which take days to show up online. You can text for a real time balance (but it's 10p a text on my network though apparently free from vodafone) or go to a cashpoint to see the true balance but it's annoying to have to do so. I don't know what DH may have spent and vice versa meaning we could go overdrawn and not know.

Everything else good though.

Hmmmm, good to have the heads up on the balance thing as that would certainly affect me with the way I money manage now. That said, I could probably adjust my habits to take it into account. Pity though as I do like a real-time online balance.

We móved to Co-Op last year and have been very happy with them on the whole. Also did it for the ethical reasons, and have had no problems.

I have accounts with Co Op and Smile and have always had excellent service from them. I do most of my banking online or over the phone.

I was a really happy Smile customer till about a month ago, when I applied to open a second current account with them so I could separate out bills money from fun money. I was declined on the grounds that I was a credit risk. When I queried this, it turned out they had got my details mixed up with someone else with a similar name, and even worse, they emailed me details of this stranger's banking as part of their attempt to prove they hadn't made a mistake. Once I had got them to acknowledge that they had made an almighty cock-up, they still refused to re-run my application, as they said they had run a credit check through Experian and Experian had said I was a very poor credit risk. I contacted Experian to see what was going on, and they said I had the maximum score for a good credit rating, and that Smile had not applied to them for a credit check. I relayed this back to Smile, and they just shrugged and said I was definitely a poor risk and I would have to ask Experian why.

This, combined with me telephoning them to warn them I would be turning up next morning to take out £2000 in cash, and them going 'ooooh, we don't know whether we'll have that kind of money just lying around!' have really pushed them down the line in my opinion. What kind of bank doesn't have money for you to take out? Really? I can't pop to the next branch down the road because the nearest branch is a 40 minute drive away. The next one after that is about an hour and a half each way.

Smile
Ruddy brilliant
Can't fault them
No branches nearby tho, we have only needed one once in 6 years to draw cash to buy a 2nd hand car. so that was a 20 mile round trip.

"What kind of bank doesn't have money for you to take out?"

I would have thought it quite common not to have £2k to give out to one customer with less than 24 hours notice TBH.

Most high st banks have imposed floor limits for security reasons which can potentially limit the value of cash withdrawn. However most (certainly all of the ones I deal with) can accomodate if given a bit of notice. Public perception of banks having huge vaults of money is wrong. Most have 1-2 small safes.

We use smile
I like that you get to speak to someone in the UK when you call
Never had any issues
The online banking is v clunky compared to other banks

Another very satisfied customer with co-op , I have just started to use the text message service to get an up to date balance which is brilliant also

Smile - amazing. During the ash cloud they refunded all the cash point charges I had for getting cash in 4 different countries in 24 hours paying for visas etc as we made our way home from the middle east overland. I always speak to them on the phone. Don't forget to become a co-op member so you get your dividend on your banking activities last year DH and I got around £200 and we only occasionally shop at the co-op.

Thanks for all the feedback folks and taking the time to let me know your experiences.

It all gives me a better set of information to go on than I had before for sure! Thanks again.