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Original poster

Can you recommend a good bank? Is the Halifax any good?

27 replies

bananabump · 17/05/2007 14:03

Hi, just spotted another thread on banks, and we've been talking about getting a joint account so that I can keep an eye on our finances (as currently he doesn't tell me what's going on moneywise, so I'll assume we have lots of dosh until halfway through the month he'll wail "Oh no, we've only got £20!") and we can both pay bills/keep on top of things.

We currently have seperate accounts with HSBC and Barclays. HSBC are SO unhelpful and Barclays don't seem to be open any time dp needs to call, plus their online banking system is hard to navigate.

So can you recommend a good bank? i.e who has been helpful, who has low charges for going overdrawn etc

Is the Halifax as good as they make out i.e UK callcentres etc?

Thanks!

OP posts:
ledodgy · 17/05/2007 14:04

Halifax charge £39 a time for being overdrawn.

saltire · 17/05/2007 14:05

I'm with bank of Scotland which is part of or the same as Halifax,have been with them for years, they are ok. Whenever I call I get someone in Britain - usually Scotland. The only thing I find is that I can't speak to my own branch, if I phone I get put through to the call centre

mrsmalumbas · 17/05/2007 14:10

First Direct - have been with them for as long as they've been operating. They are actually part of HSBC.

I just wrote a long complaining letter to Halifax re. my recent attempts to open an account for my DD - I think they are a bunch of wankers but maybe that's just me.

toomuchtodo · 17/05/2007 14:12

bank of scotland are good if you are in credit

alliance and leicster are good if you are overdrawn a lot

Original poster
bananabump · 17/05/2007 14:19

more likely to be overdrawn than in credit....alliance and leicester, eh?

I don't really want anything more to do with HSBC, as I have been there several times over the past ten years when circumstances were dire asking for help and I've been continually told NO.

OP posts:
onefootinthegravy · 17/05/2007 14:20

Alliance and Leicester are very good, 0% overdraft and a good interest rate if your in credit too. The best place to look is on moneysavingexpert.com, Martin Lewis he is fab - on his web site will tell you about all the best accounts on the high street at the momemt. The best thing of all is his advice is always in the consumers best interest and his website is not sponsored by anyone. I use his website for absolutely everything, if we need insurance, savings rates, breakdown cover, broadband prices, utilities, flights, phone tariffs etc. He will tell you the best deals on absolutely everything, we have literally saved £100's using his websites!

fannyannie · 17/05/2007 14:22

banana - we had the opposite with HSBC - couldn't wait to throw money/credit at us when we were broke - but now we're 'out of the woods' and want to try and consolodate some of our bigger debts (that are going to take the same ammount of time to pay off) they don't want to know!!!

I've been with the Halifax for about 15yrs now - have a Credit Card, CardCash Account and a Current Account - only opened the CC and Current Account last year and don't use them much (too lazy to get all my various bits of money that I get directed to my Current Account/transfer DD's etc across LOL) and have never really had any bother with them.

onefootinthegravy · 17/05/2007 14:23

One other thing if you decide the Alliance and Leicester account is for you then try and find a friend or relative who banks with them. If they introduce you as a friend you both get £50 or £25 paid (can't remember which) into each of your accounts !!

ArcticRoll · 17/05/2007 14:24

First Direct.

onefootinthegravy · 17/05/2007 14:33

Trythis

fishie · 17/05/2007 14:35

i find halifax are very happy to debit your account on a saturday, but won't credit, so we are often at war with them over fees.

SoupDragon · 17/05/2007 14:35

oh god, not First Direct. Those b*ggers want to charge people who don't earn what they deem "enough".

I switched to Smile.

Lolly68 · 17/05/2007 14:51

Alliance & Leicester is apparently the best current account on the market at the moment plus you get a savings account with it. I'm with Natwest at the moment and am currently in the process of changing to A&L and starting afresh.

nearlythere · 17/05/2007 15:00

umm, smile is owned by hsbc/first direct!!!

SoupDragon · 17/05/2007 18:07

Ummm, no. Smile is the Co-operative Bank.

nearlythere · 18/05/2007 09:52

sorry soupy- i knew it was owned by one of my banks- blonde moment!!!!

VoluptuaGoodshag · 18/05/2007 10:00

Royal Bank of Scotland. I find them very helpful and responsive. They speak to you personally (no call centres, you call your own branch), they remember you etc. etc. I even got a personal letter from the Chairman and a refund of £50 when I complained directly to him about something. Since then they've been great. All organisations will make mistakes at some point but I feel that RBS at least go some way to make amends. And could I just nominate Irene at the Charing Cross Branch in Glasgow for customer service person of the world, every time. She is a legend!

hayes · 18/05/2007 10:02

Royal Bank of Scotland are good, you can speak to someone at the branch or call centre, your choice. If an un expected direct debit comes out, you can add money to the account up to 3.30pm and it will still be paid. A lot of banks need the money to be in the day before the dd is taken. I'm sure they are offering you £100 to join them, but you better check that it may have finished

I used to be with Halifax but as someone says their charges are £39 and they are very quick to charge! I got a charge becasue they were busy and didn't get round to emptying the fast deposit box until the next day, meaning the money was not in time for a dd. They also take 10 days to clear a cheque into your account.

JillyBaby · 18/05/2007 10:06

I've used First Direct for about 15 years and always been very happy with their service, unlike previous banks I've used (including the parent company, HSBC). They seem to have actually taken the trouble to think about what they can do to avoid making your life unnecessarily difficult.

A simple example, but if you apply for a new account or credit card say, you get a form that's pre-filled with all the information they already know about you.

I do have more than one type of account there though, otherwise as SoupDragon says, you may be charged now.

lailasmum · 08/06/2007 12:46

halifax are awful. We are changing our account from them. They are really slack in every aspect-has taken them 4 years to get my name right after getting married, still is wrong sometimes on letters/cards. There latest thing is that cashiers can't handle money in branch, you have to pay in via a machine! Wish they would stop making flashy ads and train their staff.

NoodleStroodle · 08/06/2007 12:57

Lloyds TSB are being particularly good at the moment.

First Direct made me shut my account with them because it was too inactive.

Barclays have got to be the worst.

pirategirl · 08/06/2007 12:57

i use the Coop, always helpful. good deals on insurances and things, and ethics are a bonus.

they never ever ring me and hassle me with loans etc...

junekali · 24/05/2018 15:49

to say that I can not recommend halifax is mild. There are some truly devious things going on in the banking world... google search and it will come up.. Hsbc is included.. monies that belong to people being witheld for no reason. I heard through a friend, that her friend had been receiving money from a london branch and that she went into the halifax to draw it out .. it was a large sum and they would not give her a signed paper with the amount and she had not counted it and then the most bizarre incident developed where she was ordered, and told, either leave now without the money or if you stay we will call the police. she refused to leave without her money, obviously and they called the police and fabricated a charge.. they tried to take her to court for it but it was dismissed in the end. sheer evil.

junekali · 24/05/2018 15:51

I meant she had her rent money put into the account from a local authority and when she tried to draw it they basically tried to steal it from her and it was disturbing what she told me. they shut the bank and stood round in a circle passing the money to each other... bullies is not close to what I can only imagine ,

AllyMcBeagle · 24/05/2018 18:51

This thread is over 10 years old... Hmm