Best Account!

[fiscalfool]

Re: Best Account!

Hey Nid, long time no speak. Hope you're well.

Oh, that's worrying about NatWest

I wonder if I can get a 1-2-3 account then ... or is that classed as a higher risk than their "basic account" ?

Sorry to derail this thread a little!

[fiscalfool]

Re: Best Account!

Ack ... well ... Santander 123 account applied for. Said "NO" to overdraft, and "NO" to Credit card in application. Finger and toes crossed everyone ... I should hear in 2-3 days.

NatWest appointment cancelled!

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Best Account!

If you're successful they'll email you in the next day or two - the message may end up in spam so keep a look out.

Good luck

[fiscalfool]

Re: Best Account!

ack ... I think the forums have been down, they couldn't be reached to reply.

Anyway, the day afterwards, I got a pretty generic:

"Sorry, you don't meet our criteria ... " email.

It went on to discuss credit rating and suggested I looked at Experian's website.

I thought about it for some time, and decided to email them back with a complaint. I stated that I hadn't applied for any form of credit during the application and indeed deselected the overdraft and credit card options. Had there been some suggestion that discharged bankrupts would not be considered, then I'd have not wasted an imprint on my credit record. I said that I'd now have to wait three months to apply to another financial institution whom may be interested in my business.

We shall see if I just get fobbed off from them.

Afterwards I spoke to the lady at NatWest whom was trying to get me to apply for an account. I asked her about the application process. She said that most things could be reconsidered with evidence, but if I failed a credit check ... "Computer says no" then it was a complete no-go from them. I thanked her for her help and told her I wouldn't waste her time just yet!

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Best Account!

Sorry to hear that mate. The BR shouldn't be a problem so long as you don't have 20 defaults. I forgot to ask are your credit files clear?

[fiscalfool]

Re: Best Account!

Yeah all clear.

That said, I should request updated reports from the three CRA's just to double check. I'd saved money by making sure that when lenders said they'd cleared it up, that once it had gone on Noddle (CallCredit) that it had gone on the others.

So *should* be clear on them all.

The one thing that in retrospect might have gone against me .... is that Vanquis increased my credit rating during the previous month from £500 to £1000, and I guess that would show as having taken on more credit !?!

[cymruambyth]

Re: Best Account!

It will only go against you if you spend the full amount and don't repay it!

[ScabHunter]

Re: Best Account!

These are my experiences with banks. Those of others may well be different.

Bank of Baroda – Customer Service – Out of this world!

When I was first thinking of applying for a Bank of Baroda Saving Bank account, I sent an email to the address listed for the Aldgate branch. I wanted to see if I'd get any sort of reply, as I wasn't yet one of the bank's customers. I wasn't really expecting one. At best, I thought I'd get a two-line reply telling me to drop in to one of the branches.

What came back was unbelievable. The manager, or someone acting on his behalf, took the time and trouble to give incredibly detailed answers to all seven of the questions I'd asked, despite the fact that English was obviously his second language. The mainstream High Street banks won't even respond to their own customers!

I got to meet the manager of the Aldgate branch when I went to open the account, and he was just as helpful then. He told me every little detail I needed to know, which has so far proven to be spot-on.

I also had to deal with the bank's phone customer service when I had a problem with my PIN number, and they sorted it out straight away. Ironically, while so many British don't-give-a-monkey's firms are outsourcing customer service to India, with the Bank of Baroda I got to deal with a very pleasant lady with a mild Scottish accent. Yes, Scottish people can be pleasant sometimes!

The account is also excellent. It doesn't pay a fortune in interest, but it comes with a cheque book and a VISA card, and you can even set up direct debits on it if you want to. I've used it for well over a year now without any problems.

Metro Bank – Customer Service – Excellent

Metro Bank is a rapidly expanding bank which aims to have 200 branches (they call them “stores”) by the year 2020. They also respond to emails, although in my experience the answers aren't always 100% accurate. The bank has far longer opening hours than any other, and they are open seven days a week. This means greatly increased branch access for anyone who has to work during standard bank opening hours.

Because they are an expanding bank desperately trying to recruit new customers, they seem to have a more genuine attitude to customer service than the established banks. They also try harder to accommodate people who don't quite fit the perfect customer model. I got my current account when I still had defaults on my file, and as a self-employed, which banks absolutely detest.

The guy who opened the account even helped me get round the requirement of needing a cell phone number to open the account. He put my land line into the cell number field, and let me add a cell number later. You need that, as Metro uses SMS as a security measure during the setting up of new payees.

The Metro Bank online portal has also been upgraded, and is now the best I've ever used. They don't pay interest or give incentives, but if having a usable account is more important than 2s 6d a year in bonuses, it is the best choice at the moment.

Co-op – Customer Service – Below Average

The Co-op Cashminder is still my top choice for a basic account, but the bank will never win any awards for customer service. Try to find the customer service email address on their website, and you may as well search for ice cubes in the African jungle. Their basic attitude towards customers – middle finger.

You are stuck with needing branch access for every little problem, which must be incredibly frustrating to those with 9 to 5 jobs. The branches are always under-staffed, so expect to have your pimply pre-pubescent boss seething with rage when you get back late from the lunch you didn't have time to eat.

I went in to my local branch once, and the tellers behind the counter were even verbally spamming people with unrelated offers like house contents insurance after the transactions had been completed. If I get stopped by an idiot in the street trying to sell me something, my usual reply is “Que? Lo siento! No hablo Ingles!”, but that won't quite work when you've been arguing with the bastard about your account for the past ten minutes. I thought about taking some egg and sausage into the branch and telling them to serve that with the bloody spam.

Santander – Customer Service – Toilet Bowl

Sorry, Niddy, but your taste in banks is as bad as your taste in soccer teams.

Santander has the same SMS security system as Metro, meaning you need a cell phone number. When I took my cell phone number into the Metro Bank Tottenham Court Road branch, they just asked to see my debit card, and swiped it to bring up the account details on the computer. Then, they asked for the cell number, typed it in to the system, and told me job done. That was it.

With Santander, the exact same operation could not have been more difficult. They demanded to see my passport, which I am not in the habit of carrying around every day, and treated me like a criminal because I don't possess a driving license. They don't give driving licenses to visually impaired people, you demented pea-brained vacuous oxygen-wasting malodorous cretin. I had to go back into the branch on another day with the passport, and the security checks were beyond those Bin Laden would have faced if he'd turned up at the White House.

Yes, security is important. So, though, is customer service. There is no excuse for treating people in an extremely rude and obnoxious manner just because they need to set up a cellular telephone number to be able to use online banking.

Santander also blocked my card when I drew £10 out of a cash machine three bus rides away. Two years ago, a former poster of this site who is no longer flavour of the month related a tale of how Santander blocked their card while they were in Spain, leaving them in a nasty situation. Well, it happened to me in Hunstanton, which can be reached from where I live using three buses. There are some people who travel up and down the country every day as a routine part of their job – what the hell do these buffoons do with them??

I never chose to bank with Santander. In 2005, before my debt adventures started, I got accepted for an Alliance & Leicester current account, which at the time was one of the best on the market. When Santander swallowed up A&L, I got moved over. I just use the account as a PayPal buffer now. As there is no way in hell I'll ever work for an employer again, I'll obviously never be able to upgrade to a 123 (who the hell taught a bank how to count???) account.

SH

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Best Account!

Sorry, Niddy, but your taste in banks is as bad as your taste in soccer teams.

But seriously, I find them to meet all my expectations (for now) albeit I too have recently encountered their fraud measures as we're looking at cars so I've spent out of character meaning they blocked my account until I called them - annoying, but all I did was use my other account for the last week until I called last night and the sole reason it was blocked is because it was a large amount that they said was out of character to my normal spending. I was fine when they explained why they did it, but I did say that there must be easier measures to consider...

But in the main I find them great, never have any real issues and they do what I want - that's what a bank 'should' do in my opinion.

[kilasuit]

Re: Best Account!

Hmmm - I'm needing to move my accounts (again)

Currently have Barclays (which aint bad and I know who I can Whine to if needs be though shame about Jailbroken Devices and the Apps - Not changing that stance any time soon unfortunately)
Co-Op Cashminder - Again ok but would like to get an account with an OD for rebuilding my Credit up now I'm Actually on a decent Wage so that I can be seen to be able to clear my Debts sooner rather than leaving them to stew until SB comes into play which is circa 2018 for me

Any Advice on where to go to? - My Credit reports are gonna be a mess until at least October 2015 I reckon so i'm thinking that I may have to stay put.

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Best Account!

Do you owe money / past customer of Natwest? They're easy to get a select account with.

[kilasuit]

Re: Best Account!

I have had a Crapwest account for 2 and a bit years - never paid a penny into it so not sure if it's still open. 😳 Plus they don't have my current address so I dunno if they've closed it or whatnot. Plus the debit card for it is in storage so I don't even have any details at all. But it was just a basic account tbf

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Best Account!

They've changed systems now mate, when you apply online they verify you using driving licence / passport and no more AVU - more and more accounts are being approved. Their pass rate is pretty basic to be honest.

You might be better applying at Natwest, you can still open a select account regardless of the fact you previously had one.

[ScabHunter]

Re: Best Account!

I'm not sure that getting an overdraft is necessarily the best way to build up your credit rating. You'd probably be better trying for a Vanquis credit card, and then if you don't get that try for a JD Williams catalogue and then try Vanquis again after six months.

Also, why the hurry to pay off alleged debts as quickly as possible? That is not going to help you get credit any more quickly. Each default will still remain for six years from when they were added to your file.

I can only say what I would do in the given circumstances -

1) Stick with the Sharklays and Co-op accounts
2) Is the Sharklays account a basic account or a full one? If you don't have a cheque book, then - Do you ever visit London or Birmingham? If so, go and see the Bank of Baroda and open one of their saving accounts. It now only pays a pitiful 2.5% interest, but even that is slightly more than the “Smart” Saver account which comes with the Cashminder. The important factor is that the BoB saving account gives you another VISA card and a cheque book. The BoB saving account works perfectly in conjunction with the Cashminder, to give you the equivalent of a proper current account, only with two VISA cards and two accounts on which you can set up Direct Debits. That will give you all of the facilities you need, except credit!
3) Apply for a Vanquis credit card. If that fails, try Aqua. Some people have succeeded with that when Vanquis failed.
4) If you can't get a credit card, open a JD Williams catalogue account. Then, try for Vanquis again in another 6 months.
5) Forget about trying to clear alleged debts early, as there is no point. 2018 will arrive soon enough.

That is what I would do. In fact, it is virtually what I did do. I wouldn't fart around with overdrafts as I don't see the point in them. As the bank can recall an OD at will, you need to have cash to cover it, and if you've got cash why not spend it and save the interest?

SH