There's been a reasonable degree of talk on how bad banks are at treating their customers on here. After having started reading this little article on the Beeb's website, I was wondering what it would actually take to make you shift your bank account?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10614802

Certainly for most people who have a raft of Direct Debits and other things in place, it's normally quite a bit of hassle, so minor interest rate improvements aren't normally likely to generate enough interest, but what feature or benefit would at least get you investigating a change of current account?

Nicola changed. She was with HSBC on a graduate account and one day out of the blue they changed their T&C's on overdrafts (graduates had 3 year interest free or something like that) so that only £500 was interest free. I remember some big fuss about it a while back. She moved to Lloyds.

She's back with HSBC now though! We have a joint account and I've been with HSBC all my life (back in the Midland Bank days). Lloyds also wouldnt give her anything favourable with regards to loan rates (22%!), home insurance (£80 a month!!!!), etc and HSBC treat me quite nicely.

Once I've cleared my overdraft then I'm going to start looking.
It only takes one signature to change all your direct debits over.
Although, no matter how bad Santander with charges etc, their overdraft rates are great.

DILLIGAF

Banks are all money grabbing bastards and changing to another one makes no difference. Why bother?

I've changed banks, what, 3 times.

When a good offer comes along just switch over. DDs are, in the most part, easily switched over by the banks themselves and it's not really that bothersome.

Never understood why people don't do it more often.

Any of them that would take my overdraft on.

I changed mine 6 months ago from NatWest to Smile.

I changed because the way they calculate charges is extortionate and the order in which they calculate them means that they get as much money from you as possible.

In one month I had an DD payment taken without any warning at the end of the month. That meant that of the 3 direct debits I had waiting one paid which then took me over my limit and the next 2 (for only a couple of pounds each) rejected.

This meant I was charged 3 times, once for going over my limit and once each for the rejected payments.

All these were taken on the same day and if the order was changed (i.e. the 2 small ones first) it would have meant being only charged once for the entire thing.

I explained this to them and they basically said they didn't care.

At which point I closed my account and moved to Smile.

Well used to work for one so have stayed mainly with them as I still know some of the staff (and the procedures) which helps a lot when needing to do something out of the ordinary
However its not as much of a hassle as it used to be

It would probably take my bank to close down.

I've not had any issues with HSBC, and I've been with them since the Midland days, too.

Old Skool.

Moi aussi. But really, what "special deals" are people getting that are making any difference?? Interest rates are irrelevant if you're not substantially overdrawn or in credit.

For the bank to take on my overdraft and have better rates.

I switched from the utterly useless Abbey to A+L, and of course, that's made no difference now as they're both run by this incompetent bunch of w@nkers:



Even their logo looks like a whippy turd on a plate

Literally, as soon as my overdraft and credit card are cleared, I'm going searching for a better bank. NatWest have ....'ed my around too many times for me to want to stay with them. Not helped by the patronising, incompetent, brainless spanner who works in the Aberystwyth branch. I go in to expand my overdraft for a short term to cover the bills that will be going out prior to money coming in, and I get a lecture on how to manage my finances. Bastard.

Yeah, but honestly, who's gonna do any better??

Does nobody understand that there is no real alternative. They'll all [LIFTED]. Accept it.