I have banked with Barclays since I became old enough to have a bank account. I often read press articles that "tell" us that the great British public suffers from terrible inertia when it comes to changing their bank account, and that over 75% of us never do. I don't suffer from inertia. I like my bank, and have absolutely no reason to change accounts whatsoever. I often read the scurrilous tales of fees charged for bouncing cheques, which criticise the way banks, operate. Let me clarify one thing. I don't believe that Barclays is any more sympathetic than its competitors but I never personally put them to the test because I don't go overdrawn. It's also worth remembering that your banking history is part of your credit scoring. The longer you have an account, the better your rating is.

In the more competitive world of modern banking, all the banks have had to review the way in which they administer accounts and Barclays is no different. Overdrafts have been given more leniency, with an agreed tolerance now if you exceed your limit, so that you don't have to pay a fee. Personally speaking, I think it is unfair to judge a bank on its penalty fees as they all start charging penalties if you mismanage your account after all. That aside, with Barclays there is no charge for standard products such as statements (at whatever regularity you specify), chequebooks or a debit card. As long as you stay within the rules, a Barclays Bank account should therefore cost you nothing.

To be fair to them, however, their fee structure has worked both ways for me. I once had to challenge a debit card transaction that I didn't recognise. I completed the paperwork, sent it back and heard nothing for a fortnight, after which I contacted them once more. They acknowledged that the query had been unecessarily delayed and in recompense for this, my account was credited with £50. A second complaint resulted in a similar credit to my account. I don't mind if, when mistakes are mad, banks are prepared to admit and compensate and Barclays has been pretty good on this score.

Much to the delight of its competitors, Barclays has suffered from its own accommodation policy over recent years, with many city centre branches migrating into trendy wine bars, and rural branches closing down at a rate of about one a week. This is generally bad news for customers. Despite the onset of telephone and Internet banking, there is still only one place you can pay a cheque in, so a branch is never without its use. I tend to find that service in Barclays' branches is slow, very slow. The counter service is often under staffed, with considerable queuing times, and no attempt is made to sort out different customer types. I've lost count of the number of times I've wasted a lunch hour, waiting in a queue behind four shop holders who've all decided to come and get their coinage for the day.

Unlike many competitors I also find that Barclays counter staff stick to the business in hand and refrain from trying to sell me one god damned financial service after another. I REALLY object to the time wasted in branches by trying to introduce customers to this, that and the other and this is one reason I would never bank with the Halifax or Abbey, who seem to do this constantly.

The standard Barclays current account doesn't come equipped with anything more than a standard set of services. The Barclays Additions account contains a lot more (including life insurance, free legal advice etc). Statements are well designed. The transactions are well laid out and the whole sheet is easy to read, with a brief summary of Total Ins and Outs at the top of the page. Barclays are one of the few banks to offer same day clearance on cheques too. Normally you have to wait several days before you can draw on cleared funds, but with Barclays a cheque will be credited as cleared funds the same day. (If the cheque subsequently were to bounce, you would be stung with a range of fees though). I really like this service. I've know other banks where friends and colleagues have had to wait up to seven days for funds to clear.

Barclays online is probably one of the better online banking services I have seen. The layout of the site is excellent, and offers varied customisation options of transactions (according to date, value etc) as well as a large menu of available services. The web site is a particularly useful way to check and amend your standing orders or personal details, but you can do it in your own time, without having to wait in a queue at the bank. I now conduct all my banking online and have never had any problems. Security is high. You are issued with an account number, PIN number and two security passwords. When I first applied for the site you had to phone up and get your details set up, but I now understand that you can register for this service on line.

Other convenient factors about banking with Barclays? You can pay cheques in at the post office (they just take one extra day to reach your account.) If you use Barclaycard, you can make instantaneous payments to your account. You get preferential rates on loans, mortgages and insurance products.