Banking & Personal Finance > Building Societies

Advantages: Good branch network, 0% exchange rate transaction fee
Disadvantages: Telephone queues, poor customer service

I've banked with the Nationwide for the last 5 years and the service has become gradually worse to the point where I have recently taken my business elsewhere. The accounts themselves are no longer market leading and better products are available from the "supermarket bank" and via online access to provincial building societies. The telephone customer service has always had an awful auto attendant system but call queues have grown gradually worse. ...
...type a letter and wait for a response or returned call than wait to be told that I will have to confirm in writing anyway. The branches will no longer accept more than 5 bags of counted coinage, something I find frustrating as an annual clear out of small change can take weeks to realize. It's also the only transaction I can't complete outside of the branch (online, via phone) while I'm usually held in a queue of people withdrawing less than £100 ... Read review

Advantages: Great savings rates, and dividend rates
Disadvantages: None

...cant speak highly enough of Bradford and Bingley. I have been a customer there for years, having gone though a range of products inculding savings accounts and fixed term bonds. In all my experience with Banks and Building Societies I have never encountered a business as efficient and professional yet still able to retain the friendly and comfortable atmosphere of a smaller, more personal business. I recently invested in a B&B fixed term bond. ...
...i have been looking for Bradford and Bingley has been able to find something that fits my needs close to perfectly. They offer a huge range, i informed them i was looking to tie a few thousand pounds up for a while and they immediatley offered me a range of over 20 products all of which gave competative rates and very reasonable terms. What impressed me more than this however was the service i recieved with this. I was talked through each of the ... Read review

Advantages: excellent customer service, fast efficient service, loyal to customers
Disadvantages: nothing yet

We got a Coventry Building Society mortgage 2 1/2 years ago when we bought our first house. They were recommended by our Financial Advisor. From first contact to payout everything went very smoothly. They kept us updated by post all the way. We moved into our house and were very happy. After 2 1/2 years our fixed rate came to an end and due to the big CC (Credit Crunch) and interest rates climbing higher and higher we were extremly worried how we ...
...onto variable rate. But again Coventry came to the rescue. We received a letter that they would like to offer us another fixed mortgage for the same rate!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes and had to read the letter twice. When I spoke to them on the phone I had some extremely helpful and friendly staff on the other end of the phone. Everything was explained to me in plain english and the paperwork was sent out. Unfortunately they had to rely on Royal ... Read review

Advantages: MOST ATTRACTIVE SAVING RATES
Disadvantages: NO INTERNET ACCOUNTS

MY VIEWS Chelsea Building Society in my opinon is the very best place for your money with some of the most attractive rates around . I became a member back in 1996 after a friend recommended this building society, since then I have never looked back. Personally I have always been happy with both the high saving rates and friendly manner, whether in branch or by telephone. The Chelsea Building Society which is based in Cheltenham,Gloucestershire ...
...billion in assets. CHELSEA CALL-DIRECT 20 ACCOUNT At present I am changing to another Chelsea Account, the CALL-DIRECT 20 paying 5.25%gross, 4.20%net including a 0.5% bonus rate until 2008 also this account is Only 20 days notice which helps if you need your money in a hurry. The only requirement is that you need a minimum of £250 to open CALL-DIRECT 20. After the 12 months and the 0.5% bonus has finished I will again review for the best Chelsea ... Read review

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Don't be fooled they don't care about their customers.

Don't trust this company! It treats its existing customers in an unfair, underhand and unscrupulous manner. When your current product comes to an end and you have to phone them to enquire about new products because they won't get in touch with you to tell you it has ended or let you know about current products, as I discovered the last time my product came to an end and was put onto the standard variable rate without my knowledge for a year. Which ...
...money to them. As a result of your telephone enquiry they make new product offers to customers by telephone, which are accepted by the customer but then withdrawn if the formal acceptance that they send out for signature takes longer than 10 days for the turn around postal trip. Unfortunately neither YBS or I have control over the postal service but both had to rely on it as YBS did not even allow the acceptance to be faxed back after being signed ... Read review