with many banks since I was 16 and eligible to have a proper bank account. Normally, you’ll find that people bank with the bank that their parents banked with, and seldom change as it’s what they are used to and it’s the way they know banking to be. Although I was brought up on Nat West by my parents, I soon became dissatisfied with this company soon after I had my first job at the age of 16. From then on, with regards to banking, I have moved my accounts if not satisfied with a particular brand.
After Nat West I moved to Abbey National who I banked with for quite sometime, however after the take-over by Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano in 2004, queues got longer and service rapidly deteriorated, both over the phone and more importantly, in-branch. I swiftly moved to The Co-operative Bank, as I liked their ethical approach. However, I didn’t find them to have a very ethical approach towards their customers, after going over my overdraft limit by 72p, a mistake I quickly
rectified. Despite my quick reaction to this measly but misfortunate mistake over 18 months I was hit witch charges month after month, totalling over £2000, which took me over 1 year and a solicitor’s letter to re-claim. Throughout those 18 months I was hit with bailiff’s letters, and also received a letter that came on blank paper, simply showing the words ‘URGENT, Contact Ron on (for example) 07665243356. That was it. But it turned out to be The Co-op sneakily trying to get me to call them, as if I had previously avoided contacting them.
Those irritating all-singing, all-dancing adverts (you may call them) actually caught my eye and attracted me to the Halifax. I found them to be quite eye-catching and made me think of Halifax as a bank with a friendly and humorous approach to banking. And as usual, they always seemed to be advertising much better rates than their competitors on simple things such as current accounts and credit cards/loans. It seemed to me that Halifax were generally different to the stale and boring likes of Lloyds TSB and HSBC.
Although the Co-op had made me immediately close my account after coughing up the money that I felt genuinely owed, I was not without a bank account, I still had my Abbey account and the Halifax were offering me £100 to take it off my hands (use their switching service to transfer my banking from Abbey to Halifax). As you can imagine, I found it hard to turn this offer down!
Now, you may think that having a bank switch your account from one of their competitors to themselves would be a hassle-filled operation. I was assured that it would not cause me any inconvenience and that they would keep me informed every step of the way. All I had to do was sign 2 pieces of paper and we were away.
Every couple of days, until the switch-over was completed, I received a letter from the Halifax stating what direct debits had been moved, which were still in the process of being moved and also general information relating to the switch-over. I was also given a temporary £1000 overdraft facility on my new Halifax account, just for piece of mind, a re-assurance that any direct debits that came out of the new account before my wages had began to be paid in did not incur any bank charges.
All in all, the switch was completed hassle free, and they even contacted my employer to ask them to change the account my money was paid in to.
The general service at the counter whenever I have visited a Halifax branch has been excellent. I was used to minimal eye contact and the odd grunt from the staff at my ex-bank Abbey, so I was pleased to be called my my name, thanked for waiting if there was a queue and to receive smiles all round. Call centre staff are quick to answer, and carry out the same level of service of branch staff.
I won’t go into detail over interest rates etc., as at the moment these seam to be ever changing and any information I give out regarding rates could be useless to anyone in a matter of days. However I have always found the Halifax to be very competitive with their rates, if not offering the best rates available in the banking market place. The one time I thought I may be in for a bit of hassle with them, was when, again, I went over my overdraft limit by a miniscule amount. I was filled with the dread of another battle of the bank charges like I had encountered at The Co-op. I phoned the Halifax at their call centre and was half way through explaining the situation when the agent on the other end of the line interrupted and explained she could see I had a good (even though short) history with the bank so she will refund both the charges I had incurred. I didn’t even need to ask!
Their on-line banking facility is excellent, and it's also much easier to use than the facilities offered by my previous banks. You can move money between your accounts, move money to other peoples bank accounts even non-halifax ones and set up standing orders and amend your overdraft limit. Signing in is quick secure and simple.
So from then on my beautiful relationship with the Halifax has blossomed and I now have my joint bank account, a personal loan and a credit card along with savings accounts all with this financial gem. I had feared that, like with the Abbey, things would deteriorate after the Lloyds TSB take-over, but as yet it is business as usual and my brilliant experience of Halifax looks set to continue for a long time yet. I'm more than happy to have all my eggs in this basket!
My partner and mother have both switched to Halifax from Alliance&Leicester and Nat West respectively, and have never looked back.
I really would recommend this bank to anyone.
I hope you have found my review helpful, please feel free to leave feedback, it’s always interesting to read.
www.halifax.co.uk
Pictures of Halifax
Typical Halifax branch exterior
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Efficient online service, friendly and helpful staff on phone and in branches, good interest rates Disadvantages: Automated phone service a bit of a pain, some services not available over bank counter
chinnyli 31.12.2002 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Halifax
Jun 9th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
