HALIFAX

Advantages: Friendly efficient service
Disadvantages: none

...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...

mi_ke 09.06.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax

Halifax - infelixible, inconsiderate, and greedy

Advantages: wide range of accounts, telephone and internet banking
Disadvantages: let me down in an emergency, refused flexibility when I needed it

...I?ve had an account with the Halifax since I was 13, when I joined a choir that paid me for singing with them. I didn't actually have a choice about which bank to put my money with - as far as my mum was concerned, it was her bank, it worked for her, so i was going with them. You can either apply the old fashioned way by going into a branch, or you can do it over the phone or the internet. I myself applied in branch, as it was directly opposite the supermarket where I go food shopping, so didn't involve an extra trip. You need to take ID with you when applying - including at least one photo ID - either a passport or driving license. You also need something such as a utility bill as proof of address. There are several different kinds of accounts which they will discuss with you, all with different features. Once you?ve opened...

Thehonesttruth 05.07.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax

Helpful Halifax

Advantages: good staff, easy application process
Disadvantages: I am still still waiting for one

...'t forget your passwords. Plural passwords, as the site is very secure, especially when transferring money between accounts. I have just upgraded to a current account, which gives me a cheque book and switch card (with 100 pound cheque guarentee service) and gives me the option of an overdraft, which I WILL use when I go to university! I have also just asked for a Visa card, which, I have not used yet, but because there are no annual fees, it makes me feel like its a good security option. Applying for the different services at the Halifax was a delight. The process took less than ten minutes per product, and the staff were very helpful. I even got a card from one of the advisors, and she encouraged me to ring her if I had any problems....

danradders 30.12.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax

Halifax Mortgages

Advantages: good for 1st time buyers
Disadvantages: did not offer a good rate after fixed term ended, overcharge customers

...*This is the second review I posted on Ciao and have edited it as it needed more information and an update* For the purpose of this review I am writing about my experience of having a mortgage with Halifax and am not reviewing Halifax and it?s services as a whole. I am very much aware that for some they have had a great experience with them, but for me after being a loyal customer for such a long time. I felt that they had let me down and recently I realised that I had overpaid when my mortgage came to an end and successfully received a refund from them. Halifax is a leading building society and has been providing mortgages for many years. I had been a customer of Halifax for over 10 years as my parents insisted when I was younger that I had a Building Society savings account (at the time it was the Little Extra Club) so that...

sweetdaisy 21.10.2006 (19.08.2007) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax Mortgages

Halifax online banking

Advantages: Manage all your financial transactions online
Disadvantages: can't deposit!

...debits, making bill payments, transferring between Halifax accounts, requesting overdrafts, changes to overdrafts etc. It is also possible to open web saver accounts easily online. I have opened several for different reasons. One is for a holiiday fund, one is for short term savings and one for longer term savings. The Halifax have a faster payments service now so it is possible to transfer money within the space of a couple of hours. You are also given the option to choose paperless bank statements and all your staements can be accessed online. I know that many people have reservations about online banking and are reluctant and reticent to use online banking services because of security issues and fraud. However, the Halifax guarantee that customers who experience online fraud will be fully reimbursed. To be honest, I would be...

Krazikas 30.12.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax Online Banking

The Piece Hall, Halifax

Advantages: Lots of history
Disadvantages: Only about 20 shops in total

...250 years ago the West Yorkshire town of Halifax was at the centre of the textile trade. A few decades later textile mills would spring up all along the valley in which Halifax sits but back in the 1770's most of the cloth was made in the local people's houses on handlooms. The Piece Hall opened in 1779 as a place where these traders could meet and trade their cloth. It was built to replace a smaller building called The Cloth Hall. Today The Piece Hall is a Grade 1 listed building. It stands in the heart of town centre and is now used largely as a shopping complex. I was in Halifax yesterday and The Piece Hall was one of the places that I wanted to see. I easily found the main entrance as it is clearly sign posted from everywhere within the town centre but upon arrival I was greeted by the not quite so quite imposing entrance to...

micksheff 21.12.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of The Piece Hall - Halifax

Halifax Hassle

Advantages: Have a website so you don't have to come into contact with their miserable staff!
Disadvantages: See above!

...My husband has had a current account with the Halifax for many years. When we got married the account was changed to a joint one. The problems that we have had with this bank are not really with the services that they provide. We get our cheque books and statements when they are due etc. Our problems have been with the actual service within the various different branches that we have visited. The unhelpfulness and miserable staff are not confined to one branch it seems. My first bad experience happened recently. We wanted to buy a new car and finally had the funds available to do this! We went into our local branch on a Saturday morning hoping to withdraw £3000 from our account. We approached the counter and asked for the cash. We were told very abruptly that if we had not ordered that sum of money then we could not possibly withdraw...

Luckystar28 23.01.2002 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax

Halifax

Advantages: excellent on line banking
Disadvantages: none

...can either get money out of the hole in the wall or just use it at shops to pay for your shopping (as long as the shop takes solo). If you are not sure if the shops take them ask one of the members of staff and they?ll tell you. You also get a cheque book with the solo account but not a cheque guarantee card, so you can send cheques to pay for bills and then you can check on line when the money had been taken from your account. With solo you don?t get an overdraft facility but you do with the current accounts. You will be given a pin number to use with your card You can take up to £300 out of the hole in the wall but if you want more you have to go into the bank to withdrawal money. You can also have telephone banking with the Halifax were again you will get a username and password and have to answer a security question, there is...

shugardream 29.10.2002 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax Online Banking

Misdirected cheque at Halifax Mortgages, 2007

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Dishonest mortgage staff

...I had a very bad experience with Halifax mortgages. Sorry this goes on a bit... In the summer of 2007, I realised I could pay off my mortgage, 15 years into a 25-year mortgage. I was over the moon. Being naive (I don't pay off mortgages very often!) I asked them how to do it. Their man said - "send us a cheque". This I did, then the trouble started. A couple of weeks passed and no acknowledgement of the cheque so I called them to ask for some sort of comfirmation. They sent a photocopy of the cheque. Next I had demands for missed payments and was told to ignore them as the system was slow to catch up. Another demand came in and I called at Huddersfield branch to sort it. Staff there were very helpful and called all the right people but there was an anomaly of some sort. I showed the Halifax lady my photocopy and she noticed...

Shytalker 08.08.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax

Halifax Online Banking

Advantages: Handy to keep an eye on your account
Disadvantages: none so far

...After having problems with my previous bank, I decided to open an account with halifax, this was about five years ago. The reason I chose Halifax Well they were always advertised on tv and I needed a new account for my wages to be paid into, so I went in made an appointment and opened my current account, which did`nt take long and the staff were friendly and helpful. Other services available at Halifax Credit cards Mortgages Personnel loans Savings and Investments Insurance Share Dealing However I basically use my account as a savings account and dont have any Shares or Credit cards through Halifax. Five years later Five years on and I cant say anything bad about the services provided by Halifax, Eighteen months ago was when I first started to use online banking, I found their web address at the back of my...

jenny967 06.01.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Halifax Online Banking