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50 year old fossil?

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Review of the Starling Bank, Current account:

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Personal & Business Accounts - For me ("alleged fossil aged 50") the switch was simple & is bliss!

I am hooked, seriously, aged 50 and been with Lloyds personally since being an apprentice aged 16... My later years business accounts with Barclays. I am normal, pretty old school to be fair, so how did I become a truly converted Starling customer? WELL... a new (aged mid 20's) business partner became part of our mix two years ago and and I couldn't help but be intrigued by his banking arrangements? Checking his accounts on his devices in an instant, paying people in a couple of click, chatting to his bank in app and even speaking to them on the phone like normal! I was so impressed at how this seemingly immediate and real time banking world worked, and how a customers security was seemingly the best I had whitnessed? With every round of coffee he purchased, via his standard debit card or his phone, he was immediately notified!! - His phone pings to let him know so... later (another ping) and he picks up his phone and smiles then puts it down, a text from his wife? No, he just got notified from that he had received a new cash payment into his account! So, with instant real time online bank balances, notifications of who was spending what, where, and when and by what method (debit card, Direct Debit or bank transfer) and from what account (personal or business) - Any Instant alerts that concern, a quick click into the app and you can immediately lock your card in and report it if you wish, or if you realise it was a mistake, instantly unlock it for immediate re-use. To be fair, the Financial Conduct Authority should mandate that this kind of security is the norm! To me, switching had become a no brainer, but how complicated would switching be? As expected, Starling are signed up to the regulated simple 'Switching' process, designed by regulators, to the general consumer switching process, quick, effortless and automated. So, I took the plunge and applied, opening an account on my device was effortless and quick... simple yet more secure than I ever dreamed. Looking forward to saying goodbye to my previous banks, I was all systems go! Unfortunately for me however Lloyds (my personal account bankers since aged 16) denied Starlings attempts to use the switching service, seemingly because my account (over a decade ago) was subject to financial hardship and after £1000's of pounds of ongoing charges and penalties (to Lloyds complete benefit and bottom line) my account was passed to the Lloyds collection team... (after reading this, see how starling do not charge for these same, ahem, infringements that make conventional banks billions!).... Many years later, and with a perfect track record for the running my account with, I attempted to open a new business account with lloyds, after my application being declined I asked the business banking manger for an explanation? Well, it was explained that as my personal account was passed to lloyds collection all those years ago, once there, it is never returned to local high street branch level, really, so no way back due to no fault of my own, no matter how perfect I have been for years? Thanks Lloyds (Barclays got my business accounts, as they seem to accept anyone, but charge well and do nicely from doing so). Back to the determined switch... After 4 months of this frustrating switch denial took control and proceeded to switch myself (manually). Why the worry? It was actually a complete breeze! Contacting all the companies/organisations to which I had to change direct debit bank details, plus those from whom I receive wages and other income income etc. took the just two weeks and all was sorted (total time spent approx 3 hrs in total). Most was done by simply logging into my online services/accounts and updating my payment method in an instant. A couple of others were done via telephone call including switching my incoming HMRC working tax credits payments and child benefit, others were done via in account online in chats (EDF & TALK-TALK) - Hands down, the best few hrs investment I ever made, with no looking back... liberated, thank you Starling!!!!! Reviewed on: 8th February 2019

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