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Name: NOT happy!

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Rude and incompetent staff.

Had a joint bank account with FD a couple of years ago. We closed it not long after opening it as one day, during a phone call to the bank I was asked for one of many pass codes / pass words / memorable places etc for a fairly simple request. Fine .... I understand their security is for my benefit, but the problem started when the person I spoke to realised that my Wife was in the same room and had heard me answering the security questions. He immediately froze our JOINT account!!! Long story short; he wouldn't un-freeze it and it took a lot of effort from us to get it active again. No apology at all from FD, even when I complained. The account was closed in protest and the credit balance transferred to a decent bank. Since then, I have had multiple letters and statements from FD as there is 13p credit on the account for some reason? I have contacted FD several times by letter and phone calls, to tell them that the account was closed two years ago and to stop sending letters to our old address as we have moved from there's twice since and it's getting a bit annoying for the current owner, to send post on to us! Today (25/11/21) they have sent yet ANOTHER bank statement to that same address, but at least this time it does say account closed! Still sent it to the wrong address though. WHAT A BUNCH OF USELESS NUMPTIES!! Reviewed on: 25th November 2021

Unbelievably stubborn and stupid! What has happened to first direct?

We joined first direct eight months ago, based on their excellent customer service. Reading the many recent negative reviews, this appears to have drastically changed in a few months I have been with them. I am now in the process of switching my account to another bank after what happened yesterday! I phoned first direct (spoke to Simon) to ask for help setting up access to my account using fingerprint recognition on my phone. All was going well, until I asked if my wife could also set it up on her phone. Simon said yes (we both had been speaking to him on speaker phone) then asked her, if anyone was able to hear the conversation or see the passwords. My wife said no, apart from my husband who he had just been speaking to. Simon then said that in order to proceed, I would have to leave the room. I joked that I would pretend to leave now, so that he could continue to speak to my wife. The tone of the conversation suddenly changed, and Simon said that he could not proceed with me listening anymore and so could not help my wife! I pointed out that when my wife and I opened the JOINT bank account (with a cheque book and statements with BOTH our names on) we were not told that the logon details and passwords we had set up together were only for one of us, and under no circumstances was the other one to know what those passwords were. I told Simon that my passwords were on my laptop (with a password), in a spreadsheet with a password, and in a locked house with an alarm. Simon said that my Wife of 22 years and who I have no secrets from, was not allowed to see MY logon details and immediately suspended access to OUR bank account! I demanded to speak to his supervisor and after 26 minutes on the phone, a women spoke but then immediately cut me off. I waited for her to phone me back, but she didn't, so I had to phone back again and go through the whole story with two other people. After banging my head against a brick wall for another 26 minutes, I was passed through to the security department to reset my passwords. At no point at all did they ask me if my Wife was listening! Once my account was accessible again, I started the bank switching process. DO NOT BANK WITH THESE STUPID PEOPLE! You have been warned (by many people!) Further to Andrew's reply below ...... you see; stubborn as mules! How did we used to apply for loans etc in the 'good old days' before 'progress'? Don't worry Andrew - I am taking my custom and money elsewhere. I suggest you look for another job ASAP before the First Direct ship sinks! Update ..... I have had a letter from FD (Marianna Behan). No apology at all for the poor service; just a letter to say that FD "are obliged to suspend the service until we can speak to the customer". They WERE speaking to the customer; my Wife and I were both there, so there was no need to suspend the account. She also said that security details should not be disclosed to a "third party" - it wasn't the window cleaner that knew my details. It was my WIFE who I share everything with and have done for 22 years - we have no secrets, but FD would now like us to! My Wife is also the joint account holder, so it's HER account also!! Finally, the supervisor that I spoke to originally said (when I asked her to) that she would find the phone call that was made when we originally opened the account earlier this year, that proved FD told us that we had to have separate passwords. No surprise that this 'evidence' has NOT been produced, or mentioned in the letter from Marianna!! I have now changed bank accounts - good riddance to FD! Reviewed on: 24th October 2019