“HSBC closed their branch in my town and then the branch I used to pay in to on my way to work also closed. I haven't had a satisfactory call with FD customer service the last three times. Staff appear willing and helpful but can't seem to resolve an issue. Spent several hours trying to transfer funds to another financial entity yesterday and FD kept blocking it for no reason. The fraud department seems to be overseas now and when transferred to them I was just told 'tomorrow, tomorrow', meaning that they couldn't resolve it and just wanted me to go away. I still can't resolve it and nobody will investigate and call you back. I accept that sometimes things don't go according to plan but it's how an issue is resolved that really matters with online banking. Oh, and I didn't like the hard sell for banking by App either. I'll be switching, as soon as I can find a suitable alternative.”
“I have been a long-standing customer of FD. It used to have great customer service. I should have seen the warning signs when the staff started ‘instructing’ me how to use online banking when I did not want to do this. Their attempts to get me to use the app instead got more insistent with them ignoring me saying I didn’t want to use it and offering to guide me through it in a patronising way. I guess they had been told to get customers to use the app at all costs and before the big change.
The big change appears to be much longer waiting times when calling them (they are always receiving more calls than usual) and now I have found that payments I set up with my FD debit card are not renewing automatically because the card has been switched from Visa to MasterCard. When I was sent the odd-looking new card, I did not realise that my payments for car insurance and the AA were going to be declined because of this change. The car insurance firm has charged me £20 for the ‘unsuccessful payment’. I doubt FD are going to refund this.
All in all, everything has gone downhill and it is worrying. I never wanted to change banks but it looks like I need to find one that is more customer friendly and isn’t going to spring nasty surprises on me like this. There is nothing that makes FD stand out as ‘better’ now and it’s such a shame because they were brilliant.”
“Beyond a joke....have switched....they wouldn't listen to my complaints. App problems, getting them to answer a phone is a pain, switch to Mastercard a major inconvenience.”
“Used to the best.. Now a joke.. Being forced to use their app over everything and forgetting what made them so good-excellent customer service. Been with them about 15 yrs.. I'm in the process of leaving I'm that dusgusted. And as for phoning for help.. A joke.. Avoid like the plague”
“After wasting nearly two hours over this last week trying to call First Direct, I finally got through late last night. I was on the phone for fifty minutes, being transferred to a number of different people with long sessions 'on hold' in between. Eventually I was told they could not resolve my problem and I would have to ring again tomorrow. I objected , pointing out that it was impossible for me to contact them as they never answered the phone, and that therefore they should ring me. I was then informed that a call back would take four weeks . What is going in here?”
“I have tried 4 times today 10 mins each call, this bank has gone from bringing the best to what now must be the worst customer service out there. I think it is now time to move on and certainly stop recommending them to anyone out there”
“After 3 previous attempts of ~15 mins each and not getting through, this morning got through after 10min...phew!
I was told more people being trained and should start to get back to normal in a months time. I have my fingers x'd as I've been a customer for >20 years. The online model only works if you can quickly speak to a person when needed whether in the UK or overseas.”
“I think it's simple. They used to be brilliant, independent of their parent, (HSBC) and soo much better. Recently they have become more and more like HSBC and that is not a good thing. I think I've had enough, time to move on.”
“Been a customer for 40 years now cannot get to my account for over a month. Because online banking will not recognise my username. App does not work. Now cannot pay my bills and there is no means of contacting the bank as they never answer the phone. Someone at the top has ruined the best bank in the UK. Now having to resort to legal action to obtain access to my money.
Someone at the top needs to be fired.”
“Been a customer for ages due to quality of service ..alas it's no more .. two bit bank with high levels of arrogance that it is now no longer worthy of .. really shame time to go they have gone from best to worse but still believe worth their salt .. in denial I'm leaving”
“First Direct now have a policy to keep customers waiting 45mins before answering.This has been introduced to bull clients into using its online services only”
“After enjoying a loyal 30 years of grade A1 top banking just horrified to experience the rank bottom customer service now offered by First Direct. Customers need to speak to people when problems arise. End of. Self destruction of the highest order. Some gigantic blunders at Board level. It may be too late to turn it around. I can see the demise already. And an absolute tragedy.”
“Scam victim late 2020. Refusing to refund all the money because "it was partly my fault". FD's service then was nothing short of shambolic; only 3 staff provided positive customer service. FD deals with account fraud, combined department (HSBC, FD AND M&S) card fraud. Then approved fraudulent loan. As it was online application, they didn't need to check with me as the supposed applicant. Really! Their online systems and employee vetting are "robust". Absolute rubbish!! Asked FOS to investigate. Waste of time, they sided with FD. Report states they located some of the money at their parent company but don't know how much and when it will be recovered. This is the 21st century FD. Your reputation is tarnished, stop living on previous glory. CEO's email address in public domain so another opportunity to voice your feelings. Now actively looking for new bank, to move when saver account matures. I've had enough....”
“FD has long ceased to be the excellent service it used to be/have. For a year now the telephone message will say "more phone calls than usual". Th banking app has many birthing problems. FD is now one of the shabbiest services in a telephone bank imaginable”
“For some reason the wait on the phone has gone through the roof in the past month. I tried several times this week, and waited close to 40 mins and had to give up. So I thought I would try during the England-Ukraine match, when few people could call, and it worked. After a 25 mins wait I heard the same friendly voice I am used to since 2001 (yes, I am a customer for 20 yrs), had excellent service who managed to reset my App in 2 mins. Very efficient and friendly as ever. Just the long wait was frustrating. They must be honest and transparent with their customers as to the reason for the long wait, and get it sorted asap.”
