Received a letter from First Direct at the weekend advising me that they are going to start charging £2.50 a month to send certain text messages. They will continue to send weekly mini statements for free, but messages such as salary being credited or money starting to run will be charged for. I think is is outrageous as text messaging saves banks millions of pounds.
I've emailed them my thoughts and will see what kind of response I get, but I'm very tempted to move my accounts as a consequence. In the meantime, I'm tempted to stop using on-line banking and go back to calling them instead (costs them more that way). Also, I might ask for statements by post again and maybe ring them daily for a balance. Petty I know, but this kind of profiteering must be nipped in the bud.
Rant over.
0 ·
Comments
I've seen the figures - I work in IT development for high street Building Society.
This is a principal thing though. They've been slapped down about charging for using cash machines and are just looking other services that they can charge for. If they get away with this it's just a short tep to charing fro issuing debit cards and cheque books etc.
Change banks, I suggest.
Personally, I would like to get an 0870 numbe rand give it to my bank, solicitor, employer, doctor etc and then I can earn money for keeping THEM on hold.
I gave feedback on the web site the other night and they tried to call me back. I'll be speaking to them later and will feedback what they say.
Nessie - it's not sad, I just wish I was more organised and less of a spendthrift.
SO the mini statements are free but anything wlse is not, for an ordinary bank account?
My wife hasn't received a letter either. Maybe they've just written to people that have other messages set up.
After all, it's the only texts I get and I can pretend I have a friend LOL.
Apparently, they haven't seen a corresponding reduction in calls, hence why they want to introduce a fee. They've had quite a lot of feedback on this, so they may climb down or reduce the fee. As it is they've put the start date back a month already. Consumer power and all that.
In other words, are they saying they are a victim of their own successful strategy?
Glad to hear they may climb down.
I love the idea of an 0870 number... I am going to look into that. Make all those people who always make you wait for ages call you back and then make them wait LOL!
In essence they will be charging £2.50 per month for txt messages other than straight balances which will continue to be free.
Their comment was that as it is a value added service, they feel justified to charge for it.
They will notify those affected.
They point out that free txt messages will still be available under one of their accounts, which I believe is the current account you pay for, so that's not free.
I will be cancelling all txts other than the balance.
Hope this helps.
DB
I once woke up from a text arriving at 4am in the morning. I looked at who on earth was sending me a text at that time of the morning. It was first direct, we were about to go £6000+ overdrawn on our joint account!
Something was amiss, so I called them right away. They managed to cancel all the cheques before they had gone out of our account, thus saving lots of trouble and heart ache! And all this between 4 and 4.30 am in the morning! Someone had stolen our chequebook in the post! They followed it up really well and I am a happy customer, always have been...
The only bank that listens to me and thinks with me, I always feel!
Alternative numbers for First Direct - I always get through straight away - and many other banks, building societies, utilities companies, etc.
As for FD text charges, I'll just stop receiving the texts.
Imagine, begging them to call you! 4p a minute in your pocket to talk to them.
Better still, get a telephone tree!
The consumer fights back.