Always a good service for me personally (Abbey National)

Member Name: dannybwoii

Product:	Abbey National
Date:	06/01/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Proficient

Disadvantages: None come to mind

Abbey National is part of the Santander group, which is a Spanish banking corporation i believe, with all these banks going bust recently it seems Abbey National have stayed afloat because there lending policy is a little more strict (so I am led to believe) as I have never taken out a loan from them, however there rates are very competitive.

I joined Abbey National when i was 16 so have been with them almost four years. My elder sister already banked with them so she referred me if you like, being only 16 and not having a huge amount to deposit i was given a current account with a £25 overdraft. Which was fine as i'm not one for getting into debt and besides that it would be money i couldn't pay off if i ever did overdraw my account.

The process of joining was simple enough, i was sent my bank details and a bank card trough the post with 14 days of joining.
The bank card is accepted at all link cash points obviously, the only problems i have had is when trying to make online payments, some retailers won't accept Visa Electron, for some unbeknown reason to me.

Moving onto the reliability and speed of processing money...i think all banks are the same with this, all i can say is that i've never had problems accessing my money. Abbey always process cheques within 5 working days, and cash deposits can be credited to your current balance within the day.

My experiences within the branch have always been good, there are always several staff at the counter and plenty of advisers so waiting time is minimal.

I use the online banking service, which is a great way to check your finances without leaving the home, Abbey have stringent security measures on this which means you have to enter a combinations of passwords and codes to use it. This service has never gone offline when i have needed to use it, so very proficient. The statement allows you to see incomings and outgoings before a written bank statement is issued every month.

Lastly, regarding security and dealings with fraud. My bank details were stolen and a small amount was taken before i cottoned on, Abbey dealt with this swiftly by blocking my account and issuing me a new card, they then credited the stolen money to my new card. I dealt with them over the phone, although they have phone services in India, the guy i spoke too was competent and helpful.

Summary: I'd imagine all major banks are similar, for my limited use this bank suits me perfectly.