Could be better (Co-operative Bank)

Member Name: Biffa

Product:	Co-operative Bank
Date:	30/11/00 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to find you're way

Disadvantages: Some things could have been made easier to use

Having got into this internet malarky with a vengence, I decided to sign up for the internet banking with the Co-Op, seeing as I already had a bank account with them.

It's easy enough to get into, as long as you can remember what all your security questions are. There are some handy facilities that I assume every other on-line bank offers - statement browsing, funds transfers, cancelling direct debits etc, but there are some things that could be made a lot easier to use.

For starters, if you want to cancel a direct debit, it's quicker and easier to do it over the phone. Instead of bringing up a list of the direct debits already set up on your account, it asks you to provide the information. This could mean rooting through all your paperwork to find reference numbers and amounts etc before you can cancel them. I personally can't be bothered with this so I ring them up to cancel them when I need to.

Statement browsing is easy enough when it comes to your current statement, as it itemises everything. But if you go back to a previous statement, it only tells you basic information, such as a direct debit or cash withdrawal and the amount. It doesn't show you what the the direct debit was for, so you have to remember who you're paying and what the amount is.

Ordering paying in books or cheque books is very simple - you just click on a button and it comes throughi n the post a few days later.

The annoying thing though is that if you don;t use the window for about 2 minutes, it logs you out and you have to go back through the security questions again to get back into your account. I know that this is for security reasons etc but it's a bit annoying when you've gone off to find you cheque book to see if things have gone out, only to come back and fine you've been logged out.

I'm sure there are better banking sites than this, but seeing as no-one else will give me an account it lo
oks like I'm stuck with them.

Summary: