Alliance & Leicester

I've not had a problem with them, but I do all my banking online. It's very easy to move your cash between your different accounts (ISA's included).

The credit card side of it is useless though. There don't seem to be any options to speak to an actual person if you call. In sheer frustration I just cancelled it.

Me - I switched from Natwest just over a year ago and was very impressed with how it happened.

There has been an issue since then which I wasn't impressed with, but overall I'm very happy.

The current account is great, as is the online banking.

Hi,

We just did the exact same thing, got sick of First Direct & A&L pay 8.5% interest on their current account. The only problem we had was that when they changed all the payments over they didn't do H's salary so the mortgage was refused, but they paid the charge & we paid the mortgage from our old account.

Apart from that it's all good.

HTH

I've been with A&L for about 7 years and never had any problems. I've never really had to deal with them so not sureif you can take my opinion.

Their website is so easy though.

One thing that swings it for me though (easily pleased icon)

When you deposit a cheque in branch it scans it and prints it on your receipt. I think thats fab.

We'll be doing most stuff online, so that's good to hear.

I'm sure they'll be ok once it's all set up, but it seems to be taking ages, partly because we're moving a joint account over, but opened our A&L accounts in sole names, before opening the A&L joint account.

I have an A&L credit card and they're not great, for current accounts, cahoot are fab

We switched to them a year ago and have had no problems. Whether that will change now they've been taken over by Sanander I don't know.

I have had a several current accounts with them for the last 5 years (savings for 37!) and on the whole they are great. Do nearly everything online, but when you do call up their call centres are in this country.

Worked for them as a branch manager (no autonomy or ability to make decisions) and although I left, I wouldn't move my current accounts without very good reason.

Also have 5 of their savings accounts including ISAs

Switching service isn't that brilliant unfortunately, so do keep an eye on it particularly any standing orders, they don't seem to move those over.

I'm an A&L Branch Manager.

I have to say the switching service can be a bit sticky, but once that's sorted you should be fine. The online banking is ace and the call centres are pretty efficient. And their Branch Managers are lovely and dead clever and very good looking

I'm bloody glad I'll be on Maternity Leave when the Santander takeover goes though, though.

Whereabouts in the country are you AllyDrew? I used to be Christchurch and Broadstone Branch Manager in Dorset.

I'm Central London. I've been out of branch training up new BMs for the last few months. It's been heaven to be non customer-facing while all the takeover stuff has been going on!

I bet it has, can't have been fun in branch! I remember the training well, weeks at The Holiday Inn at St Nicholas Circle in Leicester ? The Things that went on!!

The most godawful hotel in the world (actually I tell a lie, they once put me in a hotel out in the Leicester sticks that was like something out of League of Gentlemen. I was genuinely scared!) Who in their right mond would bnuild a hotel on a traffic island? Utterly bizarre!

Sorry for the de-rail, Crantock. If you have any A&L queries that I can help with, feel free to PM.

We switched to A&L a couple of years back, actually found it OK and find them pretty good to deal with on the whole. A lot better than HBOS which is who we were with before, anyway.