First Direct voted best UK brand for customer service
The online bank has come top of another public poll.
First Direct has been named the UK’s number one brand for customer service in a new survey.
The Nunwood Customer Experience Survey interviews people about customer service at over 250 of the UK’s top brands in the past six months.
First Direct knocked John Lewis off top spot in this year’s survey, which is the fifth Nunwood has conducted. The bank came third in 2013.
Another financial brand, Nationwide, also appeared in the top 10 at number eight.
Meanwhile, online electrical retailer AO.com was the highest new entrant at number six.
Here’s the top 10.
|
Position |
Brand |
Last year’s position |
|
1 |
First Direct |
3 |
|
2 |
John Lewis |
1 |
|
3 |
QVC |
2 |
|
4 |
Lush |
7 |
|
5 |
Amazon |
4 |
|
6 |
AO.com |
- |
|
7 |
Waitrose |
10 |
|
8 |
Nationwide |
26 |
|
9 |
Specsavers |
13 |
|
10 |
M&S Simply Food |
6 |
Six other financial brands also made the top 50.
|
Position |
Brand |
Last year’s position |
|
13 |
Skipton Building Society |
36 |
|
19 |
M&S Bank |
23 |
|
33 |
NS&I |
- |
|
38 |
Yorkshire Building Society |
50 |
|
48 |
Prudential |
211 |
|
49 |
American Express |
172 |
The major high street banks are nowhere to be seen, although Halifax did come in 63rd place.
A winning combination
Both First Direct and Nationwide are regularly praised for their customer service. What’s more, both offer some really good products.
Switch to First Direct’s 1st account and you’ll get a £100 joining bonus, so long as switch your account and pay in at least £1,000 a month for the first three months.
Meanwhile, Nationwide’s FlexDirect account pays a joint market-leading 5% interest on balances of up to £2,500 for the first year you hold the account. To qualify, you just need to pay in at least £1,000 a month into the account. It also offers a free overdraft for the first year, subject to you having a decent credit rating.
And the Nationwide FlexAccount offers free European multi-trip travel insurance as long as you pay in at least £750 a month into your account.
Both First Direct and Nationwide also offer decent savings accounts exclusively to their current account customers.
Do you agree with this survey? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.
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Comments
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First Direct are good- very good - but apart from their regular saver account there aren't many incentives to hold much money with them. But I keep my account ((23 years and counting!) while also using other banks and Santander with their 123 account are my current favourite. You can hold an account individually or with a spouse, so a couple can have 3 accounts between them and get their top rate of 3% interest on up to £20K per account. That's up to £1,440 per annum after tax @ 20% on 3 accounts. I'm afraid however good their customer service @ FD is, the smell of real cash from Santander carries more weight in my view. And if you post a telephone number with spaces in it, most registration systems will throw a wobbly! Spaces aren't the numbers 0-9!
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Sorry but as one of the first to join First Direct I ahve just moved my account away because of their terrible customer Service, and of course they pay no interest
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Perhaps Starseed could explain a little more fully for the benefit of the aged souls here, what is meant by his comment?....it reads rather like 15 across in the Times crossword
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13 October 2014