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First Direct Don't Think

I've been using First Direct to keep my Sun travel expenses separate from our family finances for many years. I can't say the experience has been that good, but today I was amazed by the weakness of their thinking. It's not the first time either; I am more & more likely to ditch them and go with Nationwide Building Society for everything.

Keeping in mind that they are a phone-and-web-only bank, you'd think that they would have great, flexible online presence. Think again. Their full service requires you to be running
Internet Explorer version 5.5 or 6 with ActiveX® enabled
I've lived with it up until now because my needs are simple and they also have a limited service that works in any browser. I've been using it with Safari on my Mac. Their labyrinthine security process involves a pair of numbers stored in a cookie to identify the account to the server; once identified, access is then with a password.

This is fine all the time you use the same browser, but switching browsers makes life hard since you don't have the cookie with you. So they are switching to a user ID/password system. Sounds good. To set it up you need to log in under the old system. This is where they screwed up.

See, the new system doesn't support Safari. It does, fortunately, support Firefox, but Firefox hasn't got the cookie with the magic numbers because that's in Safari. And they have taken down the old system, so there's no way to log in and set up the new user ID and password if you were a Safari user.

I called their call centre to get help. I hate calling call-centres, they always ask questions I have forgotten the answers to because I never call call-centres. That's why I use online banking, after all. As you can imagine, hold times are infinite because of all the people having log-in problems. Fortunately, a patient and charming agent was there to help me hack through to logging in, but the fact I had to do so at all shows their thinking is pretty poor. And I still can't use the full service because they require me to run Windows, IE and enable ActiveX in the browser, which I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy.

They have a history of screwing up like this, right back to when Unisys set up their first, appalling online banking system for them years ago with negligible thinking about end-user diversity. If you're thinking of getting an online bank, I suggest you don't pick First Direct. They want you to run Windows and IE after all. And with Active X. In other words, they are happy to make your life insecure for their convenience. Typical bank.
Labels: consumer

posted at 5:26 PM (UK) | |

Comments:

I've just had the most off-hand, consumer unfriendly response from make a Fist of it Direct so called bank, telling me to use Firefox or stuff it.
It would have been simple for them to identify who accesses them by what, and at least WARN Safari users. But Oh no. Not even on changeover day when it was possible to set up new security using Safari, there was no warning.
It's ignorant.

Anyone recommend another online bank?

# posted by Anonymous : 8:23 AM

Simon, I too have had problems accessing my FirstDirect account, although using Firefox worked, it was completely messed up the Bank to Bank link used by Bank of Americas online banking system and can no longer be authenticated.

Given I live in the US and leave a reasonable amount of money >£5k in my FirstDirect current account and wire transfer to the US when needed, but do almost nothing else with it... except get paid by you know who, I'm pretty miffed about this change. I do all the rest of my Banking through BoA who have a great Web 2.0-portal like Internet Banking system which lets me link ALL my other acocunts, including Banks, Credit Cards, Airline Frequent Flyer, Hotel Points, even Solomon Smith Barney Share accounts.

Unless they can persuade me otherwise I'll close my FirstDirect account as well, as shame as otherwise their service has been excellent, both online and on the phone... tsk tsk.

# posted by Mark Cathcart : 8:44 PM

Mark, use First Direct's fantastic Internet Banking Plus service, which has, for the last few years, allowed you to link all your online such as credit cards, bank accounts etc.

And to your anonymous friend above, you will have had a letter weeks and weeks before "changeover day" telling you about the new system and giving you more than enough time to get it sorted out, on line or over the phone. But you waited with everybody else until the last possible day, and then complain that you can't get it sorted out! No wonder when everyone leaves it until the last minute. Install Firefox, remember your sign on details and you'll never have a problem.

And one more tip. Got a Mac? Solve many of your problems by giving up on trying to look intellectual and buy a real computer.

Happy banking!

# posted by Anonymous : 12:18 AM