Natwest Current Account Review

Overall Rating

Good internet/telephone/in branch banking services. Normally helpful staff.

Hidden agendas, incredibly heavy charges, for the smallest of mistakes. Weak interest, no bonuses.

Happily banked with Natwest for over 15 years, always managed to keep me complacent, and vice versa. Never going over an agreed borrowing amount in all that time. sure I had an overdraft, in fact a massive one about 4 years ago, but it was all agreed, and I set about mending my ways and reducing it every month. In the last year or so I have always been in the black, have a decent savings account with them and also had a credit card, which I paid back in full each month. I'm not boasting, but I do think I was a good customer.
Last month I went into the red by £3.53, it occured as I bought fuel a few days earlier, withdrew some money thinking I was all clear (forgetting the fuel) and when the fuel debit cleared I went over. So an honest mistake. I have a savings direct account which I could have instantly transferred some money across from, but they never called. I was paid on the following day and I was out of the dangerzone. However I was charged £28 for the liberty. So £3.53 in the red, for 24 hours maximum, and I was stumped with a £28 charge. Now I realise banks can't be seen to let people off for their mistakes, and I realise they have to charge to stop people abusing the system, but after all my years banking with them, never once being charged, do you think they may offer a gesture of good will? Not a chance.
So after a few letters, some phones calls NOT to their 0845 number. www saynoto0870 com I was getting no where, so decided to open an account with Alliance and Leicester.
Moving accounts is a pain in the rear, but if Natwest can't honour a long time customer one little gesture of goodwill, then I'll go to the ends of the earth to not bank with them, for any of their services.
So I'll switch to and A&L savings account, and probably a Credit Card as that also seems quite good.
I understand that no bank is a good bank, and they all have their pitfalls, but this review and my experiences have led me to leave Natwest not because I have racked up hundreds of pounds of charges, and have a battle ensuing in court with them. But rather purely on principal. They do not care about their customers, long term or not, good credit history or poor. If they can make more money out of us than they already do, they'll leap at the chance, and I see that as a little unfair.