Been with A&L for nearly ten years and was generally a happy bunny to the extent that my wife joined me in a Joint Account, we got our mortgage through A&L along with Savings Accounts and were very pleased with the 'perks', the interest rates and the general fussless, hassle-free laid-back style of the bank.
However, post 1998 and Santander takeover, it has been nothing short of a disaster in terms of incompetence, fantastically bad customer service and ineptitude culminating in our decision to hastily jump ship to First Direct (purely on the strength of reported customer satisfaction). Blocked/Cancelled cards, refused transactions, ridiculously over-zealous & mis-applied security, mislaid funds, blocked internet banking necessitating constant 'helpline' phone calls necessitating repeated wasted visits to Branch with seemingly clueless staff, supposedly 'reactivated'/unblocked cards that are still blocked, cancelled transactions, utterly useless telephone, security & branch banking (all with contradicting and ultimately futile advice- if any advice offered at all). I currently have no access to my funds as I still have no card and haven't had for some time. If it wasn't for the fact that my wife still has her old current account that we can dip into I'm not sure how we'd manage for day-to-day money.
It really has just been an increasingly ridiculous farce and - still with no solution apparent - we have decided to abandon ship.
It is a shame as the products offered are excellent ( for example, the interest paid in the current account is excellent) but it really isn't enough to justify the utterly dreadful customer service. It was only when I started to explore the money/banking websites that it wasn't just us that had the problem. As things stand, I wouldn't touch a Santander product with a bargepole.

since take over, total rubbish system, my saving accounts seemed to have gone, money transfers take 2 weeks, and interest is being paid by CHEQUE! I thought cheques were on the way OUT, but no they are starting to pay interest by cheque now! Didn't like the service, system or attitude!

I moved from RSB to A&L for 100 pounds cash back. Switching service dint work for 2 occassion out of 12 direct debits and cost me 30 pounds penalty in one occasion. The main reason i wont recommend to any one because of its customer service. It take atlleat 15-20 minutes of wait to speak to a representative. The other very important reason is that, the money out transaction completion takes 1-2 day longer than what RBS use to take. It is rubbish. Please done move. Only one plus point, you earn 100 quid, worth for 1 star only.

The service received when opening this alliance account was quick and efficient however since then the telephone service has been slow and highly irritating at times as you have to explain everything at least 3 times before you get anywhere and this is after you have been on hold for what seems like an age. Having said that most issues can beresolved on line yourself which makes it efficient for those of us who have limited time and prefer to manage things ourselves. I received the £100 payment for transfering without any problem at all which greatly surprised me as we had no end of hassle with my partners account which was opened at the same time as mine.

Been waiting over 3 weeks now for a replacement Visa debit card for my current account (ordered on the 5th Feb). Found out on the 21st that my neighbour had received it on the 20th because my address is wrong, shame the staff in the branches couldn't have picked this up from looking at my driving licence each time I was withdrawing cash in-between times.

Was advised to cancel the replacement card on the 20th by customer services and that they could arrange special delivery to a branch for me to collect, but would still take 7-10 days, chased today for an update (24th) and that apparently isn't possible, the card has to go to your address.

No consistent information from anyone at this place. Two friends have lost their card in the last week (they use different banks) and both have had replacements in less than 4 days. Wouldn't recommend anyone to the A&L, am switching banks. Toy town service from a bank that is getting too big, too quick. Oh, and some bank staff AND customer services staff could be a bit more convincing that they can actually can be bothered...

Alliance & Leicester Current Account have nice friendly people on the phone, when I have managed to get through. £100 reward money paid promptly with no hassle, which I was expecting! Fast service opening account - with all documents, cards etc. coming through the post very quickly. Generally I am happy with the experience of using the switching service. I think there is an element of keeping on top of your debits, standing orders and transfers yourself and not simply leaving it to the bank (as they suggest). I had to ensure payments due were paid if they got missed during the switch, although they remind you to check this when you get their transfer instructions. I was very unhappy with the sudden lack of service from Halifax, and the rudness of their staff after being a customer of theirs for over 15 years. Overall a relatively painless move over to A&L.

Having warned Alliance & Leicester that I could have problems with an incoming transfer to cover my credit card bill, (from an Icelandic bank when they were having problems), the resulting farce cost me over £200. (My transfer, in fact, only arrived 2 hours late).
Their systems seem to be set up to avoid any attempt at customer service; they simply keep directing you to the banking ombudsman who does not have a remit to address customer service. What could, in my case, have been sorted out in a two minute phone call, took six months, several letters, and interminable hours spent on the phone waiting for a human to answer, and then speaking to people who would not reveal their own name, or the name of anyone to whom I could write.
I never had any of my complaints answered (despite their proud claims on their website) and was offered only an insulting £25 to go away, which I now have done with as much speed as possible.

There's usually a table-topping deposit account but it changes each year or two from Premier to Premier Direct to eSaver to whatever it will be next year. They didn't let me transfer from one to another until I had a socking great amount of money in the account by fluke one month; usually the computer just says no.
There doesn't seem to be a review section for Alliance and Leicester Commercial Bank, which simply doesn't work so maybe that's why.
If you use a personal account for business and they hear of it, they write "please be advised that the account is for private use only", which is silly. Does it mean they'd close my account on a whim if they felt like it?
The half percent cash back card, re-branded from MBNA, appears deliberately confusing in the way statements are laid out so that even with personal finance software you can never really balance it. You can't tell what date the "closing balance" refers to. The only solution is to use it for one budget heading only and not try to balance it.

I would sooner stash my cash under my bed than let Alliance and Leicester anywhere near it (maybe a wise policy in these bank run times anyway).
For one, they seem to have endless penalties and fees.
It is clear their policy is to manipulate timings to keep you in a state of perpetual extortionate debt. They won't actually take the money out when you've put in plenty to cover the overdraft and the fines; they'll wait a few weeks and hope you've forgotten about it and been busy drawing away at the account until it falls below the level at which their fine extraction will once more plunge the account into the red and re-trigger yet more fines that they won't inform you of until it's built up.

All the league tables recommend the Premier Direct account at Alliance & Leicester. This is very misleading, the charges are excessive and the customer service is appalling. I recently transferred my mortgage from one provider to another and had a little hiccup during the process, I requested an increase in the overdraft facility to cover the hiccup and was not allowed. The net result I went over the agreed overdraft facility and have incurred charges of £350 pounds in the last two months alone. This problem is due to continue until I manage to resolve the error with my first mortgage lender and we all know these things can take time, Alliance and Leicester have shown little understanding. Once I manage to resolve these issues I will certainly be CLOSING this account and moving back to barclays or another suitable provider. Just to give you an example, I paid in some money at lunchtime yesterday, to cover the cost of some direct debits and when I checked my account I had been charged a payment review fee of £25, when I called and finally got to speak to a customer adviser I was told that the direct debit went out of my account prior to the deposit and therefore my account went over by £3 for all of a couple of hours, hence the £25 charge.

It seems to take days for anything to come off my account when using your visa debit card - my Halifax account it comes off instantly so you know your balance. There customer services is poor - although I did get a call from someone quite senior after a serious complaint. Bad customer services - huge waiting times in queues, to then be cut off or get no help - account balances not updated very fast - all from one of the longest running banks?!

I would never touch any Alliance and Leicester product again. My son paid £100 in bank charges for a 50 pence overdraft, when he lost his job.