A satisfaction survey by the consumer group Which? has revealed the UK’s best and worst-rated banks for customer service.
Banking groups on the favourable end of the scale include First Direct, Smile and One Account, which all got the stamp of approval from consumers.
However, Santander was one of the banks trailing in last place in terms of customer service, and was also voted the worst savings provider.
Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and Cheltenham & Gloucester were other banks who failed to merit glowing reviews.
First Direct won an overall score of 82%, and was voted the top provider for current accounts, savings and mortgages. One Account and Smile scored 82% and 79%, respectively.
On the other side, Bank of Scotland trailed with a lowly satisfaction rating of 43%, Halifax came in with 46% and Santander 47%, as well as earning a score of just 39% for its savings accounts.
Spanish banking giant Santander has come under fire in the past for poor customer service, and has languished at the bottom of customer satisfaction polls before.
Kevin Still, debt expert and director of Atlantic Financial Management, said that in the current climate, customer service will be judged on whether a bank provides support when it is needed.
He continued: “Treating customers fairly can be very loosely interpreted by some banks, especially when you fall into financial difficulty or have debt problems.
“Santander has been very aggressive in its acquisition programme, trying to integrate a number of brands with very different approaches to arrears management and debt recovery. It is easy for a client to now have multiple relationships within the group without consciously knowing it and this can be risky going forward.”
Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, added: “Time and again, the big high street banks are found to be lacking when it comes to good customer service. People who are unhappy with their bank must vote with their feet and move to a better financial provider.”
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