Foons Direct
I’ve been a First Direct customer for years, but this week’s announcement about new account fees has put me this close to shifting my account elsewhere.
Thing is, I don’t think the fees will apply to me - only because I already have a savings account with them (which I think has a balance of about £6). That’s just luck, though. If I didn’t have that account, there’s no way I could promise to have a minimum of £1,500 worth of salary being paid into my account every month.
Why not? Because I’m freelance. My income is wildly variable. Some months I will do amazingly well and pack away thousands of pounds. Other months I’ll earn practically nothing.
The ability to call First Direct any time of day or night to pay a bill has always been very attractive to someone as disorganised as me. But even though I think I’ll qualify for “free” banking under their new rules, I find the approach they’ve taken less than sensitive. I think I’ll go off in search of a bank that welcomes my money in any amount, at any time, rather than one that insists on trying to impose order on the chaos that is my (and almost every other freelancer’s) income.
