this is my first post i have been with think banking for 9 months and its the best move i made i previously had an account with rbs and was getting £35 charges contantly through my missmanagement so this account is ideal for people who forget about due direct debits and so on, my experiamce of there customer service has up till now been briliant so if you are in a situation where you need a basic bank account then i feel think could be write and what has impressed me about them is that they are moving forward and now provide online services also

Because I am on a IVA my banking choices are a bit limited, so I am a Think Banking customer. I recently paid in a cheque to my account with the idea it would be cleared within 5 working days. Because Think Banking and there parent company are not BBA members, they do not use the 2-4-6 days cheque clearing cycle. Because the cheque was not showing on my account on the 4 working day, I called Think Banking to be told that they work on a 10 DAY!!!!! (YES 10 BANK WORKING DAYS WHICH MEANS 12 DAYS FOR ANY ONE ELSE!!!) Cheque clearing cycle. I wonder what happened to the good old 5 day cycle????

I am also a Think Banking customer and, when I paid a cheque into my back account recently, I was told that the cheque would take eight working days to be cleared and, when the eighth day had passed, I had received a text the following day to confirm that the cheque had cleared and the funds were available.

This basic bank account has been a godsend for me because I don't have the hassle of forgetting to pay the bills as they are kept to one side when my wages are paid into my Salaries Account and the rest is transferred to my Card Account. What I can't understand about some people on here is that they moan about having to pay £12.50 every month. Personally, I would sooner pay that than pay £35.00 at a high street bank.

I have never had a problem with the staff over the phone, quite the reverse if truth be told, they are far more friendly and helpful and, Think Banking's philosophy in customer service is one to be admired, unlike the high street banks who invariably treat its customers with contempt.

I joined Think Banking as I'd had to file for bankruptcy, and this was one of the few accounts that I could actually get. Was dubious to start off with as on some sites I'd seen some negative things about it. But I've been with them for about a year now, and to be honest I couldn't be happier. Around pay day, (normally the last week of the month) yes it's tough to get through, as I guess alot of people need to speak to them, but that just requires a little patience, and to be honest I'd rather wait a little longer to speak to someone in this country than somewhere abroad. When you do get through to them, I've found their staff to be unbelievably helpful and courteous.

Getting through to them should also become alot easier. I just got off the phone to them today as I needed to cancel a DD and they informed me that they've just started up their Internet Banking service !! At present it's fairly basic but I got the email while I was on the phone to the lady to sign up to it, and am now just waiting for my logon details.

The banking charge I can see why people get frustrated about, but it's probably the same people who are very good with their money. Me I'm not, and like many others have racked up 100's if not 1000's of pounds of charges with my previous banks over the years. So the £12.50 monthly charge is a small price to pay knowing that all my DD and SO are going to be paid on time. And if you have variable DD's/SO's like monthly mobile phone, you just give them a figure that should cover it and they automatically transfer what was not used onto your card. So yeah I can understand why some people would be frustrated at having their money being held to cover DD's but for others this sort of thing is exactly what is required.

I've also had my card cloned whilst with them. The new card came through quickly and as soon as I had completed the form and they had verified it wasn't me who'd used the cash machine, the money was back in.

Not to mention the amount of my friends who are jealous as hell at certain services, ie. being able to text at any time 24/7 and get a balance update !!

So yeah, some people might find their service a little restrictive, but for those that aren't great with money it's a god send. Also the fact that anyone, regardless of past history can open an account it's also hugely helpful. At present I have no reason to move from them, and in fact would recommend them to anyone.

I can't thank Think Banking enough since opening an account with them last November. I too was a victim of the credit crunch after loosing my job in financial services and had the awful task of filing for bankruptcy last October. Both my husband and I can't speak highly enough of Think Banking and their staff. Fortunately I have never had to wait too long to speak to a Money Manager and as you say they cannot do enough for you and extremely helpful. I was also fortunate to secure a basic account with Barclays where I have funds transferred from my Think Banking account to pay for my monthly IPA for the next 3 years! But at least I have the reassurance that once all my DD's are paid the money left on my card is what I can actually spend. It takes away the worry and headaches of trying to juggle what's in the account and what has to be paid. I have since received my internet banking details and now up and running - it's great! Very basic but what I like about Think Banking is that all transactions are 'real time'. As soon as you use your maestro the transaction will appear immediately through your internet banking account as well as the TRANA & TRANB texts. I use these regularly especially when out and about as it's instant and up to the minute! I've had no problems with DD's/SO's and have even arranged for monies to be tranferred from my Think Banking account to Barclays, which takes 4 full working days. What can I say, but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I can now look to the future and get back on my feet after incurring endless bank charges. That is one of the reasons why a lot of banks will not take on people who have been made bankrupt as they know they can't make any money on them with their so called bank charges! Came from the horses mouth - i.e reputable High Street bank, so it says it all really.

I did my research and joined Think Banking in December 2008 before thankfully closing my current account with one of the High Street banks to be bailed out by the Government. I was looking for a banking institution that looked after it's customers as I needed some "financial management" and a firm hand on the tiller so I do not begrudge the monthly management fee because it is a godsend to have your Money Manager deal with the Direct Debits and Standing Orders. As Brownie123 says she and her husband can't speak highly enough of Think Banking and their staff and I agree wholeheartedly, I find them courteous and extremely helpful. Now that Think Banking have internet access this is a terrific plus as I like to do my financial checking at peculiar times. In the current bleak economic situation Think Banking shine out like a beacon for poor beleagured souls, I hope to be one of their fortunate customers for many years and to wave goodbye to countless bank charges and unwittingly supporting the financial "fat-cats"

I've been with thinkbanking now for nearly 2 years. When I first signed up there offering was basic just a cash card and a simple automated telephone banking service. Trying to get through to a money manager would take most of your day. The automated services at the time which you could access over the phone seemed archaic as it tended to be a little slow at updating your account balances after each transaction which was sometimes misleading. You couldn't (and sstill can't) get card balances froam an ATM machine which was a major inconvenience at the time (not so much now because you are able to get accurate balance by more convenient means) I had considered quiting initially and going elsewhere. However, soon after they had introduced there new debit card which persuaded me to give them another go and I have to say I haven't looked back since. The wait time now to get throught to a money manager is now almost non existant and the automated banking service has been updated so that the details you are given are in realtime. The ability to send a text request for your balance is also extremely convenient and saves a trip to the ATM . In addition this this week I have now been able to access my account online.

I had previosuly been with lloydstsb and thought theire automated banking service was second to none so it was a bit of a shock when i first signed up with thinkbanking that they were that far behind in ther automation but in fairness they seemed to have listened to theire customers and provided them with the services they require and now I have all the services I need and maybe more than I had originally when with Lloydstsb (dont think they offered balance by test service). So big thumbs up to thinkbanking and long may it continue.

I used to hold a Premier Plus account with Lloyds TSB and up to October 2008 I had incurred nearly £3K of bank charges with them over 12 months. It was pretty traumatic making the decision to file for bankruptcy due to the loss of my role in the financial services industry, but it truly saved my life plus I no longer have huge bank charges! Well done to Think Banking!

Think Banking treat you like a 'person' - it is nice to speak to people in the UK as opposed to call centres in India! Do I miss Lloyds TSB? Who?.... the current news headlines say it all......

I entirely agree with what Brownie123 says about Think Banking treating you like a person. Having logged onto my online account, I had logged in an invalid password by error which in turn, locked the account. Having contacted their Internet Support Team, the problem had been rectified in less than five minutes.

Had I been a customer of a high street bank with internet access, I would have been waiting up to 24 hours before the problem was rectified. Think Banking have scored maximum points (10 out of 10) both for customer service and efficiency.

@All,

With the dire current state of affairs facing the Royal Bank of Scotland do you think there will be any negative consequences for the future of Think Banking and their unique banking services in view of the fact that they are just an appendage of RBS with rented accounts to facilitate their banking operations ?

Fingers crossed Think Banking 'ride the waves' as all other banks. Let's hope it doesn't get to the stage where the safest place to keep our money is under our matresses!

I've been with Thinkbanking for 10 months now and I can honestly say, it has changed my life! I've always had plenty of money comng in but could never get my head around what was coming out. Some people find that easy but for some reason, I just couldn't manage my own money.

The service is fantastic, you sometimes have to wait, but they always tell you if it's going to be over 5mins so you can call back if you want. The money managers are great, so helpful. The text services is good too, I no longer have to go to Sainsburys to check my balance (and nip in to spend money whilst I'm there).

I used to be charged between £60 and £180 per month by my previous bank for not managing my funds, paying a mere £12.50 per month is nothing by comparison.

Just applied for my internet banking details so the account will be even more useful.

This account makes so much sense, there's no catch, just sensible money management for less than the price of bouncing one direct debit.

Think banking is the biggest mistake me and my husband ever made they gave money to companies from our account without permision, then said you need to wait 4working days to get it back, never resolved issues, compleatly arrogant, and as of tuesday (which is when we can withdraw whatever money they say is being returned to us) we will close down our account, BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER! Lets actually hope they go backrupt or close down to stop people making the mistake we did.

As for anyone thinking of getting an account with them steer clear! Terrible service Terrible People and when it comes to it, they made so many mistakes its unreal.

How awful Kitty - I cannot believe they paid money to people without your permission especially as they only have details of direct debits/standing orders which are given by the customer. Sounds like you and your husband have had a nightmare experience. I've been with Think Banking since early November last year and cannot praise them enough personally but that's just from my experience and like most banking instititions they don't get it right all of the time with every individual I'm sad to say.

To clear the without permision accusation it was something my husband had bought online, only to have the card declined (as you well know the card is not accepted by all) having the card declined he expected the money to still be on the card. Noticing later the money had actually been paid out he called the company which assured him that the money had not been taken and the bank must still have it on a 'freeze' or 'to be paid/returned' they then said after we informed them it would take 4 working days to be returned (Wait a minuite here the card had been declined) anyhow this is now the forth day of waiting when we got a phone call, telling us a further payment had been made to this company, reponce was that we had informed them that no more money was to go out the account to this company as previously instucted as the card had been declined. The man on the otherside of the phone quickly stated that they had paid a further payment out and if we wanted the money back it would take a further 4days and he was not going to help us as this was procedure. Lone behold we have not yet got the first payment back and now more money is in limbo. Maybe it is unfortunate, bad luck but it is most certinally not a one off. We apparently will get the money back but for people with kids and not alot of money to throw about espeshially when the purchase is the equivalent of a large phone bill to sort it out. No to many problems with them, if anyone else finds them polite please tell me if i missed the flyer telling clients 'Politeness is offered when a large box of chocolates is given'