smile? You most certainly will with this bank

smile Pyramid At Dusk (Photo: Co-operative Financial Services)

If you’re looking to open a new bank account, or indeed move your existing account, then might I suggest (without trying to shamelessly plug the Co-operative once again) smile, ‘the internet [sic] bank’ from the Co-operative.

Not only because smile is part of The Co-operative Financial Services, running with a customer-led ethical policy (which includes their pyramid headquarters (above) being run by ‘electricity from gas generated by digested sewage from a plant in Bournemouth’) and extra security by not floating on the Stock Exchange, but because their customer service skills are some of the best I’ve ever seen as well.

For example, last night, I (in a moment of madness) lost my smile debit card whilst at work. Having searched frantically around the store for it several times (it later transpired I had forgotten to take it when the cash machine tried to give it back to me, which meant that it was taken in again as a security measure to prevent anyone from taking it), I decided that I couldn’t risk losing the little funds I have available in there (especially as my PIN was clearly visible to anyone who has seen Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story – although this obscure fact was only known to one person, who never discovered my PIN).

As soon as I got home, I proceeded to phone the smile helpdesk, expecting to wait an obscene amount of time (losing me more of my hard-earned money) to be put through to a call centre in India and, eventually, some form of help.

Instead, after less than twenty seconds on hold, I was put through to an English operator who quickly took me through my security details before asking what had happened. Explaining to her my moment of stupidity, she declared that she was cancelling the card and sending a replacement, to arrive within five to seven working days.

Total time on the phone? Two minutes and twelve seconds (including going through the simple automatic menu (‘press * if you have lost your card), which took about twenty-five seconds, being on hold, which was probably less than twenty seconds, and speaking to the English operator, which was likely about one-and-a-half minutes).

In other words, my problem was dealt with quickly and efficiently by a friendly operator within a matter of a little over two minutes.

It’s not just the fact that I work for them that I like them, the Co-operative Group, in particular smile, are a well-run outfit providing value for money, with a far greater chance of successfully riding out the recession if only for the fact that they do not float on the stock market.

If you’ve not looked at smile before, I would thoroughly advise you to check them out now. I was being screwed by my previous bank, and I am so glad I made the change!