Are you too busy to switch accounts? Photo: JDC/Corbis
What's stopping you from switching current accounts? Moving your current account away from one of the big four banks in favour of a smaller bank or building society could get you a far better deal - 85 times more interest and much higher customer satisfaction, according to Which?.
And yet, of the 5,800 people who took part in the Which? survey, fewer than one in five have ever switched accounts. So why don't more people switch?
I am slightly obsessive about shopping around for most financial products, but my attempts to switch current account have so far failed.
I wanted to move to the Nationwide building society, mostly because of the good deal it offers when using cards abroad. First I dropped off my completed forms at my local branch, hungry baby in tow so I didn't stop. My application somehow slipped through the net and I never found time to chase it up.
Next I tried online while my toddler clambered all over me, but when I reached the final page a technical fault meant my application never went through. After several attempts I gave up.
The third time I called and asked for the paperwork to be sent in the post. The forms arrived, but I'm afraid they have yet to make it to the top of the "to do" pile.
So what's stopping you from switching? Have the banks messed things up, or are you worried that they might? Do you feel more comfortable banking with one of the big banks, or is changing your current account simply too low on your list of priorities?
