Experience with First Contact / restless world etc ????

[Threeo]

Hello!!!

I'm new here. Moving to Bristol soon from Australia. Yes I know.. spare me the "why are you moving from sunny paradise to rainy England".

I've been researching bank accounts, reading some threads on here and googling a lot.

It seems it's easiest to use one of those move companies to help you set up an account prior to leaving to avoid the troubles I've been reading about.

So I'm wondering if anyone has experience with using them?

Companies like FirstContact, Restlessworld... and I'm sure there are many others.

Hints/advice/Horror stories/Happy stories?

Thanks!!

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by Threeo

Hello!!!

I'm new here. Moving to Bristol soon from Australia. Yes I know.. spare me the "why are you moving from sunny paradise to rainy England".

I've been researching bank accounts, reading some threads on here and googling a lot.

It seems it's easiest to use one of those move companies to help you set up an account prior to leaving to avoid the troubles I've been reading about.

So I'm wondering if anyone has experience with using them?

Companies like FirstContact, Restlessworld... and I'm sure there are many others.

Hints/advice/Horror stories/Happy stories?

No first-hand experience, but remember they are all commercial organisations who are in it for profit. They charge a fee for everything they do, and if you let them do the lot - and they can be quite persuasive with 'horror stories' of those who ignored their advice, you'll end up parting with a handsome sum of money. Remember also they get paid commission for account(s) they open for you, which may not be the most suitable for your needs. I think they are only good for those who get reimbursed for any expenses and commissions they incur by their employers, those who are short of time and need to hit the ground running or rich and lazy ones who want others to do the work. Most people should be able to open a bank account without too much trouble, using their home account until UK one is up and running. You start with a basic account without cheque book, debit card and overdraft (which will accept salary payments, give you cash withdrawal and let you set up direct debits for utilities), and after 6 months or so you can upgrade to a full account.

[Danica30]

I used "First Contact" when I moved to the Uk, their service was perfect...I had bank account sorted before I even arrived - Barclay International wealth account (with no UK address), got my NIN card soon after arriving (they sorted that out (I just sent them a filled in application), cant remember what else they did for me but they stayed true in delivering the services I had signed up for. highly recommend!

[Hepa]

Just a thought, if you have a H.S.B.C. branch in Australia, try them, their advertisements say they are world wide, or perhaps their website. Certainly branches all over the U.K.