... are not surprised.

Barclays wrote to me almost a year ago as their online systems (though not, curiously, their customer service staff) were unable to e-mail me. I'm still waiting for them to fix it and as they removed the option of communicating effectively with them online (there's a chatbot, but that doesn't count as effective) the only way to chivvy them is to write an old-fashioned letter and wait for them to ring me (you can't get through to anyone by phone who might be of any conceivable help).

I also remember on previous occasions where their website has thrown up an error, asking for the error number to be reported to the "support" staff, they had no interest in the error and simply put me through to the telephone banking queue.

Their "service" "excellence" seems to involve incentivizing staff to close whatever problem is raised regardless of whether the issue is actually resolved.

And they only seem to employ staff in branches to point at the machines.

And all the other banks are as bad.

I tried to create a Euro account with them a few years ago, it had to be done in-branch with proof of ID etc. Got there and their computers were down, so had to fill in a long paper form. They then lost the paperwork, found it again some time later and generally went from bungle to blunder. I closed the account as soon as they got round to creating it as they were too late for my needs. They apologised for their incompetence and said they'd give me £20 compensation but I never got a penny.

Many years ago I spotted the trend, and just went with an online-only bank.

My thinking: If they are ONLY online, then being "down" is ultra-ultra-ultra-critical to them. And they would have to provide a way for me to do everything I need entirely online.

That's worked out perfectly for me so far, after having blacklisted every UK high-street bank for not-unreasonable reasons (being laughed at when asking for a mortgage, so I went next door and got one, complete inability to have a secure website for years and expecting some Java plugin nonsense to suffice, and even holding onto a cheque until the VERY, VERY last moment having never done so before, in order to fine me for briefly going overdrawn, etc.)

I couldn't find any UK bank that would give me notifications of every transaction. My Italian friends had it with their bank fo years, in the UK only "above a certain limit", by a text message that could take forever to arrive, etc. Went to an online-only bank, my phone literally pings as I'm tapping my card in shops. Any shop. All shops. Immediately. For all transactions. The best anti-fraud measure you could ever hope to have.

Since moving to an online-only bank, I've literally not had any complaints about them. They bump my savings rates up and tell me instantly, I can set money aside, I can view my card details in the app, I can freeze it if I lost my card, etc. etc. etc. It all just feels 21st century, while the high street banks were still in the 80's.

Hell, I can't even check my mortgage online with the provider, but the banking app checks my credit record and shows it in my account for me. If they offered mortgages at the online-only bank, you can be damn sure I'd be switching.

And they even let me claim my wages a day earlier than everyone else because, as they say, "All banks could do this, they just choose not to". It's been great.

When someone is giving you bad service, move. I did the Current Account Switch Guarantee and I didn't have to do a thing for all my old high-street bank account to come across to the online-only bank, with scheduled payments, etc. as well.

Plus, I'm not paying for surly staff, useless machines, security and the like in a bunch of increasingly-expensive retail locations. It's totally unnecessary.

If you're expecting a return to the good old days of high street banks... it went. Decades ago. Even the better ones have all followed suit. There is no good high-street bank.

Pack up your things, move to an online-only one, and enjoy life again. It took me installing the app and a couple of photos of my documents. That was it.

I would recommend Monzo, personally.

Switched from Barclays to Starling. Best thing I ever did.

I haven't been able to use the app in months, they have made the root detection so strict that they don't just try and detect root but also things that people who use root also do. They now check if you have developer options turned on, they scan your app list to see if you have any apps that make them think you might be using root, they scan your files to see if you have any folders or files that root apps use.

Since I can't figure out what is setting it off and I don't want to have to delete all my files and app I guess I will have to keep using my PC to access online banking, oh wait that means I need a pinsentry device, and you have to order those through the app.

So, it's fat-fingered configuration again, then ?

Because if your website falls over from one day to the next and nothing exterior is to blame, then something interior is to blame.

And the only thing that can be blamed is either network incompetence or update incompetence.

So, how do you wish to seem incompetent today ?

I moved to them from Smile in around 2011/2012.

I qualified for their Premier bank account, which at the time, came with some nice options that actually made it feel like a premier account such as a dedicated phone number that was usually answered within two or three rings to someone who already had your name and details. They were also UK-based.

You had access to a premier counter in branch which was handy when it was busy as you could basically bypass the queue.

Then COVID lockdown happened and since then they've stripped everything that made them worth being with. If you dare try to call you get locked into a queueing system from hell. I once spent over 90 minutes on hold for their fraud department...their fraud department ffs!

They removed the direct-call to a dedicated team. They removed the dedicated counter. They close my local branch every day now at 2pm - earlier on a weekend.

They force you down a chat route in the app and you get connected offshore to people who more often than not have no idea of what you're asking and when challenged go round in loops contradicting themselves, apologising and promising to do better as you are important to them.

When the chip in my debit card failed, I bit the bullet. Funnily enough the switch has just completed today, although I opened the account a couple of weeks ago (I waited to do the switch just to get a feel of things).

I chose Virgin Private banking simply because you get (shock horror!) a bank manager! Someone you are on first name terms with whom you can call to discuss any aspect of your account and even if he (in my case, it's a he) can't help, knows who can and will get them to call you back. And get this - I have his mobile number and can call or WhatsApp if necessary, even at weekends.

I was a bit taken aback to be honest. It feels new and fresh and yet it's just the way it used to be when I first opened my own adult account. Human interaction.

Their app feels a bit less intuitive than the Barclays one but it's functional.

It will be interesting to see how their customer service holds up.