Question for Saffas, ausies and kiwis

[PaulM]

Hi,

I'd like to here from any of you that have bought a 'smoothie' package from Smooth Group...ie.. where they help with opening of bank account and applicatio for NI number. Is it a real service and is it contingent upon a person getting other products/ services from them? I just paid 490 South African rands for the smoothie and have that sinking feeling (bought at STA travel).. The reason I directed it specifically at SA, Aus and NZ is that these ar the 3 countries this product is available to by this company.

Cheers
Paul

[Siggi]

Paul,
I sorry to hear that you have spent your hard earned money on something you can do equally with ease, when you arrive in the UK.
NI you phone and make a appointment no issuse
Bank account, no problems just take your passport and a few details like who you are working for and a address to any bank ie HSBC or Barclays and they will set you up.
I beleive from experince the above two banks are the helpfull.
Good Luck

[PaulM]

Thanks for your reply.

[goldfish]

Siggi must have had a better experience than me getting set up in the UK!

Getting an NI appointment is very difficult, the phone number is always busy, emails to the address provided often bounce, and you have to go to an NI centre somewhere far away (during business hours) with your documents for the appointment.

I've also heard ppl have lots of difficulties with bank accounts here because you can't get one without a job, and you can't get a job without a bank account. I had a UK bank account before arriving, so avoided this hassle. My friend who used a similar service to yours also was given a higher limit on his new credit card than those of us who opened accounts directly.

So whether a service is "value" depends how much hassle you are willing to go through relative to the cost. I'd definitely have considered using one if I knew how much hassle the NI number was going to be, it would be worth it just for that.

[magsi23]

Opening a bank account in UK is an absolute nightmare

[tekaweni]

I found opening a bank account to be very easy at Barclays.

They wanted: passport, letter of appointment and proof of address. Took about 30 mins, and then a week till the cheque book and debit card arrived in the post.

Maybe some banks make it easier than others? I had an existing account with a SA bank, not sure if that helped.

[Siggi]

OK Goldfish and Magsi,
I was either lucky or I had all my duck in a row!

[PaulM]

I'm getting refunded from STA travel, so will have to open up account on my own etc.

[mads]

I had no problems with opening a bank account at halifax. I supplied a letter from the lady I was staying at, my passport and £20 to open the account. Initially I had a "savings" first which means you can't chip and pin at the shops but as soon as the money starting going into the account when I started working, it was upgraded.
As for a NI number, I was lucky that I had one before so just restarted it again.