The thing about banks is that they think that they are doing you a favour. However, year on year, their customer service gets worse and worse. They seem less and less interested in speaking to you in person - with automated machines replacing real people. The layout of the bank is irritating to say the least. It used to work quite nicely, as all customers could move through to the back where the tellers are. These days there are annoying sweepers trying to stop you getting to the tellers and making you use a machine. Therefore, where all the machines are situated (at the front of the bank) there forms a series of large queues. These queues have to cross each other as there isn't enough room. Sometimes you can't even get in the door of the bank. I say, don't bother. Use an online bank, and if you need to go to an actual branch, use an out of town branch where there is still some level of customer service. read more

This is definitely my favourite HSBC to visit, because since recently they have installed all-new machines to do your cash deposits or cheque deposits on. They allow you to just pop your stack of cash in the hole, once you've scanned your card in and tapped in the transaction. It counts your cash, pops up the sum for confirmation and then immediately adds the money to your account. This is loads more convenient than the old system of writing up the transaction and enveloping it with your money etc then waiting for the cash to get into your account. And of course it's also quite nicely laid out since the refurbishment, in such a way that as soon as you walk in and look a little lost you are approached by an employee who then helps direct you to the right person. Altogether good location, good service, conveinent and easy - as banking should be. read more