This place confuses me. Is it a letting agents? The multitude of flat listings up in their window…read morewould suggest so. BUT, is it a mortgage broker? The name of the place sways me in favour of this option. And yes, I suppose it can be both - but a little more clarity wouldn't hurt. A couple of weeks ago I did spy a flat in the window of this place that looked like it might be right up our street. So excited was I that I popped right into the shop to arrange a viewing. Or at least try to. They took my name and number and promised to call me. But, yes, you guessed it; they never did. I even tried calling them myself to make an appointment, to no avail.

From the owner: At the Independent Mortgage Store, we specialise in providing impartial mortgage advice tailored…read moreand personalised to each and every client. We will project manage the whole process for you, offering advice and assistance throughout your purchase or remortgage. We will work with your trusted professionals or can recommend solicitors and surveyors that we have used with decades of experience. We will submit your application, proactively liaise with the lender, surveyor, solicitor and estate agent as required. Mortgages are a lot more difficult than they first appear. Knowing what rate, term, lender, features and insurance to get are all time-consuming and complex matters. Simply, we make the difficult easy.

This bank on Dumbarton Road used to be an Abbey National - but since being bought out by the…read moreSpanish banking giant, they've now changed their name to Santander. I wandered into this (very warm it has to be said) bank one late afternoon, with a vague idea of picking up some information about bank accounts. I'd gone into the nameless bank a few doors up just before this - wanting to talk to someone about opening an account - and has left sorely disappointed with the service I received. This was not the case in this Santander branch, though. Within about three minutes of walking in the door I was sat down in a booth with a knowledgeable lady offering me chocolates. She answered all my questions and filled in an application form for me all in about twenty minutes. Perfect.

Went in to the Byres road branch - one nearest to the Hill head subway - got an excellent service…read moreand came out feeling that other banks need to learn from this branch alone! - esp HSBC