Nat West Bank on Bangor high street is very much like all other high street branches. However this…read moreone deserves special mention on account of three factors. One: the cash point will more often than not dispense five pound notes quite a rarity these days. And very handy if you are a little skint. Number two: the customer service levels are excellent, truly unparalleled in the world of high street banking. Why am I making such a fuss of this you might ask/? It could be because I am constantly losing my card, going over my limit and so on but they have always done their best to keep me happy. Go team Nat West Bangor!

The HSBC bank in Caernarfon is an impressive branch - it's larger than the other banks of Halifax,…read moreAbbey and Barclays and seems quite busy so it's obviously popular. Before you enter the branch there are 2 cash machines located outside for the use of customers (of HSBC bank and other banks as well) and as you enter you're greeted by an assistant. Inside there are several more machines, such as paying-in machines, for HSBC customers' use. There are a few comfortable chairs laid around for waiting customers and a couple of desks for customers who're wishing to speak to someone. Behind, there are the counters and the foreign exchange area. I have always receied fantastic service at this branch of HSBC bank.

The HSBC bank is located in the middle of Caernarfon on the castle square.The biggest bank in…read moretown.The building is impressive from the outside.Two new cashpoint machines either side of the main doorway with a good display screen on the right hand ATM.There is disabled access to these ATM s via a small incline of the right of the building which is ideal if you have a pram in toe.Once through the door there is a little greeting desk if you need to talk to an advisor with private consultations booths around the sides.At this reception point there are more ATM s and a paying in till if you find that the time is not on your side.The only drawback of this HSBC is there are only 2 cashiers windows and the wait to be processed can be a long one depending on the time of day you r there.The staff are helpfull and easy to deal with.

I visited Barclays bank in Caernarfon last week to pay a Studio Cards and Gifts bill. The bank is…read morelocated near the city centre, on the road out towards Bangor, and is built into an old stone terraced street. There's a single cash machine outside, which, being outside the main shopping area, isn't particularly popular so having to wait to use the machine isn't a problem. Upon entering, there's a single blue upholstered chair for customers to wait by, and, at the opposite end, there's a single desk for meetings with a staff member, and a counter towards the front. Despite there being nobody else in the branch, when I entered and stood waiting for a cashier to acknowledge me, she was busy sorting out papers and left me there for around five minutes. There was a hole in the roof, and it looked like they were in the process of some kind of reservation. Overall, I'm neither impressed nor unimpressed with this particular branch of Barclays Bank.

Barclays in Bangor is a pretty good branch to deal with. We're not talking about a sprawling…read moremetropolis here, so the services they offer are decent enough in that context. There is a specialised student finance advisor on hand, and a couple of private office for customers to talk to financial advisors discreetly, and a couple of desks in the open plan main room to talk about day to day stuff with an advisor. Most of the established staff are good at what they do. Usually you need to book an appointment, which can be a pain, but when you turn up for the appointment the process of going through any issues is dealt with by competent staff in a smooth manner. I've never experienced any hard sell tactics, but this may be due to the fact that it's pretty obvious that I'm financially aware and wouldn't fall for it. I like to think it's because they're not used car salesmen in dusguise though. There has been one instance where cash wasn't paid into my account properly by what seemed to be a newish member of staff. Luckily I kept the receipt and the issue was resolved relatively quickly by a more senior member of staff. I'm unsure whether or not the error was a genuine mistake by a new junior member of staff, or if he was on the take. Either way, I won't let this one inept staff member colour my judgement of the branch. I haven't seen him there again, and this is the only problem I've had in over ten years of dealings with the branch. The staff are courteous, and do their job well. I never dread visiting the branch!