Starling Discussion & Feedback

[Kylemonk]

It is super fast, and generally a lot less fiddly than getting wallet, finding card, tapping card, replacig card, replacing wallet. I used it for the first time when I lost my wallet, I now still use cards occasionally, but often i find myself using Apple pay more.

[anon40779440]

@simonb

we think it’s better to be inclusive
…
We aren’t trying to build something better just because technology exists - tech is just a means to an end. We are trying to build something better because we genuinely believe we can do something amazing and reach a billion people to improve everyone’s lives!
…
we actually mean this

If you prioritise onboarding customers before implementing technology like Apple Pay, you’re putting the cart before the horse, I fear.

I didn’t adopt your product for the warm glow. I adopted it for its mobile app experience which, at the time, was second to none.

I love Monzo, but here’s some brutal honesty:

• I couldn’t care less which diversity quotas your HR dept filled this week.
• I don’t care that you want to reach a billion users. Focus on the product and the users will eventually come - and stick around.
• I certainly don’t use Monzo because of your hilarious mobile app release notes. Personality is great, but don’t be too “millenial” please.

I’m only a single data point. Feel free to take it or leave the advice. I’m only writing it because I care.

[anon40779440]

File under #BugNotFeature:

@arthur

What I prefer about Monzo:

• I can run it on a rooted device.

[anon93718513]

@anon40779440

If you prioritise onboarding customers before implementing technology like Apple Pay, you’re putting the cart before the horse, I fear.

Please show me where this is stated?

(Nb: you can’t since Apple Pay is NDA’d)

[anon40779440]

@anon93718513

Apple Pay is NDA’d

If I got a penny every time someone used the “Apple Pay is NDA’d” line. There’s no excusing Monzo for lagging the traditional banks (most of which got Apple Pay in 2015), and Starling (which got it this summer).

[anon93718513]

@anon40779440

There’s no excusing Monzo for lagging the traditional banks (most of which got Apple Pay in 2015), and Starling (which got it this summer).

Except the fact that building Apple Pay for the prepaid programme would have necessitated the 3rd processor rebuilding it’s entire systems PLUS it would have needed re-implementing for the Current Account anyway.

There is a finite amount of engineering time available at for the last few months it has been focused on getting the Current Account out the door. I’m sure Apple Pay will come soon (I don’t know when), but moaning on here about them being behind on the uptake will not make it come any quicker!

[Feathers (MikeF)]

@ChrisBeach

@anon93718513

Apple Pay is NDA’d

There’s no excusing Monzo for lagging the traditional banks (most of which got Apple Pay in 2015), and Starling (which got it this summer).

Of course there is. Maybe not in your opinion, fair enough, but it’s pure hyperbole to make a of generic statement like that.

[danbeddows (Dan)]

@anon40779440

If I got a penny every time someone used the “Apple Pay is NDA’d” line. There’s no excusing Monzo for lagging the traditional banks (most of which got Apple Pay in 2015), and Starling (which got it this summer).

I don’t know why you’re even bringing that up if you already know? Monzo arn’t allowed to discuss that they’re even working on it - never mind how near complete it is.

Yes there is, theres a perfectly valid excuse - they’re still building it, obviously. + why do you even mention 2015? You know Monzo got their banking license April this year right??

@anon40779440

If you prioritise onboarding customers before implementing technology like Apple Pay, you’re putting the cart before the horse, I fear.

I didn’t adopt your product for the warm glow. I adopted it for its mobile app experience which, at the time, was second to none.

I love Monzo, but here’s some brutal honesty:

I couldn’t care less which diversity quotas your HR dept filled this week.
I don’t care that you want to reach a billion users. Focus on the product and the users will eventually come - and stick around.
I certainly don’t use Monzo because of your hilarious mobile app release notes. Personality is great, but don’t be too “millenial” please.

I’m only a single data point. Feel free to take it or leave the advice. I’m only writing it because I care.

That’s great, and your absolutely entitled to your opinion.

Heres mine:
I feel very sorry for you that you could not care less that Monzo thinks “it’s better to be inclusive”. If you find Apple Pay higher up your list of values than inclusivity - that’s pretty sad.

@anon40779440

Still waiting patiently for Apple Pay, and for meaningful updates to the current account mobile app. Been a while now… feels like the pace of innovation at Monzo has really slowed, and I’m struggling to recommend it to friends, when the alternatives are catching up.

Feels like Monzo shifted focus to Android users - a demographic known for less disposable income, less expenditure and later adoption of NFC payments (see links below)

Don’t let Starling overtake you, Monzo - they now have Apple Pay, and if Monzo can’t catch up by the end of the year, or at least give some kind of timeframe, I expect a lot of iPhone users will switch over to Starling.

What should Monzo’s focus be? Look where the votes from your loyal customers are going:

I don’t know if you’ve been on the forums recently - but they’ve been pretty busy with this whole “migration” thing. Apparently building out an entire banking stack and implementing it into a separate app, merging them together, and then moving 450,000 users has taken some time out of one of their engineers day.

You know Monzo have an iOS and a Android team right? They don’t stop working on one, to work on the other.

FYI they posted a timeframe https://monzo.com/blog/2017/11/23/2017-todo-list/

They don’t need to focus on iOS. Like I said, they can work on them both in harmony. (p.s before you say, I run iOS)

[anon23935806]

I would assume Starling got Apple Pay relatively fast because they’re using a third-party card processor which already implemented everything and got certified by Apple, so it was just a matter of flicking a switch.

In Monzo’s case they are building their own card processor and I presume there’s actual development work that needs to be done, plus testing by Apple.

[anon40728597]

@anon93718513

There is a finite amount of engineering time available

Yes we know…look at the android app!

[anon70107404]

I never understand why people buy Android only to complain it’s not as good as iOS.

[anon93718513]

It’s a bit like me, an avid Android fan buying iOS and complaining it’s expensive!

[anon40728597]

Oh no I think android is much better. Its the specific apps that are sometimes inexplicably terrible (Monzo isn’t one of them - its more basic, although the card screen is ugly compared to iOS, will be interesting to see how that evolves with pots on Monday (??) )

[anon70107404]

What I meant was people buy Android and complain iOS apps are better. Which, of course, generally they are. I use both Android (work) and iOS (personal) but I’ve not seen the Monzo App on Android.

I think we just need to accept that these are going to develop slightly out of time to each other. It’s getting tiresome the complaints about one being better than the other or not. Android has the droid equivalent of Apple Pay, I believe. That’s a plus for Android users of Monzo. I’m not losing sleep over it.

[simonb]

@anon40728597

be interesting to see how that evolves with pots on Monday

The Pots UI looks really nice on Android. I prefer it, actually.

[anon40728597]

That’s a good answer!

[anon52884506]

I’ve been refreshing the play store, I’m not gonna lie - I thought Beta might have it a smidge early. No luck so far

[Chalky (Daniel White)]

Going back to the original topic, I too find myself in this situation. I was one of the first Android BETA users back in August 2016 and was in love with Monzo but was a bit frustrated by the slowness of the development. It was actually this that lead me to even contemplate looking at Starling back in July of this year. Back then I also found the forum a bit confrontational but it’s definitely evolved over the last few months to something really constructive. Maybe that’s due to the evolution of the Current Account?

Anyway, I started using Starling instead of Monzo and even signed the other half up so we could easily move money around. I should prefer Starling, it’s ahead, especially on Android (that’s not a dig, it’s just a fact) although given Monzo started on the backfoot are catching up quickly, but I don’t.

But despite all this, I keep coming back to Monzo (used the Prepaid Card to manage all our House Improvement finances for example) and I just can’t quite put my finger on why exactly!

One place where Monzo definitely excels for me is Customer Service. I like the conversational flow, I like the fact that the Live Chat actually works and doesn’t close if you glance away for 5 seconds. I also like that although it might take slightly longer for Monzo to make initial contact, or reply, it’s because it’s a well thought out answer by someone who actually knows what’s what. A lot of my interactions with Starling are quick but entirely unhelpful and in some cases completely untruthful.

I also like Monzo’s transparency, even if it’s not the answer you want to hear, they’re honest about it.

Maybe I’ve just answered my own questions by having to think whilst I’m writing this!

Yes, I want features, yes I want better Android support (although I’m thinking of treating myself to an iPhone X and Cellular Apple Watch). But I also want to use a bank that I like using and like what they stand for and like what they’re doing. People say banking shouldn’t be ‘fun’ but why can’t it. If not fun, at least enjoyable and if not enjoyable at least tolerable!

[anon70107404]

Chalky, a fair post.

@Chalky

A lot of my interactions with Starling are quick but entirely unhelpful and in some cases completely untruthful.

Unfortunately, that’s my experience, too.

[anon78514915]

@Chalky

I also like Monzo’s transparency, even if it’s not the answer you want to hear, they’re honest about it.

Monzo easily wins here. I been using Starling for a while and I find they not as open or sometimes will not respond to a comment asking for more information if the topic/question is not in their best light to respond too.

As I say I been using Starling for a while, and all the features on the app is superb. I never had issues with their customer service either.

But… here I am on the Monzo forum. I keep coming back. I haven’t closed my current account. I am using Starling for the features but I keep coming back to Monzo because transparency, the community, the open and honest development, the involvement. Sure on a spreadsheet level Starling has more boxes ticked, but on heart level its not there. Monzo have created a bank you want to be part of. That is the difference. That is the dilemma I am in.