Joan finds the advantages of joining Union

I’ve been a member of West Lothian Credit Union for 10 years and was previously a member of Capital Credit Union for 20 years.

I originally found out about what a credit union could offer when representatives visited the school where I worked and gave us some information about membership.

It seemed like a very easy, transparent way to conduct my savings.

I initially joined as I required a loan for a holiday to America, but as I became more aware of the ethos of a credit union, I opened additional products such as a savings account, loan and Santa Saver.

I like that the savings account is separate from my banking products and I keep this for my children and grandchildren at Christmas time.

The service at the credit union is truly excellent, the staff always have the time to lend an ear and they’ve taught me so much about how to manage my finances.

Through regular visits to the credit union I realised no problem was too small, and staff are always willing to support you to manage your money, your way.

I’m amazed how the credit union have encouraged me to save when I always thought I had no reason to.

It wasn’t until we got a shock in the family when the boiler broke and we had to use money that we’d put aside that I realised how much credit unions help members in times of financial difficulty.

Had it not been for the credit union we would have found ourselves in a very difficult situation.

I was a pupil support worker at the school where the credit union representatives initially visited, and I now participate in voluntary training.

One of my goals is to help people get to a stable financial situation at an earlier stage in their life and credit unions can help them.

I’ve been a member of Capital Credit Union for three years now and only wish I joined sooner.

My family and friends have been members for years and after doing some research, I figured joining would be a good idea.

Initially, I joined a credit union to start saving, but didn’t anticipate the additional benefits membership would bring.

Being self-employed, it can be quite difficult to get a mortgage, so opening a savings account with the credit union seemed like the right thing to do for the future.

It’s in no way linked to my bank account so I often forget I have the savings and there is no temptation to switch the occasional sum of money via online banking, which I think has become almost too accessible when it comes to savings products.

As my Grandad would say: “it’s my rainy-day fund”.

Through building strong relationships with staff, I’ve recently used the credit union for a loan.

What I particularly like is the fact that you must save alongside your loan repayments, it’s very ethical and I believe a good way to encourage saving and financial awareness.

I like the way they promote their products but staff don’t encourage people to go over their financial limit.

The most important thing for me is customer service.

At the credit union their customer service goes beyond levels of expectation, especially compared to high street banks.

You feel like they genuinely have your best interests at heart and staff are keen to teach you how to manage your savings.

The personalised service is a real bonus to using the credit union.

Joining a credit union has provided my family and I with a real sense of community and I wanted to give something back.

Because of the strong bond I’ve made with staff, I’ve taken on some voluntary work for Capital Credit Union to help explain how they helped me and share my experiences with a wider reach of people within my local community.

I think joining a credit union is the best financial decision I’ve ever made; the rates are very competitive and I would advise anyone considering membership to join.

I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad experience.

The process has always been very simple and easy, the way it should be.