Let us face it, the Charles Stanley Direct site is complex from a customer point of view. So I needed help to navigate and used the chat facility. I was pleasantly surprised how quick the responce was... See more
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Review summary
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Reviews shaping this summary
CS Direct is a generally efficient and low-cost platform, with a good Helpdesk - particularly as the staff are anglophone and based in Edinburgh. The charges are sensible. I would have given you 5/5... See more
Company replied
Used to be the best value/service for the private investor, with a very personal approach. Since Raymond James took over it is not such good value and the Help Desk does not seem to be so customer or... See more
Company replied
Great platform, which is easy to use and reliable. Good value on fees. Excellent reporting. Slow take-on of a pension I recommended to a friend recently.
Company replied
Company details
Written by the company
Charles Stanley Direct is a personal financial service combining a modern digital experience with the traditional client focused values of private wealth management. It provides all self investors with the knowledge, tools, products, and services to take control of their financial futures and realise the rewards of your investments. Whether you are a novice or an experienced investor we are here to help you every step of the way. You can call our award-winning client service team for technical help or speak to a qualified financial coach if you need guidance. Available online and via the Charles Stanley app.
Online investing
Written by the company
- Invest in your future
- Sign up in minutes to our first-class service to implement your investment decisions, through our secure platform and app.
Contact info
Ropemaker Place, 25 Ropemaker Street, EC2Y 9LY, London, United Kingdom
- 0131 550 1234
- info@charles-stanley-direct.co.uk
- www.charles-stanley-direct.co.uk
3.9
Great
178 reviews
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Excellent system for portfolio management.
Having real time pricing is helpful in making decisions, my and associated families portfolios can be linked and viewed overall.
22 July 2025
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Raymond:
Thank you very much for your comments, which we genuinely appreciate.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
I was attended to quickly and Kareen…
I was attended to quickly and Kareen was very helpful.
I got the information I needed
18 July 2025
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Mike:
Thank you very much for the comments which I passed on to Kareena, who equally appreciated them.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Nothing online is working for me
I tried to sell some investment via your website and I later found out it had failed to work. When I enquired and found you had no record of my attempt I repeated it this time successfully. Next, I have twice tried to transfer cash from my Investment account to my Lloyds bank account but your website failed to complete the operation. Your chatline told me to make the payment via a secure message but this attempt has also failed. Will you please tell me what to do next.
8 July 2025
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
I'm sorry to hear about these difficulties. Please never hesitate to call in such circumstances. We can be reached from 7:30am until 5pm on 0131 550 1234. We also answer the phone, on average, in ten seconds or less.
I'm also more than happy to assist myself. If you email ClientExperience@cs-d.co.uk with your name and contact details, I'll get right back to you.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
It asked me to check my phone
It asked me to check my phone, told me what to do and then said it was not possible in the app, only online (or vice versa). Waste of time
7 July 2025
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Frances:
Please let me step in to help. There is not enough detail in your message for me to diagnose the issue. Would you therefore mind calling me on 0131 550 1234? Alternatively please email ClientExperience@cs-d.co.uk with your contact details and I'll call you.
Many thanks,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Callum at the help desk is always so…
Callum at the help desk is always so efficient and incredibly polite! A really lovely gentleman. Thanking you!
4 July 2025
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Thank you very much on behalf of Callum. I suspect you've made his day!
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Efficient and quick replies which…
Efficient and quick replies which answered all queries
2 July 2025
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Roger:
I'm very pleased to hear that you received the support you needed. We are here for anything else.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Time and time again
Time and time again, you are unable to trade online. Having complained about this before, I was advised I could always ring up if the online trades wouldn't go on. Their telephone number has been engaged today for around four hours, which is atrocious. No message. Nothing. The platform is glitchy and seems unstable.
Sort out your terrible site, so I don't waste hours trying to put through simple trades.
Updated after an admittedly swift response : Yes, 0131 5501234, times called today, 29, rings twice, then engaged sound. i even tried at 4.28! can you send you a screenshot if you like!
27 June 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear RG:
What number are you using? On average we take under ten seconds to answer calls, so there must be something else at issue here. Would you try 0131 550 1234 and ask for me? The lines are open until 5pm. I'll also try to get to the bottom of the problems you're having trading online.
Edited reply here too:
That's odd; I don't understand why your calls aren't getting through. Would you email me at ClientExperience@cs-d.co.uk with your name and number? I'll ring you tonight if possible, otherwise Monday.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Overall this is a good platform
Overall this is a good platform, but not a great one. Check out other platform fees to compare Charles stanley their dealings are not the most competitive. My gripe with the platform is the maintenance schedule which stops you dealing at optune moments for making purchases. This is only my opinion from my experiences.
9 May 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Vincent: Many thanks for your feedback. With respect to not being able to place trades when you want, scheduled maintenance is only ever carried on after trading hours, with advance notice given by a banner on the home page of the site, so something else may be going on there. In relation to our charges, we do our best to provide real value for money with respect to a solid, dependable and responsive service. I'll contact you separately with respect to both points so we can discuss in greater detail.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Very misleading on fees.
Very misleading on fees.
Instead of clearly telling customers they were imposing a new fee they instead touted a "fee cap". This fee cap included a new fee of £5 per month billed every 6 months.
26 August 2024
Unprompted review
As usual, the site is under maintenance
As usual, I cannot login because the site is under maintenance again, which is not shown when you try to login. Also they keep increasing costs. 0.25% to 0.35% annual charge. If you use multiple platforms then this is the worst and who knows how much the transaction costs are now.
21 April 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Peter:
Many thanks for the comments.
To the absolute best of my knowledge, there have been no site issues; we also have had no further reports of one. It is possible that your browser is simply 'caching' an old maintenance page. A simple refresh could well resolve that.
We also haven't increased costs. At the start of July 2024 we decreased our headline platform charge from 0.35% to 0.30%.
I will do my best to help if I can. I can be reached on 0131 550 1234 if you have any questions about our charges, or if you are still experiencing issues with the site.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Thank you very much for your feedback. I am really pleased we were able to assist rapidly. We are here if you need us again.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Zac on the helpdesk was super helpful…
Zac on the helpdesk was super helpful with my enquiry, supplied wording etc instantly
9 April 2025
Unprompted review
Poor and obstructive
I have been trying for weeks to withdraw my funds but have have faced nothing but administrative issues and technical problems with their site.
9 April 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Paul:
I'm really sorry to hear of these difficulties. Let me step in to help. Could you call me either on + 44 131 550 1234 or email me at ClientExperience@cs-d.co.uk? I will need to know either your full name or your account number and then should be able to track things back from there.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Very Fast and Helpful Live Chat
3 April 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Thank you for your feedback Jared. Do get in touch if we can ever assist you.
Best wishes,
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Good transfer of account experience
The website is easy to navigate and it offers great human support via email or webchat. my wife and I have always found the support team to be really helpful and they always act quickly and efficiently.
My wife needed to arrange the transfer of our adult son's investments from her designated account to his own ISA. The support staff essentially did it all for her on the back of her email request.
2 April 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Alistair:
Many thanks for the review, which I was very pleased to read. We are here should you need further assistance.
Best regards,
Louise
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Online Help
Simple, quick, friendly and efficient. Everything you could ask for when dealing with financial matters.
4 March 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Simon,
We greatly appreciate your positive review. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Best wishes,
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Online messaging service is great
I used the online messaging service on Charles Stanley Direct and I am happy with the response time which was actually via a real person. Well done Zak.
11 February 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Susan,
Thank you for your positive review - we will pass on the good feedback to Zak! Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Best wishes,
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Worst company to deal with
Worst company to deal with. Avoid at all costs. Slow, belligerent and bureaucratic.
13 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Scott,
I regret that our service did not meet your expectations but appreciate your feedback. We have since done our best to address your concerns but please do not hesitate to let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Best regards,
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Quick response to trade query
Quick response, easy to understand a effective solution.
Always easy to be taken through security
9 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Angus,
We greatly appreciate your review. Should you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Best wishes,
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
Very helpful helpline there in a couple…
Very helpful helpline there in a couple of minutes and resolved my query. Thank you. Very efficient
29 November 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Charles Stanley Direct
Dear Peter
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. I'm pleased your query was resolved and I will pass on your positive feedback to the team.
Best regards,
Louise Miller
Head of Client Experience
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