Why Outlook? Rates & Service | Achieva Financial | Discussion forum

I've been with Outlook for 2 years now. Outlook's rates are consistently(always) higher. In other respects they appear very similar to Achieva except that Achieva sends statements every month & Outlook every 6 months. This is a welcome respite from all that paper. Outlook's online banking is fabulous. The customer phone service @ Outlook is superior - always courteous, knowledgable & so ready to help. Because I trasfered everything out of mutual funds a while ago I had a lot of dealings with them. There are no hidden fees - all you have to do is read the brochures.
HSBC doesn't seem to be in the same category as Outlook. It appears to be just a checking account & not something that would meet other investment needs. The fees at Outlook & Achieva are a bother since you only get one free debit /month . I manage to keep my extra charges to 1 or 2 $ / month.
The GIC rates at Outlook are consistently higher than any others I have found.(check the Saturday Free Press) You can transfer directly from your savings into a GIC. In an emergency all their GIC's are cashable but with an interest penalty. Good to have options though. So if my $$$ are just sitting there I figure why not make a few extra hundred --helps to pay the taxes.