Questrade and customer service, my take.

First off, I am not affiliated in any way with Questrade other than I am client.

I have no experience with any of the other brokers at all so I have nothing to compare against. I see a lot of people asking about brokers and services and what to look for and what to watch out for so I thought I might clear up a few things with regards to my experience with Questrade.

The first criteria I had when I was looking to get started trading were low commissions, low balance requirements and easy direct access to the market.

A secondary consideration, actually it was hardly a consideration at the time, might have been customer support...I hesitate to call it customer service as I do not need service, just the odd question or clarification. Service is a value added thing to me. I was not looking for value, just troubleshooting if needed.

I set out to try everything and see how it worked, then ask questions as I needed along the way. I even have options setup in my account but have no desire to actually try them out now, no need.

I found the different browser and downloadable platforms easy enough to use, I liked the no additional fees, the free services with certain quantities of trades, reasonable numbers given the services rendered, generous margin allowance, online chat help.

I also like the CDN and US combined account. I have traded US stocks by mistake though, my bad, but the transactions were completely transparent as the account buying power is displayed in US and CDN funds at the same time...so i don't think there is an conversion fees.

I have had opportunity to place calls twice, both times I was answered in a reasonable timeframe and my questions answered well enough. I have used the online chat help often and, except for one case, received timely information as well. Email help is slow but there, I would call or chat first though as it takes days to get a response and they are pretty much regurgitating what is already on the site when the answer does come.

They offer no frills direct online trading. Executions are quick and slippage is minimal. Connections are mostly pretty solid. I have made mention of technical difficulties the odd time but I believe most of them have been ISP or internal LAN issues, mostly.

So, the bottom line, if you need coddling and advise, go elsewhere. If you are a "do it yourself" trader or want a clutter free experience, then give them a try. If you are a DRIPPer and are looking for a broker to get certificates through, try elsewhere as the certificate fee is very steep.

From the odd comments I have heard about other brokers I have been surprised at some of the fees levied and some of the commissions for what little service is actually provided, it's a jungle out there.

There is still this nagging VTO issue though...I am afraid that I have not taken the time to try it out or to call to see what is up, if anything. To be honest I could see them being dropped as the market is so volatile that I think they would be a liability to any new trader out there, I know they didn't do me any favours and I was not playing in this market action.