Although I am probably one of the smallest traders, I look at it this way: I would rather have no credit interest for amounts under $10,000 than having to pay the .0003 SEC fee on stock sales.
Def: You gotta wonder why some of these guys are tripping over nickles and dimes on their way to making a "fortune" in the markets don't you? Many of the "issues" people have with IB are their really due to their own stupidity. Take checks for instance: why would anyone send a check to begin with? I always wire money. But as a business man I can tell you I regularly get checks bacl 2 weeks later that have "bounced" for one reason or another. IB's check policy is a sound business policy. If you want to trade right away, just wire the money. I always hear these customer service problems. Frankly, I have rarely called customer service, so if they were "pleasant" or "rude" would really not make that much difference based on the number of times I've called in the last few years. However, I would not call any of my experiences "rude"...maybe perhaps some of that east coast attitude at times. The last time I called the call was downright pleasant and helpful. But I still wonder why this is a focal point....I've called maybe a handful of times in several years. Anyone with a little perspective should be downright thrilled over the platform and the commissions and other costs. I think IB is a first class operation. And they continue to improve month by month. My kudos. OldTrader