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Rant Santander - if you bank with them, LEAVE NOW!

Discussion in 'General' started by MiNiMaL_FuSS, 30 Aug 2011.

  1. identikit

    identikit Minimodder

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    Whoa. Whoa. Do not tempt me.
     
  2. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    interesting that santander's 24hour complaint system has yet to respond to my complaint after 3 days....:wallbash:
     
  3. Unicorn

    Unicorn Uniform November India

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    This :rolleyes:

    I am on my third bank over here - Started off with everything (business, personal, savings) at Northern (Danske bank owned) but they screwed up more business transactions than I could afford to deal with, so I moved my business account to Bank of Ireland, but after a year they started charging me for every cheque lodgement, every time I wrote a cheque etc etc, so I moved to Ulster Bank who despite a couple of minor things that have happened recently, have been very good. There's a Business Account Manager who I can contact directly and she is normally very good about getting things sorted for me. The only thing that I've found out about the account is that it's extremely complicated to move money around (no instant transfers etc) to other accounts, but for no banking fees I'll live with that.

    I moved my savings to NS&I after NB cut the interest rate on my savings account to an unacceptable level, and it's only a matter of time before my personal account leaves Northern as well. I appreciate the heads up on Santander though, because I was considering them for a while.

    My parents now bank with them - again, after many's a Northern Bank screw-up and ridiculous charges - and they can't fault them at all.
     
  4. SeT

    SeT What's a Dremel?

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    Stories like this are why I wish having a bank account wasn't basically mandatory.

    Different bank and in the states but a few years ago I was with a horrible bank. I did some traveling for work requiring 2 weeks in another state. I had to pay for the plane tickets, room, rental car and meals for the time. It all went on one credit card that had 0 balance before I left and when I got back, I handed receipts to my manager and was cut a check for my expenses. All standard... All said and done, I had a couple thousand dollars of expenses.

    I get the check and put it in the bank and wait for the statement to come a few weeks weeks later. I know the money is there, I hadn't made any large purchases or anything so I write a check for the full balance and stick it in the mail. The very next day after I put the check in the mail, I decide I want to buy something online. I'm wasn't sure what the purchase will leave in my account so I check my balance - Less than $100. I'm freaking out at that point because the check for the credit card is in the mail. I call the bank office and ask what the hell happened. There's record of the deposit and my purchases after, none of which come anywhere near the amount that I deposited yet confirm my balance is less than $100. I tell them that the check is in the mail and that the money has to be there, they can see the account history there yet the balance that should be, isn't. The agent's exact words: "I don't know."

    I get a manager on the line at that point. I explain the whole situation and they confirmed again basically saying they don't know what happened again. I tell them that the money better be there because I will not be paying overdrafts for this. They assure me that there will not be any overdraft. The money should be there.

    The check clears. The money wasn't there. Overdraft. PISSED. I call them and raise all kinds of hell. A few days later, the balance that should have been there magically re-appeared - I was in the positive for the amount that should have been there after the check cleared minus overdraft fees.

    At this point, I walk into the local branch with printed account history at peak hours and make a nice little scene making sure that plenty of people around heard exactly what was happening with this bank error and that people that I talk to over the phone just tell me "they don't know". Eventually, they reversed the overdraft and I immediately closed my account.
     
  5. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    back in the UK :) thought I'd let you all know how this ended:

    Santander credited my account with a £100.00 as an apology. I've since closed my account and moved to First Direct.
     
  6. Scroome

    Scroome Modder

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    Sigh. I work for a major Bank, but totally sympathise with you guys. I've had some awful crap with Banks in the past. Luckily my current account (who happens to be my employer) has so far, been pretty good.
     
  7. CarlT2001

    CarlT2001 What's a Dremel?

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    Good idea not to take up their £100 switch offer then?
     
  8. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    thtas how i got into this mess in the first place...not worth it....although they have technically given me £200 now, but in real life its peanuts anyway. That said thanks for the new car tyres santander!
     
  9. trigger

    trigger Procrastinator

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    I had basically the same thing. My step father transferred some money to my account to help with a house deposit. Santander (Abbey) promptly froze my account, not bothering to tell me though. I only found out when I was trying to pay for petrol! Fortunately I had a credit card so was able to pay with that.

    If that wasn't bad enough already I went to the branch and they told me I would need a letter from my step dad that he had transferred the money and the reason. I got this a could of days later, went to the branch again; they faxed it to their security dept who still refused to unlock my account as they needed my step dad to physically be there! This wasn't easy as he is disabled, but they weren't interested. Suffice to say I kicked up a little stink right there; the branch staff were sympathetic but couldn't do anything because of the obstinate **** in the security dept.

    The next day I drove out to his place and picked him up, took him to the branch and he had a nice go at them as well. They were surprised and said he didn't need to come down, they called the manager of the security dept who also said he didn't need to come down, the manager then unlocked my account and apologised.

    I wrote a letter of complaint and they sent an apology letter and £50 credit on my account which was nice but I still wasn't about to stay with them. Two weeks later I closed my account there after 15 years of banking with them. They didn't make that easy either, refusing to allow me to transfer my money out, only providing a cheque. I moved to smile and it's been great so far.
     
  10. faugusztin

    faugusztin I *am* the guy with two left hands

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    How in the hell can a bank refuse to transfer money ? You say you created another account in another bank, and they refused to transfer money from you account A in Santander to account B in another bank ? That is something for what i would immediately start complaining at FSA & other regulators.
     
  11. trigger

    trigger Procrastinator

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    Yeah it was pretty bizarre but apparently it was because I was closing the account so they could only close it with a cheque. By that point I didn't really care and was no longer surprised so was just like "whatever" :blah:.
     
  12. faugusztin

    faugusztin I *am* the guy with two left hands

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    Oh well, that was sort of your own stupidity then. If i want to close an account, then the first thing is to move away my money via bank transfer, leave only the minimum on old account and then request to close the account. Technically they were right in that case, because bank transfer can fail - and then where does the money return if the originating account is closed ?
     

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