Santander customer service

mletters

"Euromoney magazine said it named Santander Best Bank in the World “for delivering hugely impressive growth in difficult global markets; for not just trying, but being successful in, ventures that others said were too difficult; for sticking to a strategy that suits the institution"

This is the basis they were recognised as best bank by Euromoney. It says NOTHING about Customer Service (.....or rather LACK of it!).

roxystaff

Hi well all i can say is good look moving accounts over to the Nationwide. I've banked with them for over 15 years and their customer service used to be great but has become so bad I'm actually in the process of moving my accounts to Santander. I have my mortgage, credit card, main current account and savings all with Nationwide.

In December 2009 I applied for another current account which I presumed would be quick and easy as I already bank with them, in a lucky position that I've never missed a payment, current account in credit but here we are 27th January 2010, many phone calls later to English people who are down right rude, who say we're carrying out checks but can't explain what checks I still haven't got a yes or no off them.

Applied to Santander who I've never banked with and got a yes back within 5 days received confirmation letter and waiting for cards etc.

doire_2

Seen the Santander offer of an ISA at 3%.
Rang them yesterday to ask a few questions about it. They were very helpful indeed.
Rang back today and applied for the ISA without any issues. The guy was very pleasant.

Plus i got through both times in under a minute! :beer:

Red_Ant

I have to say I think Santander are making a conscious effort to improve customer service. I too have moved my accounts from Nationwide, and after having one glitch that was related to poor service in an ex-Bradford and Bingley branch, I had their Customer Services people ring me to apologise for the problems (on a Sunday !), and give me £50 in compensation for my troubles, which was a more than generous offer.

I much prefer an "offshore" helpdesk to the challenges of trying to deal with the Alliance & Leicester Customer Services in Bootle, so I hope they don't decide to use this as an option when they include A&L into the Santander brand.

Rosebud24

Firstly, an apology - I feel a rant coming on!

I have been trying to make an appointment at my local Santander branch for three days now. The first time I called, I was cut off. The second time, I was told I was being put through to the branch, was put on hold, then back to the call centre. By that time it had just turned 5pm and the person I spoke to said the branch would be closed so to ring back the next day. The following day, I phoned and asked to speak to the branch, and again got put back through to the call centre. The guy who answered offered me the branch's phone number: "result", I thought. WRONG! When I tried it later, it was a fax number! I tried again later, and got through to someone who refused to give me the branch number as it is ex-directory. She tried to transfer me through to the bank, but again it had reached 5pm so they had closed. She asked me to ring back the next day (today). I politely explained that I did not want to ring again, as the 0845 number is too expensive and I did not want to go through the rigmarole of menus and being put on hold and being cut off agin. To her credit, she agreed to ring me back this morning. She did, at 9 o'clock. She then realised that the branch does not open until 10am! She said she'd ring me back at 10am. She didn't, and I am still waiting. :mad:

STOP PRESS: I just had a thought whilst writing the above. I googled 0845 alternative numbers and found a website called www.saynoto0870.com, which listed a several alternative numbers for Santander, including freephone ones. I dialled the number for personal banking: 0800 5872758 and IT WORKED! The operator who answered claimed that I could open the account I wanted to over the phone, despite me saying the website states you can't. He put me through to the Savings department, who said I could only open the account in branch. She put me through to the branch... and someone answered. Hoorah!:jThe woman I spoke to was very nice and gave me a direct dial for the branch. I will be going to the branch to open my account tomorrow. Part of me thinks I must be mad to still go ahead and open it, yet it offers the best rate and terms for what I need it for, and I am not convinced that any other banks are much better. Please wish me luck!

10_66

Rosebud24 wrote: »

...Part of me thinks I must be mad to still go ahead and open it, yet it offers the best rate and terms for what I need it for, and I am not convinced that any other banks are much better. Please wish me luck!

I wish you luck, but if you search this forum, you'll find many tales of woe about Abbey (Santander). After they lost the funds from an ISA transfer 3 years ago, it took me ages to try to get it sorted out and I swore I'd never go near them again. I've ended up, by default of a B&B ISA, being with them again, and have just started the transfer out process. No surprise to hear that they've cocked up again, by processing the transfer immediately (which would incur a 90 day interest penalty), instead of doing what was requested on the transfer form and waiting until the account matured.

Lukemn

I am absolutely appalled at the completely disgraceful customer service I have received with my Santander Zero card.

There was confusion over the application with two applications being made.
I was sent a card with my name spelt incorrectly. I had to be sent another card.
I asked for a direct debit to be created to pay off the balance in full each month, this was not been set up.
I can not access internet banking and have been unable to do so ever since I received the card. Every time I phone up, I’m just sent a new password but this is obviously not the issue after having been sent 5 of them.
I’m told that the confusion over the first card is the cause for this but no one has updated the record so I can access the site with my new card. Every time I phone up, I’m told an email has been sent to the support team and they will get back to me within a week but they don’t.
Every time I phone up to try and resolve the issue, I’m passed from assistant to assistant without anyone bothering to get to grips with the issue.
The Verified By Visa service still has my name spelt incorrectly and I can't change it.
Now someone has finally pulled their finger out of their backside and assigned the correct card number to my online account, I'm told the pin is blocked.

I think the above is the worst customer service I have ever received!

flyingscotno1

Rosebud24 wrote: »

Part of me thinks I must be mad to still go ahead and open it, yet it offers the best rate and terms for what I need it for, and I am not convinced that any other banks are much better. Please wish me luck!

Most mainstream ones are not that much better bar a few exceptions. I'm stuck in a time warp with RBS, the bank tells me I'm no longer a student with that account (which I have not been for several years). RBS credit cards refuse to believe this and think I am a student still. They simply blame each others systems!

Santander are alright as long as things are simple- strangely I called a number on Say No to 0845 and got straight through to someone (who was English), no press 1, no card numbers to input! I was worried it was a scam it was that unusual! :rotfl:

William_Blessing

I'm surprised that this thread is not busier as when I google "Santander customer service complaints" it is the first to come up apart from the official links. The chaos that has resulted from the attempted integration of Alliance and Leicester with Santander was aired recently in the Mail on Sunday, but now seems to be off the financial pages.

It's only when you actually try to do something no matter how simple that it assumes significance. I shall go into greater detail if as a result of someone acknowledging that someone is actually reading what I am writing.

But my question is, why is there not more talk of this scandal in the press? Is it because they earn money from Santander when they advertise their 5% current account offers, which by the by, are not open to existing customers. One reason why I am now banking with Lloyds who offer me up to 4% on the first £7,000 in my current acount. And I invested my life savings of £48,000 in A & L in 2001 which at current Santander prices are worth about £28,000. And you wonder where the money has gone to pay the bankers fat bonuses!

William_Blessing

Well I did get some success after visiting my local Santander branch in Broadmead Bristol. I had to wait about an hour or so for Darren to come back after lunch as he would be the one to deal with it. Of the three nice young ladies serving, two had just started yesterday, but they were fine.

As I was eventually invited in to Darren's office I felt a bit like I was shop lifter being interviewed by the police. After a bit of chat about the cricket, Darren started sorting out my problem. My £33,000 two year fixed rate bond 3.5% was not paying interest monthly. After about half an hour of his calling "the help desk" and gazing intently at his screen and clicking and scrolling like a trooper he came up with a......."hmmmmmmm can't see why.......it's not paying in. It's an old problem with this one." He promised to ring me "once it's been sorted".

I felt elated. Then I asked him he could close an old deposit account that I've been trying to do over the phone for three months and have the interest paid up.

"No problem......hmmmmmm.....this is a bit of an odd one....but after lots of further nifty mouse work he actually closed it and the interest is now in my "No Interest" Santander current account. Only new customers get the offer of 5%.

At this point I mused that "this must be a very stressful time for you, what with the Alliance and Leicester migration problem?"

This was news to Darren. He was completely unaware of the chaos that reigns. "Abbey National was a nightmare, but this one seems ok except for a few." I told him I would give him a good review , that I was a shareholder who was transferring all of my banking to LLoyds and perhaps he could feed that back up to his bosses."

I can only imagine what words of contempt raced through his mind as I walked out. And now at home. I log in and yes there is the interest in my no interest account and the old deposit account is closed. I wait to see the interest on my bond to eventually appear. And I will post here to update.

So the advice. See a chap at the branch. Darren did well, and I thank him for it.

And thankyou Martin Lewis and this excellent forum that permits us poor serfs to express our ire!