Santander Zero Account Details + A Few More (Good) Bits!

jambosans

heloid wrote: »

Will Santander offer a 6% current account for those without a mortgage?

Well they technically already are, through the Abbey Bank Account (Preferred In-Credit Rate) and the A&L Premier Direct Current Account.

Personally I can't see what all the fuss is about in regards to the Santander Zero Current Account. Aside from free card use abroad, and no unauthorised overdraft charges (something easily avoidable), everything else is already on offer with less strict criteria. A&L's offering for example only requires credits totalling £500 or more in a month to qualify for the 6% AER rate (for the first 12 months, up to £2500).

Catbells

Have just phoned Abbey/Santander to have my card balance transferred as the postal application wasn't successful - they said there was a mistake on the application?? The phone application is subject to a credit check and then will have to be approved. If successful they said they'd send me my new card and terms etc within the next week.

I was an Abbey customer quite a few years ago but was unhappy with the service. I hope Santander is better. But at the end of the day I'm only wanting to reduce my £1500 debt for the lowest price and 12 months is long enough to pay it off.

oxenryd

Catbells wrote: »

Have just phoned Abbey/Santander to have my card balance transferred as the postal application wasn't successful - they said there was a mistake on the application?? The phone application is subject to a credit check and then will have to be approved. If successful they said they'd send me my new card and terms etc within the next week.

I was an Abbey customer quite a few years ago but was unhappy with the service. I hope Santander is better. But at the end of the day I'm only wanting to reduce my £1500 debt for the lowest price and 12 months is long enough to pay it off.

It's just a change of name, nothing else

Catbells

They didn't want me as a debit transfer customer because of my credit rating. Never had problems with this before so am wondering what kind of folks they're taking on. Was it my balance - too low maybe? My age - 57? The fact that I've transferred balances before? Am not too bothered mind you but just curious.

digital

jambosans wrote: »

A&L's offering for example only requires credits totalling £500 or more in a month to qualify for the 6% AER rate (for the first 12 months, up to £2500).

At the end of the 12 months ring them up, say you want to close the account as the interest rate is too low and they'll reinstate the 6%. They might want you to change to a standard account for 48 hours before calling them back to complete the loop.

Worked for my wife and me...

rose_tinted

I am sorry to say but I agree with alot of people here. I would not recommend Abbey. I have trouble with them from day 1.

Thought I was getting an 0% OD with them when I moved. Was told by customer service that abbey didn't offer this facility. And that no bank would offer this either. All lies.
Was so annoyed that I am closing the acccount. Dreadful customer service- Sorry to op.

ImBlonde

before_hollywood wrote: »

cant make appointments at reception in branch as it is unmanned, i've raised a complaint centrally about it as its just this branch.
process for getting an appointment involves waiting around for ages, attracting attention of anyone that works there, they make you an appointment in 2 weeks time. branch manager is a confrontational battleaxe, last time i saw her she was shouting at a poor couple that couldnt speak english and then i got a mouthful for wanting to change address :eek:

i'm having to find an alternative local (ish) branch to use to close my account

Hi Hollywood

Unfortunately, it's not only your branch, it's also a regular occurrence at the branch I work in as well. We all try and go out there as much as possible when staff allows (usually if there are 3 cashiers, of which Im one, we'll have two on the counter, one to have enquiries, book appts etc). I know we are meant to be recruiting at the moment due to lack of staff in our branch, but have also been informed that there is currently a recruitment freeze.

If you know you want to book an appointment you can just go straight to the counter as everybody has access to everybodys' diaries within the branch. Failing that, ask them for a direct telephone number to their branch and make an appointment over the telephone (you don't have to go through telephone banking this way). As for it being two weeks time, obviously it would be dependent who it was with but we can normally do within 3-5 days (maybe even sooner if there are free slots), depending how early/late in the week they come in - they do fill very quickly. Again, if you can't do that or commit to anything and it's not urgent you can always walk in on the off chance that one of the appointments may have finished early and they have a few spare minutes. You can even put your name down for a specific day to be called if there are any cancellations. This is obviously working from my branch, but some branches work in different ways for their diary, and I don't know how big your branch is.

As for shouting at those poor couple, yes it does get frustrating that there are language barriers, but it's completely unacceptable behaviour. Definitely not something you'd see in our branch. We are all still human and deserve the same patience and kindess as anybody - even if there obstacles. You just have to learn how to work with it.

@Irish

What a fantastic opportunity for existing mortgage customers! We've had a lot of customers coming in and upgrading and also a lot of non-mortgage customers hopeful at the idea that this offer may be extended out to them too!

opinions4u

ImBlonde wrote: »

Unfortunately, it's not only your branch, it's also a regular occurrence at the branch I work in as well. We all try and go out there as much as possible when staff allows (usually if there are 3 cashiers, of which Im one, we'll have two on the counter, one to have enquiries, book appts etc). I know we are meant to be recruiting at the moment due to lack of staff in our branch, but have also been informed that there is currently a recruitment freeze.

It's an odd one this. I spent many years of managing short-staffed Halifax branches and eventually realised that the "extra staff" I always asked for were never going to materialise.

But given that my targets were around business written, and not customers served, I made sure my enquiries desk was always manned and focused cashier efforts on getting customers to use cash machines, internet and telephone banking instead of standing in a queue.

Covering the enquries desk generated more business than cashiers trying to generate leads ever could. I suspect I was less successful at getting customers to stop using the counter though.

If you know you want to book an appointment you can just go straight to the counter as everybody has access to everybodys' diaries within the branch. Failing that, ask them for a direct telephone number to their branch and make an appointment over the telephone (you don't have to go through telephone banking this way). As for it being two weeks time, obviously it would be dependent who it was with but we can normally do within 3-5 days (maybe even sooner if there are free slots), depending how early/late in the week they come in - they do fill very quickly. Again, if you can't do that or commit to anything and it's not urgent you can always walk in on the off chance that one of the appointments may have finished early and they have a few spare minutes. You can even put your name down for a specific day to be called if there are any cancellations. This is obviously working from my branch, but some branches work in different ways for their diary, and I don't know how big your branch is.

I moved all my branches away from being appointment focused and aimed, wherever possible, to service customer enquiries there and then. I halved diary availability (to ensure those customers who wanted an appointment could have one) and freed up advisers to see customers immediately.

The end result is that more customers got seen, more products got sold and my staff earned more money.

And far fewer peed off customers were given an opportunity not to turn up for an appointment they didn't really want a week later.

It was a simple and successful strategy in every branch I worked in.

I didn't need my staff to ring up any customers from telephone lists. I didn't need to nag cashiers to push for leads. I just had to focus attention on getting those customers that wanted to be seen in with an adviser quickly.

Customers liked it. Staff liked it. Not sure senior management ever understood why the branch with fewest appointments was always in the top 30% for sales!

ImBlonde

Unfortunately our staffing levels don't always allow for our reception to be manned. We are always requesting extra staff, cover staff or on-call staff, but get told no as it's not within the budget, so we have to work around it.

We also try and encourage customers to use other facilities for their banking, but often many don't want to use these services. We even have a sub branch (ex B&B) which many customers don't use now.

We are targeted on written business but also on mortgage/investment appointments. Most enquiries can be answered at the desk but some customers don't for two reasons. Firstly, which I full appreciate, customers don't want to stand at the counter for 20 mins whilst everybody in the queue is listening and would prefer a more private setting with a personal banker. Secondly, some customers don't believe we have the correct knowledge to answer their query when in fact we can answer just as much, and if ever in doubt refer to a more experienced member of staff.

Fortunately we've had 2 days this week with the reception being manned, and of those days (Monday and today) we had more business from the counter.

Re: the diary, we have two personal banking advisers, soon to be 3 (woohoo, I got a promotion) one of them will do the diary and one of them will see on-spec customers. Always hard to allow when we have a huge influx of customers in a short period.

All of our activity is expected to stem from the counter along with the advisors who only have to self-gen a few appointments for that particular week.

Sharmaine

A couple of weeks ago, I applied online for the Santander bank account - preferred in credit rate. I wasn't really expecting to get accepted having had some credit problems three years ago(although back on track the last 18 months or so). I have a co op cashminder account which although I'm happy with really wanted a 'proper' account again and when I applied to for a co op current a/c back in September they declined me. Anyway, three days after applying online for Santander bank acc I got an email saying a preferred in credit account with visa debit and chequebook had been opened for me, with a linked esaver. Couple of days after that ebanking passcodes/registration codes/visa debit pin number and visa debit card (not electron) turned up (not all at the same time of course). I have absolutely no complaints about the speedy service, first class. I intend to have my wages going in every month and pay bills from the account. So hopefully I'm back on track now.....incidentally can I just ask the Abbey/Santander employee - is it a requirement of this account that you have to pay a certain amount of d/d's to benefit from the interest rate like the Zero a/c?