Closing my Santander/Abbey account

wishface

I went to Santander yesterday to close my account; i'm £200 overdrawn (the limit of my authorised overdraft) and just paying overdraft charges.

Upshot is they won't close it unless i pay off the overdraft which I can't do all at once. The only thing they said they would do is pass the account to 'collections' (ie the Mitchell Brothers) if I go a further £100 past my overdraft limit. This seems to me a phenomenally irresponsible thing to do, however the alternative is to just keep treading water with overdraft charges which I can pay. I had hoped they would allow me to make similar payments but instead use them to pay off the £200 and just close the account.

What can I do? I don't want to throw a couple of quid a month just to pay n overdraft charge for an account i won't be using anymore (not least of all because Santander are rubbish).

anselld

wishface wrote: »

What can I do? I don't want to throw a couple of quid a month just to pay n overdraft charge for an account i won't be using anymore (not least of all because Santander are rubbish).

Well you "won't be using it anymore" as soon as you have paid off the overdraft. Until then you are using a facility of the account (ie the overdraft)

You can either pay it off or move the debt elsewhere (credit card, another bank etc). I am not a fan of Santander either but surely it is fair that they get their money back before letting you go!

wishface

Respectfully: you didn't read my post properly.

I said that instead of paying the overdraft charge, I would use that payment, after closing the account, to pay off the outstanding money.

I did not say I should have the overdraft waived.

rb10

wishface wrote: »

I did not say I should have the overdraft waived.

So how did you expect to close the account, if it's overdrawn?

No bank will let you close an account while you owe them money.

wishface

rb10 wrote: »

So how did you expect to close the account, if it's overdrawn?

No bank will let you close an account while you owe them money.

This is going around in circles.

I'm sure it's not beyond the wit of a powerful multinational banking insitution to close an account and furnish me with the means to pay off a couple of a quid each month to the remaining amount. Don't you agree?

Whether or not they want to is entirely another question.

bryanb

It looks as if you are asking them to stop charging you for using their money, why should they?

Minihauk

So basically you are asking if we agree that Santander should let you close the account and stop charging you interest on money you owe them, and they should then let you use the money you would/should be paying in interest to pay back the overdrawn amount? :rotfl:This would help you but certainly not the bank, and they would be using my money to subsidise you ..........
If banks operated like that, everyone would own a bank.

anselld

wishface wrote: »

Respectfully: you didn't read my post properly.

I said that instead of paying the overdraft charge, I would use that payment, after closing the account, to pay off the outstanding money.

I did not say I should have the overdraft waived.

I did actually. You want to have interest and service charges waived and borrow the money for free until you are ready to pay it back.

I was just trying to explain why that is not likely to happen!

wishface

what on earth are you talking about?

I can only assume you are being deliberately obtuse.

I can't afford to keep this bank account open. I can't pay more than a couple of quid a month. Why shoudl I not be able to have the account closed and that couple of quid instead go to pay off the amount. Quite where you think your money is being used here I don't know.

This forum is supposed to be used for people to get advice for just these situations, not for right wing lunatics to deliberately misread what has been said.

wishface

anselld wrote: »

I did actually. You want to have interest and service charges waived and borrow the money for free until you are ready to pay it back.

I was just trying to explain why that is not likely to happen!

You didn't, because that isn't what i said at all.

Inactive

wishface wrote: »

This forum is supposed to be used for people to get advice for just these situations, not for right wing lunatics to deliberately misread what has been said.

Well hurling abuse at those that are trying to help you isn't going to get you anywhere.:(