We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Please help. I am terrified.

Options
2456

Comments

  • chambta
    chambta Posts: 2,770 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Disgraceful conduct from the bank in my opinion.
  • The only way that I can think of for you to get access to your cash is 'technically' illegal as it would be 1st party fraud.

    You would need to have a santander cheque book and a cheque guarantee card, not sure if you get them with these accounts?

    The bank has to honour a guaranteed cheque, so you could write a £100 (or whatever the card guarantees) cheque and because the bank must honour the cheque this should be paid into you account.

    As you are writing a cheque that you know shouldn't clear it is counted as fraud, but it may be the only way for you to get at your cash. I'm not even 100% sure that it would work. Maybe someone who works for a bank maybe able to tell you.

    Hope you get this sorted soon, I really feel for you. It is beyond a joke how bad Santander are now. Personally I wouldn't trust them to look after my piggy bank.
    Proudly cashing in since 2006. . .
  • lolagirl
    lolagirl Posts: 324 Forumite
    The only way that I can think of for you to get access to your cash is 'technically' illegal as it would be 1st party fraud.

    You would need to have a santander cheque book and a cheque guarantee card, not sure if you get them with these accounts?

    The bank has to honour a guaranteed cheque, so you could write a £100 (or whatever the card guarantees) cheque and because the bank must honour the cheque this should be paid into you account.

    As you are writing a cheque that you know shouldn't clear it is counted as fraud, but it may be the only way for you to get at your cash. I'm not even 100% sure that it would work. Maybe someone who works for a bank maybe able to tell you.

    Hope you get this sorted soon, I really feel for you. It is beyond a joke how bad Santander are now. Personally I wouldn't trust them to look after my piggy bank.

    Hi, I actually do have cheque book and cheque guarantee card. So maybe this method would work. Also, knowing that I have sufficient funds in my account to cover any cheques I issue in that way, it surely is not fraud?
    I've always quite fancied Tony Blair and I still do.
  • This sounds like a nightmare - and I don't understand how you paying money into your account triggered a fraud question. I also don't understand how, you having identified yourself with your passport, they have any right at all to hold your funds.

    I agree with Valli above, you want to keep a note of all this and complain to the Financial Ombudsman, you might also try giving your local Citizens advice bureau a call - they may be able to offer some advice.

    Sorry not to be more help, and good luck.
  • lolagirl wrote: »
    Hi, I actually do have cheque book and cheque guarantee card. So maybe this method would work. Also, knowing that I have sufficient funds in my account to cover any cheques I issue in that way, it surely is not fraud?

    Cashing a cheque that you know won't clear is counted as fraud, regardless of whether there are funds in there. The only reason the cheque clears is that the card guarantees that the cheque will clear.

    I have a friend who works for a bank and she said it should work. She has seen it when people who are heavily over their overdraft but are still able to write £50 cheques which they cash in money shops.

    I think you should only use this as a last resort personally. But i mean you need to eat somehow!

    Let me know how you get on and if this cheque thing works for you
    Proudly cashing in since 2006. . .
  • Katie-Kat-Kins
    Katie-Kat-Kins Posts: 1,741 Forumite
    Just to let you know, I know someone who was in a similar position to you, found their account frozen for no justified reason (with Barclays) they got it sorted out within about a week and pressed barclays into a fairly significant goodwill payment for their troubles.

    Write a formal letter of complaint NOW send it to your branch, the head office, the complaints department, the ombudsman and your local trading standards. Make sure you tell the bank that you will be seeking recovery of all the expenses you incur including any banking charges incurred with barclays, your telephone calls, your travel and fair compensation for your time and stress (you are not strictly entitled to the last bit but you never know).

    Also next time you have to go in talk to customer services on your mobile at the same time and hand the phone over so that customer services can speak to branch. Feel free to keep asking to speak to the supervisor of whoever you are talking to. Make sure you take FULL names and job titles for your next letter of complaint too.
  • savingwannabe
    savingwannabe Posts: 16,616 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts
    Lola girl. I am shocked. I hope you are ok. How are you eating?

    I am hoping that they have rung you up and apologised and it is all sorted.

    This is so frightening. It could happen to anyone. Can you ask a church, friends to borrow money in the short term?

    Good luck,

    :j
    Aiming for a minimal spend 2022
  • libra10
    libra10 Posts: 19,577 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Another (minor) example of Santander's incompetence.

    We had to pick up a letter today from the Post Office, which we had to pay £1.51 to collect.

    The letter was interest received on a Santander account my OH holds, and they had omitted to frank the envelope!

    We aren't even sure that the interest stated is actually correct! It doesn't tally with another ISA account held by myself.

    Good luck, I hope this terrible mix-up is soon resolved.
  • Valli
    Valli Posts: 25,463 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Libra - hope you write and ask for re-imbursement there...
    Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY
    "I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
    :heart:Janice 1964-2016:heart:

    Thank you Honey Bear
  • bryanb
    bryanb Posts: 5,029 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If we're talking santander's incompetence, in February I closed an executor current account. They gave me the balance and a closing statement. Last week I received a new Visa debit card on the account.
    This is an open forum, anyone can post and I just did !
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.