Anyone ever bartered a booking fee?

simonp

Santander has offered me quite an attractive 3 year fixed deal (I'm currently on its SVR after my last deal expired) but it comes with a whopping £800 booking fee and £125 transfer fee.

They've offered to add them both to the mortgage (which I don't really want to do as £925 x 19 years' interest isn't too healthy!) but I've wondered whether anyone as ever haggled these fees.

There really doesn't seem to be any justification for them

Greatgimp

I suppose it depends on what other options are out there. Could you say that X and X has a similar offer (supply printed proof) and they've offered a lower than quoted booking fee. Everything (well, almost) is negotiable.

_Andy_

£800 isn't very high.
They won't 'haggle' on them.

opinions4u

simonp wrote: »

Santander has offered me quite an attractive 3 year fixed deal (I'm currently on its SVR after my last deal expired) but it comes with a whopping £800 booking fee and £125 transfer fee.

They've offered to add them both to the mortgage (which I don't really want to do as £925 x 19 years' interest isn't too healthy!) but I've wondered whether anyone as ever haggled these fees.

There really doesn't seem to be any justification for them

Has it crossed your mind that the "attractive 3 year fixed deal" is paid for by the fees you object to?

If they didn't charge the fees, or reduced them, the interest rate would be higher.

They won't haggle, barter, reduce, waive, let you off etc.

VIGILANT22

Yr current rate is what & yr transferring to what?

simonp

Thanks everyone - I feared as much - nothing to lose in trying I guess.

VIGILANT22 wrote: »

Yr current rate is what & yr transferring to what?

Currently on SVR of 4.24% - they're offering me 3.69% until Jan 13 (a saving of around £40 a month assuming the bank rate stays the same - which is unlikely!)

Worse case scenario is the bank rate doesn't change and I don't save anything (£40 a month saving compared with £925 costs) - of course, it's likely the rate will increase some time in the next 2 and a bit years so I guess it's quite a good deal