A & L migration to Santander

lewislad81

Just noticed this more extensive thread of complaints, so I'm reposting something I wrote in another thread last week:

lewislad81 wrote: »

I've had similar problems due to the A&L/Santander merger.

I raised the problem regarding A&L customers with a Santander Zero credit card being unable to use online banking over 3 weeks ago. Yesterday I phoned for an update and spoke to an extremely helpful and honest Irish guy at Santander e-Commerce who said they were aware of the issue but they really had no solution or timescale for fixing the problem.

I also had an issue using my Santander Zero credit online yesterday as 3D Secure with Mastercard SecureCode has been introduced. The Mastercard SecureCode page would not recognise my details when I enrolled. When I phoned Santander for a third time to query this, the system would not recognise my details either and I was told I'd need to go into my local branch.

I did this today and the manager apologised and revealed that A&L customers' direct debits for Santander Zero credit cards had not been processed and this was part of the issue with my card. As the fault was with them, she told me that the late payment fee had been refunded to my credit card account but there would be no letter explaining why this had happened in the first place. This is truly shocking treatment as when I came home I found a late payment fee on my statement for this month, but will clearly have to wait until next month's statement to see the refund on my account. What about the customers who do not happen to go into their branch?

I was then given an incorrect phone number in the branch for 3D secure and, this afternoon, spoke to someone who was able to lift the block on my online purchases, but only by using my A&L debit card details.

The migration seems to have been botched for several A&L customers. I've also had issues with organisations unable to identify my new Santander sort code, due to IT systems not being updated before A&L accounts have moved over.

Really disappointed that these problems have occurred, and that most people I've spoken to with Santander have added to my issues.

Cheesedoodles

Just phoned up CS...again!!

This time a very nice lady told me that she could assure me(!!) that all problems would be sorted out by the weekend. That is when they are "fixing" the accounts that went "tits up" from the migration...I told her, nicely, I believe it when I see it.

Having said that, she was very pleasant and I asked her to go through all my direct debits and standing orders so that I could cancel them as I'm moving my account. I just hope they are actually canceled

Norton_Blade

Another GRRRR! from me.

Went to Santander yesterday asking to close some Issue 4 online savers. "Ooo... we can see them on the system but we can't do anything with them. Very sorry, can you go to Alliance and Leicester?"

On the way out, I was quizzed about the service I had received in branch. It was very speedy and friendly, but they couldn't help me so I gave them quite high marks.

Tootled off down the road to an Alliance and Leicester cashier who really looked like she couldn't be bothered. She hammered the details into the keyboard. "That's a load of rubbish. They've migrated and I can't do anything with them. Go back to Santander and tell them."

No apology. No pleases. No thank yous for waiting.

At which point, half an hour and two branches later, I gave up. Writing a letter of complaint now.

It's not like they're losing money, the accounts have zero balances and I have my current account, first home saver and a regular saver with Santander. It really shouldn't be so difficult!

misterfish

Just had the actual reply to my formal complaint about my problems with lack of access to my mother's accounts along with the appalling customer service currently available on the phone.

In essence they admit the level of service has been significantly below the standard we have every right to expect and they apologise.

They then go on to say that they have been experiencing some system problems with internet banking. Every effort is being made to re-establish the internet banking facility and as the recent experiences may have affected my faith in the service they are crediting the account with £30 - they don't say if it is my account or my mother's. No sign of it in my account and, of course, I can't access my mother's. This payment is as a gesture of goodwill.

They will keep the complaint open for 8 weeks and then close it unless I have contacted them again.

So, if as promised just above, they are actually really sorting out the screwed up accounts this weekend everything should be sweetness and light next week (duscks to avoid squadrons of low flying pigs!)

Misterfish

Cheesedoodles

misterfish wrote: »

Just had the actual reply to my formal complaint about my problems with lack of access to my mother's accounts along with the appalling customer service currently available on the phone.

In essence they admit the level of service has been significantly below the standard we have every right to expect and they apologise.

They then go on to say that they have been experiencing some system problems with internet banking. Every effort is being made to re-establish the internet banking facility and as the recent experiences may have affected my faith in the service they are crediting the account with £30 - they don't say if it is my account or my mother's. No sign of it in my account and, of course, I can't access my mother's. This payment is as a gesture of goodwill.

They will keep the complaint open for 8 weeks and then close it unless I have contacted them again.

So, if as promised just above, they are actually really sorting out the screwed up accounts this weekend everything should be sweetness and light next week (duscks to avoid squadrons of low flying pigs!)

Misterfish

I might go down the route of a formal complaint too...I'm closing the account, but £30 is £30 Might as well get what I can from them.

Which address did you send it too?

Simongw

And I only got £25!! Still- remember that £30 is less than a third of what they offer as an "incentive" to switch to them....thus it appears that long-term previous customers are only worth a fraction of new customers.
:mad:

ynwa

Despite the teething problems with the migration, I like my A&L account because I'm always well into my £1200 OD and the interest charges are capped at £5 per month. I'm pretty poor at calculating interest and working that stuff out, so not sure whether a move to First Direct etc would actually cost me more money. Anyone any idea if any other bank's interest charges would be roughly the same (or even less) with a similar OD?

Cheesedoodles

ynwa wrote: »

I like my A&L account because I'm always well into my £1200 OD and the interest charges are capped at £5 per month.

It's not that good if you do the calculations.....

I've done a quick list of APR for various average balances up to £1200. This assumes you are in your overdraft for more than 10 days per month (thus acruing the £5 charge)

Average BalanceYearly charge    APR
    -£100        £60        60.00%
    -£200        £60        30.00%
    -£300        £60        20.00%
    -£400        £60        15.00%
    -£500        £60        12.00%
    -£600        £60        10.00%
    -£700        £60        8.57%
    -£800        £60        7.50%
    -£900        £60        6.67%
    -£1,000      £60       6.00%
   -£1,100       £60       5.45%
   -£1,200       £60       5.00%

ynwa

Cheesedoodles wrote: »

It's not that good if you do the calculations.....

I've done a quick list of APR for various average balances up to £1200. This assumes you are in your overdraft for more than 10 days per month (thus acruing the £5 charge)

Average BalanceYearly charge    APR
    -£100        £60        60.00%
    -£200        £60        30.00%
    -£300        £60        20.00%
    -£400        £60        15.00%
    -£500        £60        12.00%
    -£600        £60        10.00%
    -£700        £60        8.57%
    -£800        £60        7.50%
    -£900        £60        6.67%
    -£1,000      £60       6.00%
   -£1,100       £60       5.45%
   -£1,200       £60       5.00%

Thanks for that. So to a layman (and thats probably overrating myself!) assuming I'm usually £700-£1200 into my OD, my A&L is actually quite a good account to have??

DizzleUK

Went into the local Santander branch today- had money to pay into the joint account.

The two people in front of me were there to close their accounts. The man at the front had an A&L card and going from the discussion with the cashier, he had been in previously to close the account and couldn't due to a £5 charge coming off today, so had to wait.

The cashier made an attempt to close the account (apparently it is something they can do in branch. The customer did have a piece of paper with him, no idea if this was a form or a written request for account closure) and informed him that it could take up to 10 minutes for the computer to complete the process. Computer was having nothing of it so the cashier summoned a colleague who took the customer's card and said she would phone up the telephone team (HERSELF!) to find out why the computer was saying no.

I don't know what happened after that as I paid my money in and went.

The other customer in front of me was a lady with an Abbey passbook. She also wanted to close her account. She was also told it would take 10 minutes to process. She said she didn't have time as she had already been queuing for quite a while (as had I). The cashier offered to take the passbook, put the closure through and invited the customer to come back in a bit to collect the funds due.

This is the MOST helpful I have known the staff to be in this branch- usually they have such a !!!! attitude. Neither were asked why they wanted to close the accounts, nor was any sort of disuasion made.