A & L migration to Santander

samwsmith1

Sent some money to one of my other accounts the other day from my A&L P21 account - expected it immediately and it's now expected on Tuesday!
Nearly a week after I sent it - when did they stop sending by FP?
I need it urgently to pay my driving instructor for my test time next week - I don't know whether to send them a complaint letter or not.

Just glad my main account's with HSBC.

tellmeitsfriday

After 6 weeks of hell, errors in migration, no access to telephone or internet banking, hours wasted on the phone and fairly usless (but friendly) branch staff I have decided I can bear it no longer. I am leaving scamtander. It's a shame really, because 27 of the last 28 years with A&L have been pleasant, hassle free banking.

I have been accepted for a First Direct account, and should expect my paper work in the next day or so.

When I told the lady on the phone I wanted to change banks because I'd had some hassle, she guessed it was A&L/Santander immediately. I think they are doing quite well out of this shambles.

I don't know if I'll get my £100 because I already have a HSBC account, but quite frankly, the return of pleasant, hassle free banking, and staff who can help will be reward enough.

Toodle-ooo Santander

bobo16

i can understand peoples frustrations (though some sound pretty petty in the grand scheme of things) my accounts have all transferred without any problems as have my husbands, mothers and fathers and the very helpful staff in the branch assured me sort codes etc still the same and i have just set up a dd with my old number and worked just fine.

It seems to me the staff in the A&L branches are trying their best to deal with what amounts to a large number of VERY rude people eg i was stood behind 1 OAP for 30 mins while she complained that the paper for her statement was no longer orange, the staff actually went to the staples next door and bought orange paper to photocopy the statement onto for the customer.

none of this is the staffs fault in the current climate they are probably grateful to actually have jobs and from the 4 local branches that i use ALL of the staff are friendly and helpful and doing their best even when faced with abuse of the worst kind!

So when we talk to these hardworking people can we try to do so with some respect and speak to them like we would want our daughters, sons, mothers etc to be spoken to.

RumPunch_2

To be fair, when I 'popped into the branch' to correct the mistakes in our names and ask for some statements as I still couldn't access my account the branch staff were lovely, I did feel a bit sorry for them because this mess isn't their fault but they have to sort it and watch customers leave. I didn't go in to rant, just to change the name and get them to print some statements. For the record, whilst sometimes being very annoyed with useless and abrupt staff, I have always spoken to them with respect.

I did try a different Santander branch first, but, despite the welcoming letter informing me that I could now use 4 times as many branches, in fact I can't, because some of them are 'agencies' and you need a branch as the agency cannot access A & L accounts.

24 Aug applied online to first direct, application posted out same day
26 Aug application received, signed and returned. Checked with lovely helpful telephone staff, account approved in principle subject to further checks, up and running in around 7 days

However, tonight............ PlusSaver Account available online!!! Names still all wrong, but that's only 25 days without it. Sorry, don't mean to gloat. No progress udpdate from complaints department though and no compensation. Yet... will pursue this one!

Still will also be saying Hasta Nunca Crapander!

TREVORCOLMAN

They were just as bad when they were A&L.

Rochdale_Pioneers

Alliance and Santander have decided that the various bill payments I made this month shouldn't be allowed to go through, and has belatedly returned the money to my account. Quick phonecalls to recipients needed to pay bills another way.

Happily this is my final month as a customer - my Co-op account is now open and I'm in the process of switching. Am going to change my direct debits manually as I don't trust A&S not to screw them up. What an absolute shower this bank has turned into.

olivetti

10 weeks with no access now. Keep getting told it will be fixed tomorrow, clearly this has not happened. Go a reply to my written complaint on 3 August which said nothing but said I would get £25 compensation. Earlier this week I received my first paper statement from Santander, dated up to 18 August, No sign of the £25! Not even sure why they are not being consistent with the compensation (if they are actually paying it) £10, £25, £35 and £50 I have seen on here.

In process of transferring to Halifax but I will not be closing the accounts yet as I will be taking this to the ombudsman if not resolved by close of play next Friday.

Worst experience with a bank since I tried to transfer to Citibank years ago, and probably actually worse than that as it has dragged on far longer.

rb7oaks

bobo16 wrote: »

i can understand peoples frustrations (though some sound pretty petty in the grand scheme of things) my accounts have all transferred without any problems as have my husbands, mothers and fathers and the very helpful staff in the branch assured me sort codes etc still the same and i have just set up a dd with my old number and worked just fine.

It seems to me the staff in the A&L branches are trying their best to deal with what amounts to a large number of VERY rude people eg i was stood behind 1 OAP for 30 mins while she complained that the paper for her statement was no longer orange, the staff actually went to the staples next door and bought orange paper to photocopy the statement onto for the customer.

none of this is the staffs fault in the current climate they are probably grateful to actually have jobs and from the 4 local branches that i use ALL of the staff are friendly and helpful and doing their best even when faced with abuse of the worst kind!

So when we talk to these hardworking people can we try to do so with some respect and speak to them like we would want our daughters, sons, mothers etc to be spoken to.

I agree that it is not the staff's fault that there are so many problems with the migration....... but it certainly is NOT the customer's fault either. I do not have access to my mother's account, for which I have PoA, after almost 5 weeks, and am in the process of transferring it to Halifax (assuming that A&L/Santander can find it). Before finally deciding to do so, I called into a A&L branch to see if they could pay some bills I had for her from her account - 'no', so I had to transfer money (via the teller) from her account to mine. When I informed the teller (who was the Branch Manager by the way), very politely, that I was going to transfer our accounts elsewhere since nobody seemed to know when the problems might be solved, he said 'OK'.... that was it, no apology, no attempt to keep my custom...... nothing.

rb7oaks

olivetti wrote: »

10 weeks with no access now. Keep getting told it will be fixed tomorrow, clearly this has not happened. Go a reply to my written complaint on 3 August which said nothing but said I would get £25 compensation. Earlier this week I received my first paper statement from Santander, dated up to 18 August, No sign of the £25! Not even sure why they are not being consistent with the compensation (if they are actually paying it) £10, £25, £35 and £50 I have seen on here.

In process of transferring to Halifax but I will not be closing the accounts yet as I will be taking this to the ombudsman if not resolved by close of play next Friday.

Worst experience with a bank since I tried to transfer to Citibank years ago, and probably actually worse than that as it has dragged on far longer.

Good luck - so far transferring my mother's account to Halifax has gone very well indeed. Signed up 21st Aug, internet live 24th, new card 25th, PIN 27th - just waiting for cheque book - oh, and of course, direct debits and money to be transferred from A&L........ fingers crossed but not holding breath!

sweep9

Something to try!...

I had a problem last year accessing my current account online with A&L. The solution for me was as follows:-

(I also have a linked savings account with the online system so it may only work if you have the 2)

Go into the online system and click "add or remove accounts", click the tick box next to your current account and click next. On the next screen then click confirm to remove your current account.

Wait overnight (ie 12am to 7am) while the systems update overnight. Then log back in and add the account back on.

If it doesn't work I'm sorry but it did work for me!