A & L migration to Santander

GustyGardenGalaxy

Let's just hope that Santander leave the A&L URL working for some years to come (at least) or, if they decide to FORCE people to use the Santander login, at least have the decency and professionalism to provide their customers with the relevant security information at least a few weeks in advance, with suitable warnings via post and email ......... well, I can dream can't I?

I just don't want my mother inconvenienced by some forced login changes.

Newly_retired

My thoughts exactly GustyGardenGalaxy - until yesterday when the A & L site log-in was no longer available to me and I was faced with an entirely new screen as you described. I tried to log in using my 16 digit card number and my A & L information but it wouldn't let me.
I am furious that I was not given the information I would need IN ADVANCE to log into the Santander screen and am now having to wait 10 days to get my new log in codes.
I rang and could scarcely understand the call centre pserson with heavy accent. Eventually I said I want to complain and he gave me an A & L number and I made a complaint to a UK English speaking person.

I await further developments.

ingrid1

My daughter's partner left her and all the debts she got organised and sorted loads out with the CAB who set up repayments to the then A&L she pays £3.00 per month, she has just recieved a letter saying she had not paid since May this year she checked her bank and has only just realised the £3.00 she was paying was going back into her account she was not informed of this until now she rang them up and they said they longer accept DD for this payment but she could use a debit card ( wich she does not have only a cash card, or she could pay by cheque again she is not allowed this then they said she could pay in branch the nearest one is haing to travell which will cost her ) she is so trying to get her life back on track but this has realy knocked she said why do I bother , she also has two young children not yet of school age xplained all this but more or less the bank said tough WHY oh why are they not helping people like my daughter she is distraught as this will now hamper her and any future credit if this is not sorted what can we do?????

SaveTheEuro

ingrid1 wrote: »

My daughter's partner left her and all the debts she got organised and sorted loads out with the CAB who set up repayments to the then A&L she pays £3.00 per month, she has just recieved a letter saying she had not paid since May this year she checked her bank and has only just realised the £3.00 she was paying was going back into her account she was not informed of this until now she rang them up and they said they longer accept DD for this payment but she could use a debit card ( wich she does not have only a cash card, or she could pay by cheque again she is not allowed this then they said she could pay in branch the nearest one is haing to travell which will cost her ) she is so trying to get her life back on track but this has realy knocked she said why do I bother , she also has two young children not yet of school age xplained all this but more or less the bank said tough WHY oh why are they not helping people like my daughter she is distraught as this will now hamper her and any future credit if this is not sorted what can we do?????

I'd suggest giving the National Debtline a call. It's a free number. They have experience dealing with issues such as this.

tenuissent

Update: I spent an hour in a Santander branch early in November trying to close fee-paying account and replace it with non-fee-paying account, which young man said he had done.

A week later a returned cheque showed that he had actually closed NOT my account, but husband's joint account with me, and cancelled all the household bills (internet, council tax, credit cards, phone, energy, car services etc etc). And had emptied joint account into my new account (over £8000), putting us into overdraft and worse, in the joint account.

Nightmare ensues of fines for not paying credit card in time and all the other problems easily imagined. I could use neither account: old one on edge of being closed.....new one they promised all the money would be returned to joint account, so account would be empty on some unknown date.

Rang the branch and manager said, after saying I could not close old account over the phone, that "common sense has to come into this at some point" and closed it for me.

OK. Since then I have rung to cancel direct debits in new account, assured they were cancelled, yet £220 left the account yesterday.

Rang to complain, insisted on compensation for time and expense on this comparatively small point....after brief argument, offered £15. My point to him was that if I did not ask for compensation, the bank would not take it seriously, and he agreed. Admittedly £15 is not much, but go for it, everyone!

I have much more to go for, this was just the start. Everyone has to insist on compensation, expenses, time and stress. Or they will just ignore us!

tenuissent

I need to remind you that not long ago I tried to transfer £3,500 from my old Santander account to my daughter.

This money was taken out of my own account AND out of our joint account. My daughter received £7,000.

Santander took no responsibility whatever for this error and said it was unable to sort it out. More overdraft expenses.

Alex11

I have read the hundreds of posts on this with great trepidation. This is my first post on this site and I have a couple of questions to which I would be most grateful for an answer. Like many I joined when it was National Giro and have been delighted with the A/L online service. In going through the posts, I have been in and out of my account checking DD entries - yes I have some new ones added by A/L but I now know that's not a problem; my personal details - still all intact; noted I had a new sort code - didn't realise (no warning either), but my salary has been paid using the old code so no problem. Also I have had no problem at all accessing my account. So far so good.

However, I have noticed two new and worrying things.

1. I use transfers both ways between my Online Saver and my Premier account to balance my Premier account, several times a month. The problem has occurred with transfers set up at least 5 days and sometimes several weeks in advance from my online Saver to my Premier. Since September, they have not been happening on the day I specified. The date of transfer out of the saver account is a day or sometimes two days late. The date of transfer in to the Premier account is the same day as the transfer out of the saver (ie 1-2 days late). This has resulted in my going overdrawn. In September I was charged for it but complained and was refunded in November. It occurred in October and when I complained in November I received an apology and no charge. The late transfer happened again on 1/12, although I did not go overdrawn. I noticed on the posts here that some people were experiencing transfer problems between A/L accounts when previously they had been instantaneous.

2. Second worrying thing is related to response to secure messages. I have previously always had replies within a couple of days. I had no reply from A/L to my message on the September event above, although a refund subsequently appeared. I had a phone call after my message on the the October event. I received a verbal apology, but the person could not say why this had started happening. But since the 1st December event, I have sent three secure messages asking for an explanation and expressing concern, with no acknowledgement/reply at all. I have now rung and asked for this to be chased up. Lack of response to secure messages also figures in people's posts. By the way, very polite and sympathetic call centre staff when I rang. It's worrying that staff my be overloaded and unable to reply.

From the above, this is my first question. Has anyone had an explanation as to why transfers between A/L accounts set up days in advance and showing for days or weeks in the Pending Payments, are not happening on time?

Finally, I have read with interest people's experiences regarding access to their account. I saw people have tried going in on the Santander site as well as the A/L site. There was talk of new passwords and people unable to access their account for days or weeks. I must admit that I felt a bit smug, although I had some issues (as above) with the new service, thinking my transfer had happened quite smoothly and wondering how I would cope with the problems some of you have experienced - I access my account at least once a day if not more. Then suddenly I had a sickening realisation - maybe I have not yet been transferred. I still access using my A/L 8 digit account number and pin as before. So this is my second question - can anyone tell me if this means I have not yet transferred and I have these problems still to come? If not, has everyone had the awful experiences on this site of suddenly being faced with a new login screen and no passwords, taking days or weeks to obtain one? Or are these random and very unfortunate exceptions?

I really really do not want to move my current account to a new provider unless I have to - my previous experience with A/L has been so good in all respects and the overdraft arrangements and general flexibility of the functions are excellent.

Thanks for your help.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

Alex11 wrote: »

I have read the hundreds of posts on this with great trepidation. This is my first post on this site and I have a couple of questions to which I would be most grateful for an answer. Like many I joined when it was National Giro and have been delighted with the A/L online service. In going through the posts, I have been in and out of my account checking DD entries - yes I have some new ones added by A/L but I now know that's not a problem; my personal details - still all intact; noted I had a new sort code - didn't realise (no warning either), but my salary has been paid using the old code so no problem. Also I have had no problem at all accessing my account. So far so good.

However, I have noticed two new and worrying things.

1. I use transfers both ways between my Online Saver and my Premier account to balance my Premier account, several times a month. The problem has occurred with transfers set up at least 5 days and sometimes several weeks in advance from my online Saver to my Premier. Since September, they have not been happening on the day I specified. The date of transfer out of the saver account is a day or sometimes two days late. The date of transfer in to the Premier account is the same day as the transfer out of the saver (ie 1-2 days late). This has resulted in my going overdrawn. In September I was charged for it but complained and was refunded in November. It occurred in October and when I complained in November I received an apology and no charge. The late transfer happened again on 1/12, although I did not go overdrawn. I noticed on the posts here that some people were experiencing transfer problems between A/L accounts when previously they had been instantaneous.

2. Second worrying thing is related to response to secure messages. I have previously always had replies within a couple of days. I had no reply from A/L to my message on the September event above, although a refund subsequently appeared. I had a phone call after my message on the the October event. I received a verbal apology, but the person could not say why this had started happening. But since the 1st December event, I have sent three secure messages asking for an explanation and expressing concern, with no acknowledgement/reply at all. I have now rung and asked for this to be chased up. Lack of response to secure messages also figures in people's posts. By the way, very polite and sympathetic call centre staff when I rang. It's worrying that staff my be overloaded and unable to reply.

From the above, this is my first question. Has anyone had an explanation as to why transfers between A/L accounts set up days in advance and showing for days or weeks in the Pending Payments, are not happening on time?

Finally, I have read with interest people's experiences regarding access to their account. I saw people have tried going in on the Santander site as well as the A/L site. There was talk of new passwords and people unable to access their account for days or weeks. I must admit that I felt a bit smug, although I had some issues (as above) with the new service, thinking my transfer had happened quite smoothly and wondering how I would cope with the problems some of you have experienced - I access my account at least once a day if not more. Then suddenly I had a sickening realisation - maybe I have not yet been transferred. I still access using my A/L 8 digit account number and pin as before. So this is my second question - can anyone tell me if this means I have not yet transferred and I have these problems still to come? If not, has everyone had the awful experiences on this site of suddenly being faced with a new login screen and no passwords, taking days or weeks to obtain one? Or are these random and very unfortunate exceptions?

I really really do not want to move my current account to a new provider unless I have to - my previous experience with A/L has been so good in all respects and the overdraft arrangements and general flexibility of the functions are excellent.

Thanks for your help.

It would appear that things are so hit and miss with Santander/A & L that even their top brass wouldn't be able to give you a reliable answer so I doubt anyone on the forum could. Indeed, even their top man is probably peed off with it too as he left for LTSB recently.
I wonder if whoever is in charge of their IT should be put down because it would be kinder.
There's only one reason I do any business at all with Santander. I can use the nearby ATM to deposit cash and cheques into my business account 24/7 FOC. If that facility were ever withdrawn, I would be making a strategic withdrawal from Santander.

pawnbroker_2

If you still have access and control over your account I would suggest you open another bank account with another bank and handle the transfer yourself. Direct Debits are easy to move in my experience

Based on various comments on this thread the prospect of losing access for a long period and thus control over your account is high.

I closed my RBS English Account and opened a new RBS account in Scotland to avoid my finances being Santanderised.

Simongw

pawnbroker wrote: »

If you still have access and control over your account I would suggest you open another bank account with another bank and handle the transfer yourself. Direct Debits are easy to move in my experience

Based on various comments on this thread the prospect of losing access for a long period and thus control over your account is high.

I closed my RBS English Account and opened a new RBS account in Scotland to avoid my finances being Santanderised.

I agree with this. There is no reason why you should not have 2 current accounts at the same time- you seem used to "juggling" money between accounts...why not juggle between banks? First Direct get good reviews but if your income doesn't meet their criterion, go for the Co-op. And it's simple to d-i-y . Open the Co-op account, run it alongside the A & L/Santander one for a month or two....then do what you have to!! It worked for me.