Alliance & leicester

julia78

I cannot actually put into words how sh*t this bank really are!! You wonder how banks make a fortune every year... I'll tell you - spanking every customer at every opportunity! I have never known a bank with such disgusting customer service.

Anyone know of a decent bank in order to get a current account with Switch/Direct Debit facility??!!

vaporate

julia78 wrote: »

I cannot actually put into words how sh*t this bank really are!! You wonder how banks make a fortune every year... I'll tell you - spanking every customer at every opportunity! I have never known a bank with such disgusting customer service.

Anyone know of a decent bank in order to get a current account with Switch/Direct Debit facility??!!

Natwest. I have not been shafted too badly...yet lol

preable

welcome to the santander family xD

julia78

I made a simple mistake of paying a £5 bill tonight using the wrong bloody card... panicked and phoned them knowin it would take me over... was told it was my fault, in those words!! So my £5 bill is now costin me £10, no wonder they make £££s off of people.

Yeah granted, it was my mistake and the emphasis is on me to make sure there's money there however do they not have a responsibility to not actually allow a payment to be taken when there is no money there??

albiedunn

julia78 wrote: »

I cannot actually put into words how sh*t this bank really are!! You wonder how banks make a fortune every year... I'll tell you - spanking every customer at every opportunity! I have never known a bank with such disgusting customer service.

Anyone know of a decent bank in order to get a current account with Switch/Direct Debit facility??!!

Hi Julia, try Firstdirect ,been with them 13 years,never any problems AND U.K. based call centres,also offering £100.00 to transfer you current ccount (best bank i have dealt with)

Jojo1daffy

The Co-op Bank is good...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2576109

Llyllyll

albiedunn wrote: »

Hi Julia, try Firstdirect ,been with them 13 years,never any problems AND U.K. based call centres,also offering £100.00 to transfer you current ccount (best bank i have dealt with)

I moved to First Direct from A&L about 3 months ago and not had any problems so far. They also have UK call centres manned by knowledgeable and helpful staff. I got the £100 bonus as well and the transfer of all DDs went smoothly.

A&L are so bad however that First Direct staff could sit around poking berries up their nose all day and they'd still be better than them.

c00lbeans

Hi Julia

I'll swing in on this thread as well with my own tale of A+L woe, if you dont mind

(paraphrased cause crikey oreilly was this long and painful to actually live through)

I moved recently and closed up my account with british gas, gave them the meter readings and asked for a final bill to be sent to my new address.

Sorted

3 weeks later (a few days before payday) I try to use my card and find Im £60 unauthorised overdrawn "thats weird" I think to myself "there should be £200 pounds left there"

Turns out british gas had moved the direct debit date forward a week (crucially about 4 days before payday) and taken the outstanding amount, knocking me overdrawn.

I queried this with BG who said they'd sent me the bill detailing it, on the 8th of june, changing the dd date and amount.

"oh no you didnt" I said

"oh yes we did" they said

this went on for some time, till we worked out they'd sent it to the old address.

"oops" they said.

So I call A+L explain the situation, ask for the money to be returned under the DD guarantee and the charges to be refunded (£25 for unpaid item + £10 for 2 days unauthorised overdraft) I also ask them to make sure that theres no record of a default placed against my account, keep my credit file nice and sparkly and such.

Their answer

Nope

Get a refund from BG for the money, pursue them for the bank charges and we're leaving that default on your account.

I had to fight tooth and nail for them to meet there requirements under the DD guarantee and actually refund the DD amount so I'd have money until payday.

several weeks later I convince them to refund the £25 pound charge (many letters and escalating of complaints) but they are adamant that the default notice stays as well as the £10 charge, pursue BG for the money owed.

So through the fault of a 3rd party I have incurred a £10 charge, which if i want refunded I will need to pursue that 3rd party, as will as having my credit file knocked down a few pegs.

I honestly couldn't really care about the £10 charge its the default that really ticks me off because they have offered me !!!!!! all way to resolve it.

So first Direct anyone?

albiedunn

c00lbeans wrote: »

Hi Julia

I'll swing in on this thread as well with my own tale of A+L woe, if you dont mind

(paraphrased cause crikey oreilly was this long and painful to actually live through)

I moved recently and closed up my account with british gas, gave them the meter readings and asked for a final bill to be sent to my new address.

Sorted

3 weeks later (a few days before payday) I try to use my card and find Im £60 unauthorised overdrawn "thats weird" I think to myself "there should be £200 pounds left there"

Turns out british gas had moved the direct debit date forward a week (crucially about 4 days before payday) and taken the outstanding amount, knocking me overdrawn.

I queried this with BG who said they'd sent me the bill detailing it, on the 8th of june, changing the dd date and amount.

"oh no you didnt" I said

"oh yes we did" they said

this went on for some time, till we worked out they'd sent it to the old address.

"oops" they said.

So I call A+L explain the situation, ask for the money to be returned under the DD guarantee and the charges to be refunded (£25 for unpaid item + £10 for 2 days unauthorised overdraft) I also ask them to make sure that theres no record of a default placed against my account, keep my credit file nice and sparkly and such.

Their answer

Nope

Get a refund from BG for the money, pursue them for the bank charges and we're leaving that default on your account.

I had to fight tooth and nail for them to meet there requirements under the DD guarantee and actually refund the DD amount so I'd have money until payday.

several weeks later I convince them to refund the £25 pound charge (many letters and escalating of complaints) but they are adamant that the default notice stays as well as the £10 charge, pursue BG for the money owed.

So through the fault of a 3rd party I have incurred a £10 charge, which if i want refunded I will need to pursue that 3rd party, as will as having my credit file knocked down a few pegs.

I honestly couldn't really care about the £10 charge its the default that really ticks me off because they have offered me !!!!!! all way to resolve it.

So first Direct anyone?

Yip ,a sad state of affairs,heard a few, similar stories from friends whom have banked (in the past) with santender group,seems their operating practice is a lot different to most british banks,best think is for customers to vote with their feet,as trying to get straight answers/replies from some is immposible.

DizzleUK

c00lbeans wrote: »

Hi Julia

I'll swing in on this thread as well with my own tale of A+L woe, if you dont mind

(paraphrased cause crikey oreilly was this long and painful to actually live through)

I moved recently and closed up my account with british gas, gave them the meter readings and asked for a final bill to be sent to my new address.

Sorted

3 weeks later (a few days before payday) I try to use my card and find Im £60 unauthorised overdrawn "thats weird" I think to myself "there should be £200 pounds left there"

Turns out british gas had moved the direct debit date forward a week (crucially about 4 days before payday) and taken the outstanding amount, knocking me overdrawn.

I queried this with BG who said they'd sent me the bill detailing it, on the 8th of june, changing the dd date and amount.

"oh no you didnt" I said

"oh yes we did" they said

this went on for some time, till we worked out they'd sent it to the old address.

"oops" they said.

So I call A+L explain the situation, ask for the money to be returned under the DD guarantee and the charges to be refunded (£25 for unpaid item + £10 for 2 days unauthorised overdraft) I also ask them to make sure that theres no record of a default placed against my account, keep my credit file nice and sparkly and such.

Their answer

Nope

Get a refund from BG for the money, pursue them for the bank charges and we're leaving that default on your account.

I had to fight tooth and nail for them to meet there requirements under the DD guarantee and actually refund the DD amount so I'd have money until payday.

several weeks later I convince them to refund the £25 pound charge (many letters and escalating of complaints) but they are adamant that the default notice stays as well as the £10 charge, pursue BG for the money owed.

So through the fault of a 3rd party I have incurred a £10 charge, which if i want refunded I will need to pursue that 3rd party, as will as having my credit file knocked down a few pegs.

I honestly couldn't really care about the £10 charge its the default that really ticks me off because they have offered me !!!!!! all way to resolve it.

So first Direct anyone?

Is there actually a mark on your credit file regarding this? The only reason I ask is we had a similar situation happen with the AA and we got charged by A&L in the same manner as yourself. I got the DD refunded under the guarantee and got the AA to reimburse the o/d charges etc.

At no point did A&L put any sort of negative mark on my credit file. This was last year though so before the merger, so I don't know if Santander's rules are stricter when it comes to credit files.

c00lbeans

Is there actually a mark on your credit file regarding this? The only reason I ask is we had a similar situation happen with the AA and we got charged by A&L in the same manner as yourself. I got the DD refunded under the guarantee and got the AA to reimburse the o/d charges etc.

At no point did A&L put any sort of negative mark on my credit file. This was last year though so before the merger, so I don't know if Santander's rules are stricter when it comes to credit files.

Not sure as it only happened last month, I'll check when it updates with experian.