A&L Online Saver 5 - Faster Payments down again?

gunmaker

Knowing the interest rate finished on 2nd August I opened another savings account with another bank ready to transfer my Online Saver Issue 5 from A&L.

When I logged into A&L on Monday 2nd Aug I could see my current account and ISA account but my OL Saver Issue 5 was marked as unavailable. After 20 mins on the phone, freephone number, I was promised the account would be visible the next day. It wasn't. I sent a secure message asking why and am still waiting a reply. It is still unavlailable today.

These banks treat their customers like sxxt:mad:

Intersky_Falcon

A&l Online Saver 5 been unavailable for two weeks now.Other accounts showing fine.I guess Online Saver not yet transfered to santander system.

juicyjude

Mine was OK when I logged in, no problem. I then rang and eventually got through to a human being who closed the account for me. Have you tried today?

DeepSporran

Savings_Dave wrote: »

People have said that interest is paid in October but if the accounts are closed...?

You'll get your interest (up to the closure date) paid when you close - that is standard practice when an account is closed, unless there are any specific penalties. There are no penalties with these 2 accounts that I am aware of.

I closed my Online Saver (Issue 5) today by phone, having already transferred online most of the balance to the linked account. Freephone number is 0800 0566066 (Thanks to SAYNOTO0870.com). Last time I did this with A&L for an earlier issue, they closed it immediately and I could check online the following day. Now it takes 7-10 days. Such is progress with Santander.


Keeping the Issue 6 for a couple of months yet - still pays 3%.

gunmaker

Savings_Dave wrote: »

I closed my Online Savers (Issues 6 & 7) via customer service on the telephone and transfered the money to a Santander E-saver (Issue 2) with 2.75% AER. They offered this to me as it was really the only option or I was going to close the lot. I'm now still keeping my Premier Direct Account.

One question which I forgot to ask Santander...having closed the Online Saver accounts (which I've had since Dec and Feb) will I get some interest on these, even though the money has now been transfered out to the new e-saver?

People have said that interest is paid in October but if the accounts are closed...?

I finally got my O/L Saver 5 Account sorted out after another 15 minutes on the phone. The Customer Services lady that dealt with me transferred the money there and then to the Santander eSaver 2 account I had opened on July 31st ready to transfer the cash on Aug 2 when O/L Saver 5 interest dropped. She told me it would take up to 14 days for the interest to be paid into my A&L Premier Account.

I think A&L stopped access to the O/LSaver5 account knowing everyone would be shifting their cash out on 2nd Aug and they didn't want it all to disappear on the same day.

It really annoys me when we have to pay to phone them to sort out problems they cause for internet users. It wouldn't be so bad if the call only took a couple of minutes. You have press numerous buttons, then listen to them tell you how much money is in the account you are querying, which you already know, then finally wait ages before speaking to a person. At one time if you refused to press any buttons you were passed to a human being straight away. That doesn't seem to work any more.

Their secure message service is about as good as a chocolate tea pot too. Ask them a question and their reply is usually phone this or that 0844 number.

atypical

gunmaker wrote: »

It really annoys me when we have to pay to phone them to sort out problems they cause for internet users.

Never heard of saynoto0870.com? Search for "Alliance & Leicester", there are loads of numbers.

juicyjude

Couldnt agree with you more gunmaker. When I rang the automated voice asked me for my telephone banking number, thought funny never had one of them. I just waited thinking it may put me through to a human being, then it just cut off as I hadnt keyed in this number I hadnt got! Re rang same thing again, only this time it said the telephone banking number was the same as the log in number! OHHHHHHHH why didnt they state this when I originally rang grrrrrrr. Got through eventually, spoke to someone who said it would take about 5 days to close account, nearly a week now, still active. Will give them another ring next week if it is still there on the screen. Has anyone else managed to close this account into their linked account and how long did it take, thanks for taking the trouble to reply

juicyjude

Yes what you have to do is look at the last column on the table and hopefully (dont get too excited) it will show the department you need to contact and the numbers ie freephone or geographic number. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. Good luck

gunmaker

atypical wrote: »

Never heard of saynoto0870.com? Search for "Alliance & Leicester", there are loads of numbers.

Yes I have heard say no to 0870. More often than not the free 0800 number you try tell you it's not the right number for the department you want and give you a 0844 number.

The first time I rang them I did get through on the 0800 number they quoted in an email they sent earlier saying accounts were migrating to Santander. The second time I rang they refused to discuss anything with me on that number. It's as if they don't make enough profit out of hanging on to our money at a pittance of interest then coin it in off the phone calls.

Have you noticed that now we can get 0845 & 0870 numbers free of charge on some phone packages all the low rate numbers are changing to 0844? Rip off merchants.

joe134

gunmaker wrote: »

I finally got my O/L Saver 5 Account sorted out after another 15 minutes on the phone. The Customer Services lady that dealt with me transferred the money there and then to the Santander eSaver 2 account I had opened on July 31st ready to transfer the cash on Aug 2 when O/L Saver 5 interest dropped. She told me it would take up to 14 days for the interest to be paid into my A&L Premier Account.

I think A&L stopped access to the O/LSaver5 account knowing everyone would be shifting their cash out on 2nd Aug and they didn't want it all to disappear on the same day.

It really annoys me when we have to pay to phone them to sort out problems they cause for internet users. It wouldn't be so bad if the call only took a couple of minutes. You have press numerous buttons, then listen to them tell you how much money is in the account you are querying, which you already know, then finally wait ages before speaking to a person. At one time if you refused to press any buttons you were passed to a human being straight away. That doesn't seem to work any more.

Their secure message service is about as good as a chocolate tea pot too. Ask them a question and their reply is usually phone this or that 0844 number.

Hi, I think you had a bit more success because you transferred it to another Santander A/c, keeping funds in house.and you still had aggro. Imagine the aggro we are going to have kicking them into touch.Not only are they making interest , 3 months in my case off my interest, they make off 0844 as well, if 0800 does not work as I suspect it won,t.Just rang it and told to ring 0844 as soon as I mentioned closing A/c.