Warning Santander Credit Cards

dcscott007

Warming To Santander Credit Card Customers
Has anyone else went through the disgusting treatment that I have over the last few days....this started with a statement showing a default notice on my account and was swiftly acknowledged with a letter from their Cards Collection Department stating that I HAD NOT MADE A PAYMENT on my account, I HAVE A DIRECT DEBIT set up with them.
To add insult they also blocked my credit card for not making this payment and totally embarrassed my wife when she went to make a transaction for £43.00 on our joint account. To add further insult to injury they then went on to explain that the ERROR was theirs during the merger of Alliance and Leicester Customers and Santander……….so their mistake but still the charge of £12.00 for missing a payment, a default notice and a letter from their collections department.
All of this after a letter 2 weeks ago stating that the merger would not cause us any problems…….who has egg on their face. The warning is as follows: If you have experienced this and do not contact them they will not refund you the £12.00 default fine! So contact them.
Does anyone know if what they are doing is LEGAL and where we stand in regard to compensation for undue stress and more importantly the embarrassment of my wife being put through such an ordeal? I think it is a disgrace and will be leaving both the Credit Card Company and Alliance and Leicester in the coming days…..GOOD BYE to them if this is the way they treat good and loyal customers.

izools

dcscott007 wrote: »

Warming To Santander Credit Card Customers
Has anyone else went through the disgusting treatment that I have over the last few days....this started with a statement showing a default notice on my account and was swiftly acknowledged with a letter from their Cards Collection Department stating that I HAD NOT MADE A PAYMENT on my account, I HAVE A DIRECT DEBIT set up with them.
To add insult they also blocked my credit card for not making this payment and totally embarrassed my wife when she went to make a transaction for £43.00 on our joint account. To add further insult to injury they then went on to explain that the ERROR was theirs during the merger of Alliance and Leicester Customers and Santander……….so their mistake but still the charge of £12.00 for missing a payment, a default notice and a letter from their collections department.
All of this after a letter 2 weeks ago stating that the merger would not cause us any problems…….who has egg on their face. The warning is as follows: If you have experienced this and do not contact them they will not refund you the £12.00 default fine! So contact them.
Does anyone know if what they are doing is LEGAL and where we stand in regard to compensation for undue stress and more importantly the embarrassment of my wife being put through such an ordeal? I think it is a disgrace and will be leaving both the Credit Card Company and Alliance and Leicester in the coming days…..GOOD BYE to them if this is the way they treat good and loyal customers.

Don't worry, you aren't alone.

As I find myself all too often saying these day - Just google Santander Complaints and you'll see they are widely regarded as the worst high street bank in the UK and aren't to be trusted.

Old new I'm afraid - and they are showing no signs of improving.

overcharged

Yes, I had a complete nightmare with Santander credit card just today. Any thoughts on the below would be greatly appreciated.

I want to write a letter of complaint to Santander credit card and request a refund of missed payment and over-limit fines due to misleading instructions about how to initiate a monthly Direct Debit to pay off the Santander credit card.

Quick background - I received glossy advertising from them in the post advising me I could get a guaranteed credit card from them. I applied for this and got it, albeit with a low credit limit.

They agreed to do a balance transfer to take debt from another card I have, that took me right up to nearly the credit limit.

I had successfully submitted all of my direct debit information correctly online. My direct debit information pertained to my Alliance & Leicester (now Santander) current account.

Suddenly I was getting bombarded with phonecalls from Santander (well, one every hour) warning me that I have missed my first minimum payment and that has brought my balance over the limit.

I've been hit with a fine for missing a payment and a fine for going over the limit.

When I called, I was advised by a Customer Care Agent that I "should have" made a one-off cash payment to Santander either online via a bank transfer, or by paying cash in a Santander branch.

This was astonishing to me. I was completely unaware of this. I am pretty computer savvy and up to speed with online banking and nowhere can I recall seeing any mention of having to make an initial one-off cash payment prior to the Santander monthly direct debit starting on the second month.

When trying to initiate a monthly Direct Debit, at the very least I would have expected a message in the online Santander credit card banking to say:

"If you are starting a Direct Debit for the first time to pay off your Santander credit card monthly, make sure you pay your first minimum payment to Santander either online via a bank transfer, or by paying cash in a Santander branch. Only then will your direct debit initiate to debit your second minimum payment from your account, and from then on."

Just a basic message would have helped me to avoid getting slammed with missed payment and over-limit fines, which in turn affect my credit rating.

Anyway, I logged into my Alliance & Leicester (now Santander) current account to make a 'one-off' cash transfer to Santander to bring the balance of my account back within the credit limit.

There are options to choose a whole host of other financial institutions to make payments to your credit cards, but...strangely...there is no mention of Santander credit card. See for yourself. Seems like Santander are making it as hard as possible to make a one-off payment from your Santander current account to your Santander credit card.

Anyway, I made the one-off payment after asking for the specific payment details from Santander credit card and typing them all in. I then had to dig out a password for my Alliance & Leicester (now Santander) current account which I never have to use when I logon. If I didn't have that password written down it would have been an additional headache.

So, the payment is made to Santander credit card from Santander current account.

Hours passed and the payment still hadn't appeared on my online Santander credit card account.

I phoned Santander and they said the payment "has been processed". Then I thought to myself, what if the payment doesn't actually register on the Santander credit card computer until 00:00 (midnight). Perhaps that's why it's not showing online yet as a completed transaction?

My fear now was that, come midnight, the payment would complete, but at that same moment, I'd be slammed with additional fines for missed payment and exceeding my credit limit.

So, to fully waste my afternoon away, I walked into town and deposited additional cash at a branch of Santander. I asked the clerk to write my balance down and put her initials beside it, so I could prove, if it came to it, that my balance on today's date had been brought back beneath the credit limit.

I have been home from Santander 2 hours now. The online one-off payment I had made from my Santander current account to my Santander credit card still does not show on my online Santander credit card account. I suspect my gut feeling about this 'online one-off payment' I was encouraged to do my the Santander Customer Care Agent was correct...this online payment probably doesn't got through until midnight or takes 24 hours to process. In either case I would have been hit with additional fines.

The cash I deposited at the physical Santander branch does show on my online Santander credit card account.

I was just phoned my Santander collections for the umpteenth time. I calmly advised the lady that I had paid cash to take the balance within the limit. She said she would leave a note on my account to that effect.

I used to work in a call centre so I don't want to get upset on the phone. I would rather write a nice letter of complaint requesting a refund of the fines I've been hit with due to their misleading Direct Debit instructions.

Again, any thoughts about how I might be able to write a letter to have Santander dismiss the fines they've hit me with would be really appreciated.

If anyone else here is in the same boat, my heart goes out to you. It really is teeth-grindingly frustrating, but with lots of deep breaths and visiting these forums you'll see you're not alone.

angel_islington

I would advise, if you can, pay off the balance of your card and close the account. Then sent Santander an official complaint, detailing what you have mentioned above and that their poor service has left you with no option other than to close the account and take your business elsewhere.

If you don't get a suitable response, send a complaint to the Financial Services Ombudsman. They probably have a whole room of Santander complaints now. You have to go through Santander's official complaints procedure first though and give them eight weeks to respond. They will likely take longer than this. I'm on ten weeks and counting.

Also, sign up to my Facebook group for people dealing with Santander. You can do so by clicking here-

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=128439930534721

peterpieper123

was with santander for 15 years (abbey etc), left them 3 months ago for barclays premier.. not had any problems from barclays yet.

Overload

dcscott007 wrote: »

Warming To Santander Credit Card Customers
Has anyone else went through the disgusting treatment that I have over the last few days....this started with a statement showing a default notice on my account and was swiftly acknowledged with a letter from their Cards Collection Department stating that I HAD NOT MADE A PAYMENT on my account, I HAVE A DIRECT DEBIT set up with them.
To add insult they also blocked my credit card for not making this payment and totally embarrassed my wife when she went to make a transaction for £43.00 on our joint account. To add further insult to injury they then went on to explain that the ERROR was theirs during the merger of Alliance and Leicester Customers and Santander……….so their mistake but still the charge of £12.00 for missing a payment, a default notice and a letter from their collections department.
All of this after a letter 2 weeks ago stating that the merger would not cause us any problems…….who has egg on their face. The warning is as follows: If you have experienced this and do not contact them they will not refund you the £12.00 default fine! So contact them.
Does anyone know if what they are doing is LEGAL and where we stand in regard to compensation for undue stress and more importantly the embarrassment of my wife being put through such an ordeal? I think it is a disgrace and will be leaving both the Credit Card Company and Alliance and Leicester in the coming days…..GOOD BYE to them if this is the way they treat good and loyal customers.

I too have went through the same ordeal and I agree they are an absolute shambles!

It was around the middle of July that my direct debit payment was due to come out (my account is set up to pay off the minimum repayment). About 10 tens later when I was checking my online banking it dawned on me that the direct debit hadn't come out. I promptly got on the phone to them and after being on hold for numerous minutes i finally got through to someone. I queried why my direct debit payment hadn't come out and they said there had been a problem when migrating Alliance & Leicester customers over to their systems. They said I had been charged a late payment fee of £12 but that they were going to refund it. I asked them why they had charged it in the first place when it was clearly their fault. They said this problem has only affected a minority of customers and the only way they know who has been affected is when the affected customer gets in contact. (how very convenient for Santander! am sure all those late payment fees make a nice wee profit). Anyhow they said that as no payment had been made for July that double the minimum repayment would come out for August. I told them I wasn't happy about it all and left it at that.

Then to make matters worse the next evening I got a call from their collections dept querying why I had missed my July payment!My blood began to boil at this point. I asked him do they not communicate in Santander and that I had been on the phone the previous night about this. After proceeding to tell them the problem (which they seem to have been oblivious about) they said I would not receive anymore calls about it.

The following night I thought to myself i must check my online Santander credit card account to see what is going on. when I go to log on there was an error and I couldn't get on.:mad: So I phoned them up again. The person said that I couldn't get access to my acount as it had been blocked due to a missed payment. I told them that was very unfair as it was their fault! they agreed but as it stood my account was in arrears and said if I made a payment over the phone it would be released in 2 workings day. So I made the payment but surprise surprise after dear knows how many calls later and empty promises I still can't get online access. The person I was speaking too said they couldn't even be sure if the direct debit payment for August will come out! They keep going on about this problem with their systems. I mean, honestly, do they have monkeys working in their IT dept!

Dear knows how this is gonna affect my credit report. I have never missed a payment in my life. Again the clowns at Santander didn't have a clue if the late payment would show up or not.

I wish now i never got the card. I only got it to take advantage of the fee free balance transfer offer. am seriously considering paying it all off and closing it down.

Seriously seriously annoyed by the whole experience!

chattychappy

dcscott007 wrote: »

…….so their mistake but still the charge of £12.00 for missing a payment, a default notice and a letter from their collections department.
... The warning is as follows: If you have experienced this and do not contact them they will not refund you the £12.00 default fine! So contact them.

So.. they made a mistake with the DD - which then triggered a notice on your statement, a letter and a £12 fee. You complained and they refunded the £12? So all OK now?

dcscott007 wrote: »

Does anyone know if what they are doing is LEGAL and where we stand in regard to compensation for undue stress and more importantly the embarrassment of my wife being put through such an ordeal?

I would say legally you are entitled to nothing - except perhaps any out of pocket expenses - stamps for envelopes, cost of phone calls etc. Perhaps check your credit report to check no adverse info recorded. (Yep, more ordeal.)

If it is such an embarrassing ordeal for your wife to have a credit card declined and so stressful for you to deal with this, then perhaps you shouldn't have credit cards - all companies can make mistakes and it seems here it was swiftly acknowledged and remedied.

marsman802

Pleased I came on here as the same as happened to me I think!

What I would like to know are what are my rights as to not having this blip on my credit record?

Overload

marsman802 wrote: »

Pleased I came on here as the same as happened to me I think!

What I would like to know are what are my rights as to not having this blip on my credit record?

That's a good question, I still have to check mine as don't have access to my credit report at mo. Though Santander did say if it did show up there would be a note saying it was their fault. Have to say I have my doubts!

BatCat

Hi Folks,
I too have had the same thing. Letters and phone calls (one brilliant one from a guy who was confused and kept talking about my account with Abbey National). The line from Santander is that they will make sure the blip is not on your credit record.
I rang after the 3rd letter and complained that the letters were still coming out and suggested they send me a letter of apology. Letter of apology arrived yesterday... along with a letter telling me I had missed my payment and they had blocked my credit card (dated 6 days after I made my payment to make up the direct debit they had messed up). I rang them again and have got them to give me a token 5£ for my telephone calls and general aggravation.
They have also promised no more letters will be sent out. Only took 30 minutes on the phone. :mad:
Sigh,
BatCat

Mrs_Jojo

In their defence, I had the same issue (DD not paid from A&L moving to Santander current account) they called me to ask me to make a card payment, removed the £12 fee and have assured me there won't be any negative marks on my credit report.

They are clearly getting it wrong in some cases, but right in others, which doesn't help if you are one of the unlucky ones :-)