Can Santander do this?

LeonBurton

Hello all!

Slight problem here, I'm a student and have a £2000 overdraft with Santander. I've got myself into a little money problem this term as I've had to deal with a few unexpected costs, and have gone far into my overdraft!

At the start of this term they moved my overdraft automatically from £1000 to £2000, which I thought was just part of the student account.

I ring them up yesterday to talk about my account and they've told me I've got a graduate account with them. I tell them I haven't and that it should be a student account. The man on the phone rings the branch and then informs me that they have no idea how it's happened as the graduate account has strict terms. He informs me that if I change back to the student account I'll have to repay my overdraft.

If I do this, I won't have any money at all to live on whilst at university this term.

We ended the conversation with him informing me about the graduate account. Then today back at home Santander have tried to get a hold of me. Do you think they want to move my account back to a student account and make me pay my overdraft?

I know it's their money but this is an issue that they have caused. Do you think that they will do this?

Kind regards.

kelloggs36

They did exactly the same to my daughter - opened a graduate account wrongly and then charged her fees for going over her overdraft which should have been larger as it was supposed to be a student account! Took a lot of complaining but they still wouldn't budge - she switched accounts in the end - even then they still charged her when all the fees were paid" A complete mess, but eventually they refunded some of the charges. Hope you have better luck!

melancholly

i think it's probably best not to try and guess why they got in touch and just wait and find out! could be anything!

realistically, they can withdraw an overdraft at any time.... scary, but true (and more students should remember that!).

i suggest trying to get a different student account and using that, then closing the santander one.

hj678

melancholly wrote: »

i think it's probably best not to try and guess why they got in touch and just wait and find out! could be anything!

realistically, they can withdraw an overdraft at any time.... scary, but true (and more students should remember that!).

i suggest trying to get a different student account and using that, then closing the santander one.

Open a new student account with another bank, you should be able to manage a grand overdraft minimum from most, then use this overdraft to pay off the santander overdraft? Not ideal but you'd then basically owe the thousand pound to someone else, however it being interest free still?