£35 charge for SO to myself :-(

basscadette

Hi all, I hope someone knows if Santander can do this.

I had a First Home Saver account with Santander, with a Standing Order they set up going from my old account. My wages are paid into this old account and I transfer them each month to my current account, bar the £300 for the savings account.

As I closed my Home Saver in Branch I didn't expect anything to come out of that old account so transferred the entire amount of my salary into Current Account (also with Santander). I have just been sent a letter to say I have been charged £35 for a failed standing order (to a closed account!).

Can Santander do this? I have been a customer for over 20 years and have never had anything like this happen. Surely they should have closed that standing order (they put it in there in the first place). Most unimpressed.

What is most annoying is that I am sure now if there had been money in that account they would have transferred the £300 into the ether and I wouldn't have got it back.

This £35 charge wipes out the interest and more that I got on he account in the first place.

opinions4u

Ring them up. Cancel the standing order. Ask for the £35 back.

If they refuse, pursue it through their complaints procedure and, if needed, to the FOS.

What is most annoying is that I am sure now if there had been money in that account they would have transferred the £300 into the ether and I wouldn't have got it back.

Of course you would have got it back. I'm not saying it would have been a smooth process, but they are not thieves. Just useless.

basscadette

Thanks Opinions. No point ringing Santander - the people on the other side neither speak nor understand English. Last time I rang them I was on for 45 minutes trying to explain that one of my aco!!!!s wasn't showing up online!

Think I'll email instead.

AnonymousForObviousReason

SO is different to a direct debit where the money is pulled from your account, you requested that this money be sent to an account and so should have stopped it. You're are being charged for this as it's not their fault (God can't believe I said that about them), you can only ask for it to be refunded as a gesture of good will, if phone not good, you could try going to meet (equally useless imo) branch staff.

johnmoney05

opinions4u wrote: »

Ring them up. Cancel the standing order. Ask for the £35 back.

If they refuse, pursue it through their complaints procedure and, if needed, to the FOS.

Of course you would have got it back. I'm not saying it would have been a smooth process, but they are not thieves. Just useless.

Why of course?? Did OP request the bank to cancel the SO?

opinions4u

johnmoney05 wrote: »

Why of course?? Did OP request the bank to cancel the SO?

When the account was closed in branch, the staff member has a duty of care to advise the customer to cancel the standing order.

The FOS would uphold any complaint and insist on the charge being refunded.

johnmoney05

opinions4u wrote: »

When the account was closed in branch, the staff member has a duty of care to advise the customer to cancel the standing order.

The FOS would uphold any complaint and insist on the charge being refunded.

So, you know the branch staff didn't advise OP then. Good job!

opinions4u

johnmoney05 wrote: »

So, you know the branch staff didn't advise OP then. Good job!

The FOS will work on the balance of probabilities.

If staff did remind the OP about cancelling the standing order, what are the chances of the OP saying "No, don't do that, I want to be charged £35 next month"? Pretty remote I'd say.

Of course the cancellation of the standing order was never mentioned.

johnmoney05

So according to what you said, the fault was all down to the bank staff. If like that, OP should ask for compensation then.

basscadette

Can I just say, the bank didn't advise me to cancel the standing order, I asked them to cancel the payment going out, i.e. the standing order. Apologies, I thought I had said that.

Anyway, I have emailed Santander and if I don't get a response by next Saturday I will go down to the branch to see someone (hopefully the girl that closed the account).

Thanks for all the input :-)

johnmoney05

Certianly worth asking for compensation!