MSE News: Santander to refund bogus card fees after latest gaffe

RogerMD

I had a running battle with this company, having originally opened the account as an Abbey Zero card. They refunded late payment charges twice but were unapologetic even though I could show that the payment had come out either early or on time from an account with their fellow group company Alliance & Leicester.
They appear to have their system set up on a fictious basis i.e. regardless of when they actually credit a receipt there is then a notional 7 day clearance time which if it takes you over your payment date means you have paid late.
The account was a great idea, but poorly operated by a company with lamentable service and which inadequately addressed my concerns until I wrote to the CEO. Even then the CEO was mealy mouthed - the company itself produce the monthly statements which on the two occasions I was charged for late payment also recorded receipt of payment on time or early - you could not make it up!

tenorboy

I have a real honey with Santander (Debenhams), I had an unauthorised payment deducted from my account which was rectified by offending trader 23 days before statement which had zero balance, was charged late payment for £12 plus interest, when I had a £32 credit zero balance, the following month was charged a further £12, while still in credit with a zero balance, wrote to head of collections, 3 weeks later, still no answer, have now written to complaints dept., informing them of this, with the threat of writing to the ombudsman if no answer within 10 working days (their policy is to write to you within 5 days). Don't believe the waffle they give out about refunds etc. Watch this space!!!

nauticalnod

I tried for a personal loan. No probs I was told, forms were filled in and sent, received on 11th Nov via snail mail that a problem had occured, did not recognise bank sort code. I phoned and stated info copied from my Alliance & Leicester cheque book. Sorry was reply but we SANTANDER do not recognise sort code. Told to visit my branch to get sort code. Informed them I was internet banking to no avail. Told I had to get sort code from branch. Phoned local branch of All & Leic and was informed that all sort codes for All & Leic changed about six months ago, did I not receive e-mail or letter???
Given a new sort code and duly filled in new info on new forms and posted. After ten days and hearing nothing I phoned and was informed that I HAD CANCELLED THE LOAN REQUEST ON 9TH NOV, two days before I received a letter telling me there was a problem with the sort code. I was then put on hold for about five mins and then told it would be sorted in the next few days. At this I informed them to cancel as I had had enough. I fully expect the loan to appear in my current account shortly.
WHAT A DISASTROUS SHAMBLES THEY ARE AND THE BOSS IS TAKING CHARGE OF LLOYDS.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OAPerson

I also was a victim of Santander via my Debenhams card. They cashed the cheque I sent them and hopefully (??) will not take any more payments by direct debit. Have spent a fortune on phone calls and when I did eventually speak to a 'person' I had problems understanding him - and vice versa. Cancelled the direct debit and asked for confirmation via post. Was told that they can't do this!! My own bank said I need to keep checking my account as a direct debit can still be taken by Santander. Very tempted to cut up this card.

Roger1 wrote: »

My Debenhams card experience - Debenhams cards are now (mis)managed by Santander.

I saw the fee for alleged late payment and interest on my statement. They had failed to collect my direct debit payment. Trying to avoid Santander's ripoff phone lines, I tried the local Santander branch. They said they weren't able to help as it was not a standard Santander card, but at least a senior branch person called Santander to try to sort it out - and the branch used the same ripoff phone number! (At least it was Santander paying, not me.)

The person at the other end wanted a payment. I was happy for Santander to take the full amount, but they said they couldn't. They could only take the minimum amount. :eek: Given Santander's general incompetence, I assumed that they would stack on interest and additional payments and was preparing myself for a future battle.

In the end, the minimum amount showed, they cancelled the interest and late charges and the remainder of the balance was collected the following month.

If I never hear from Santander again, it will be too soon.

reginald_2

I went through this over two years ago. I always paid monthly by direct debit then one month direct debit went through but I was charged a late fee £12. I complained that as it was a direct debit it was there fault if they claimed it late. They refunded but next month I received an interest charge . I paid my account update by bacs except for their charges, destroyed the card and cancelled my direct debit. They continued to rack up charges on charges but i refused to pay. I could not close the account so I prepared for the courts. In the end they cancelled all charges and zeroed the account. I went to capital one instead and now get 1% back on all my purchese. I am willing to bet that next month all these affected customers will have further charges added on. The customers services make all the right noises but does nothing.

bb1942

My experience is the same. I had a letter telling me that they had a problem posting my cheque to my Zero card. Everything would be OK, they would refund any late payment fees etc. When I got my statement the £116 I had actually spent had escalated to £171 with all sorts of charges, including an interest charge of £1.35. A phone call to India got me nowhere. 'All the charges would be refunded' except the £1.35 interest which was 'the interest on what you spend in the shops'? I couldn't get the lady to tell me which transaction had attracted the interest. OK I said, I will send you a cheque for the total spend amount, £116. 'No' she said, 'the total is £120' At that point, 12 minutes into the call, I lost the will to live and hung up. I then received a demand for 'late payment of account' from someone else at Santander. I sent a cheque for £117.35 (I had visions of this interest charge going on and on) with a letter asking for an explanation of the interest charge and cancelling the account. I had another letter telling me that all excess charges had been removed and any credit agency comments had been removed and they had cancelled the £17 on my next statement as a goodwill gesture. What a funny way to run a business. Good riddance.

straubrey

I was recently 'sold' a debenhams store card when making a purchase at the store. I made this one purchase in August 2010 and had not received a statement by October, so called the customer service line to be told that a payment was in fact due. I paid the amount in full over the phone immediately and was assured that no late fee or other charges would be incurred as i had not received any statement, and being my first bill, I could not have anticipated the payment due date.

The next month I received a statement showing my balance paid off, but a £12 late fee was added. I called again to be told that my payment was in fact a day late, but due to the circumstances it would be refunded 'this time'. The following month I received a statement showing the opening balance of £12 (the late fee), a refund of the £12 late fee, then another £12 late fee for not making a payment! I had made no other purchases on the card!!

I called again and was told that there had been some problem with their systems and the late fees, and that they would remove it again. So concerned was I with the continual addition of this late fee and the accompanying letters from Santander's Collection department, that i requested that my account be closed.

Today I received another letter from the Collections department saying I have not made my minimum payment! I am at a loss as to how to solve this, and I am concerned about how this could affect my credit rating.

My experience contradicts the statement by Santander that these errors have been identified and rectified and the customers written to - I have only had correspondence asking me for money on a zero balance, and when I call I have to convince the customer service staff to actually look at my statements to see the error, and only one of the three I have spoken to so far seemed to be aware of any system problems.

HAPPYFRIAR

This hapened to me a phone call got the refund and I have checked my statement to verify this. I will now close my account and also reduce the other accounts I hold to the bare minimum and then not use them. Have transfered to Halifax.

leo1976

I've had a very similar experience with the Debenhams card via Santander. In October 2010 my account balance was £43.11. 1st November I returned goods of £49.50 leaving me in with a credit balance of just over £6.

Upon receipt of my November statement I have found that I have been charged a ‘late payment’ charge of £12. I am not sure how given that my account was in credit.

I attempt to contact Debenhams online credit card services by phone eventually getting through. The indian lady I spoke to, who had dreadfully bad English could not explain anything at all and did not attempt give me any sort of explanation how I could have been charged a ‘late payment’. We got cut off.

I then attempt again to call at 8pm, to speak to an Indian man who did not seem to understand that I wanted to cancel my card. There were continued pauses and very frustrated with the cost of the call to myself, hung up.

Very disappointed overall with the lack of customer service I have received. I will no longer be shopping in Debenhams, nor will I be recommending that anybody else does, am cancelling my card!!!!!

CAMURPHY

On the 23rd of November 2010, Santander's Tim Woods wrote to my wife advising her that a late fee had incorrectly been applied to her zero balance Evans store card account. Woods also advised that she was to ignore the “Notice of Default” that then followed. It has since been followed up by a number of letters from Santander's Andrew Hall...

My wife has telephoned Santander on a number of occasions to advise that she is continuing to receiving “Notice of Default” letters and that the original £12 late fee, has now escalated to include a £4 overdue amount. The £4 related to the original £12 late fee’s minimum payment.

She spoken with Santander on 10/11/10, 13/12/10, 31/12/10, 02/01/11 and again today 04/01/11 - each time with promises of "completion" and each time with promises that the balance is zero. So far, not one conversation with them has demonstrated a truthful action.


E-mails to 'complaints@santander.co.uk' have so far gone unacknowledged and unanswered - yet their telephone dialler system can make calls at 0820 in the morning! One can only hope that they are reading this forum.


Sadly my own current account is held at a branch of RBS that will soon become a Santander branch. Now I'll have to go through the hassle of moving my account, just to get away from Santander buffoonery.