Santander Account Fee Rant

skea56

Hi everyone,
Just a small rant about Santander - in Dec 2010 I upgraded my normal current account to a reward current account - for £10 a month I could get a number of benefits incl traven insurance, roadside assistance etc, plus I would get a higher rate of interest as long as I paid in more than £1000 per month. This was all well and good for 3 months, as I went from about 5p interest on £2000 to abt £2 interest per month.

However, I was made redundant at end of Jan, and my new job has only part time hours, so I was no longer able to credit the acc with £1000. I contacted Santandar by telephone only to be told that the downgrade could only happen in branch(Strange as they were able to upgrade via telephone but no matter).

I made an app for 18th March, explained the situation and got them to complete the downgrade. Yet they still took the fee the next month. :mad:

I made yet another app for approx 1 month later and again got them to downgrade the acc.

Yet this morning when I log onto online banking I see they have taken another £10 - I am ready to crack up!!!

It has now been 3 months since I first requested this account to be changed, I am now £30 less off, plus the interest I have missed out on (albeit only a few pence a month but still!!)

I am going to have to go into branch yet again to request this downgrade.

Now I know, I'm going to get a replies telling me how cr*p Santander are, but I have never had any trouble with them before, and I couldn't be bothered the hassle of changing all my cards etc. My local branch has always been great (I made the apps with a different branch which was handier to attend because of my work)

I suppose I'm just venting now as I want to remain calm when I speak to them after work.

Thanks everyone for the read

sk56

GraceCourt

skea56 wrote: »

I suppose I'm just venting now as I want to remain calm when I speak to them after work.

Don't get mad, get even! Work out how much this has cost you unnecessarily, due to their failings (include the extra travel costs for visits to the branch other than the first one), and make a complaint to them, asking for that amount to be re-imbursed, plus £25 for their mistakes.

Don't be put off by anything less, and refuse to accept anything other than what you ask for, as that would be reasonable in the circumstances.

If either you end up in deadlock (no agreement and no further discussion possible to resolve this - unlikely), or the complaint has gone on for eight weeks from the date of the original complaint, make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Santander will have to pay a case fee of £400 irrespective of whether they win or lose, and you pay nothing - so they will become reasonable quite quickly and long before a formal arbitration by the FOS becomes necessary.

skea56

Thanks for that - tbh I'd be happy enough if I got my £30 and whatever interest back, so I'll ask for comp and see what I get. Better in my pocket than theirs lol!! :beer:

sk56

FunnySaving

Surely the fact that you made appointments will show up in their records, which lends weight to your case, and there is no excuse for their failure to carry out your request. I agree that a to-the-point letter giving them the facts and asking them to rectify the situation should probably do the job.

fluffnutter

skea56 wrote: »

...as I went from about 5p interest on £2000 to abt £2 interest per month...

And for that privilege you've paid £10. OK, they've given you two quid back (provided you're 2K in the black) but they're still making £8 out of you for nothing :rotfl: