MSE News: Santander: Service has improved, but there's a long way to go

Unhappyme

Went into my local branch in July to close Alliance & Leicester a/c as had transferred to Santander - as far as I was concerned a/c closed. Three weeks ago nasty letter saying I am overdrawn by £167 on 'closed' A&L a/c (apparantly there was £2 overdrawn on a/c???) which had escalated to £167 through charges! Went into local branch - had to wait an hour to be seen. Was assured by Samantha (after she had spoken to manager) full amount would be written off. Would be phoned in the next couple of days to confirm. No phone call! but a further letter demanding £167 - looking online tonight this figure has escalated to £262 - I daresay I will be threatened with Court Action!!! Bring it on........:mad:

Pams_Lounge

I am not sure what Ms Hogg thinks has improved, most certainly not their customer service.
My experience started on 29th October 2011. I had an old Bradford and Bingley ISA which was a two year investment. It was maturing on 1st Nov. I completed a transfer form and submitted this to the bank which now holds my ISA funds (another provider - not Santander). I received a letter the following week which stated that the account had been transferred with an amount I did not recognise. When I went on-line, the B&B account was still there with funds in it. After a little investigation, I discovered that they had actually closed my Santander ISA account and transferred that instead! The two account numbers are completely different, a bit like chalk and cheese. So my first concern is - how can they have closed an account which I had not authorised them to do? I have yet to receive an answer on this point.

I immediately telephoned them to tell them of their error which resulted in many debates about whether I was quoting the correct B&B account number. Well, that was what was showing on my screen for the B&B account, so I guess it must be right.
I telephoned them endlessly, I emailed, I called in to the local branch, I have written to them and still they did not communicate with me, either by phone, email or letter. I heard nothing from them for over three weeks - astonishing!

I then received a letter in response to either my email or letter (it wasn't abundently clear from their response whcih), expressing concern because I did not appear to be happy about this situation and that after their investigation, the matter had been resolved and 'as agreed' they had credited my account with a small sum of money for my inconvenience. I would like to point out, that as I had never discussed the matter with anyone, I am not sure who this was agreed with!

I naturally telephoned then again to debate the closure of this complaint - it was re-opened. Since this call, I have on two occassions, both in an email and a letter, requested that they withdraw this amount as I wish to get the matter resolved before negotiating any payment. This request continues to this date, to be ingnored. On this call, I was requested to complete another ISA transfer form and submit it again, with a different address for Bradford and Bingley on it(?), this appears now to have worked and the B&B money has been successfully transferred - after more than 3 weeks.
I have since received another letter dated 1st Dec, telling me that 'they are sorry to hear that we have not yet been able to resolve your concerns', and that 'We will then contact you shortly to discuss our outcome'.

It is now 6th December and still no contact.
The incorrectly transferred money has still not been retrieved.
No information has been provided about what they are doing about it, and the balance of my Santander ISA remains as zero!
Their lack of interest in resoloving this issue, their communication and silence are deafening.
Santander are not competent to manage financial affairs, and are equally incompetent in managing their complaints process.

Next letter will be directly to the Ms Botin CEO, even bypassing Ms Hogg!

lanza

GlennTheBaker wrote: »

My Wife went to pay a travellers cheque in to our savings account and was told to sign it in front of the assistant in the lobby who also dealt with her enquiry( had advised them 3 time of change of name sent new card with her old name on but the letter it was enclosed with had her correct name on). Went to pay it in and talk to manager, was then advised they dont take travellers cheques. when the manager came out advised her she had been talking to the manager who told her to sign the travellers cheque. Someone's lying. Also saw staff using personal mobile phone on the reception floor.

They are putting in young managers who tell blatant lies. I think they must screen them with these sociopath tests and give the jobs to those with a high rating. None of the long standing mature males in my santander branch got the managers job. Why, because they are actually decent human beings is my best guess.

Instead they stuck in a 25 year old (well built 6 foot 2) graduate who tells blatant lies, refuses to look at evidence and blames the customer, then tries to make it he is doing you a favour by halving the charges as if it their criminal loan sharking is all a game of making deals.

I knocked his offer back, paid of every charge, then gave him one dressing down after another (using evidence) until I finally managed to get him to break his cool.

That guy is now on my list of personal projects.

georgehere

I'm just another that has finally given up on them. I haven't closed my account yet - I still use it for some transfers - but they continue to amaze me with their special brand of incompetence and stupidity. Latest wheeze is their new insistence that you MUST register a mobile phone with them for online banking. I don't have the stamina to explain why, but the fact that you must - and if you don't you get into one of those horrible online loops where the site keeps sending you in ever decreasing circles - is just incredible.

Almost beats the time they wrote to me at my new address to tell me they couldn't change my address.

Almost more annoying than when they froze my account when I tried to transfer some money and they said I was acting suspiciously.

Marginally less annoying than failing to open a savings account for me following me sending 2 separate sets of ID paperwork.

moose88_2

Sirens_Cry wrote: »

Improvement? I think not, unless they retrain their staff - we had a horrendous encounter with a member of staff last week - my daughter had been having problems with her student account; and without knowing any details (even name let alone account number) and in the middle of the branch, the employee proclaimed that the reason that there was no overdraft on the account was because of poor credit history. When I advised her that a) this was no conversation to be having outside of a consulting room, and b) my daughter has no credit history, let alone problems, she told me that i was only compiaining because she wasn't giving us what we wanted.... then when I suggested that maybe (despite our many accounts there, and my daughter having had an account for many years) a different bank may be more helpful, she agreed and said that 'other banks weren't as particular as Santander'.... we're in the process of closing all our accounts, but so far the strongly worded letter we've sent to their complaints department has only had a generic response.

So sad that the Abbey was bought out by a company that seems to have no concept of customer relations - it's like going back to the bad old days of nationalised services (BT, British Gas), where as they was no competition, they could treat customers with utter comtempt and disdain... only the banks HAVE competition!

hello siren

any updates on that? did the complaints deparment write back??

chanz4

lanza wrote: »

They are putting in young managers who tell blatant lies. I think they must screen them with these sociopath tests and give the jobs to those with a high rating. None of the long standing mature males in my santander branch got the managers job. Why, because they are actually decent human beings is my best guess.

Instead they stuck in a 25 year old (well built 6 foot 2) graduate who tells blatant lies, refuses to look at evidence and blames the customer, then tries to make it he is doing you a favour by halving the charges as if it their criminal loan sharking is all a game of making deals.

I knocked his offer back, paid of every charge, then gave him one dressing down after another (using evidence) until I finally managed to get him to break his cool.

That guy is now on my list of personal projects.

Staff have the right to work without threat, what gives you the right to abuse?