MSE News: Santander launches cashback current account

gromituk

ses6jwg wrote: »

I'm sorry but you're wrong on the first point.

1) If you upgrade your existing Santander current account to the 123 account you retain your existing sort code, account number, card, PIN. You don't need to re-arrange any direct debits or credits to the account.

Of course, if you open a new 123 account and all your mandates are on an existing Santander bank account then yes, you do have to move all the direct debits yourself. This is because Santander gain absolutely no benefit as a company to carrying out a costly and admin heavy switcher process from one San UK current account to another. Besides, there are only two instances that one would open a new account anyway rather than simply upgrade:

Well sorry, but I know nothing about "upgrading". I simply opened a 123 account in addition to my existing account because I thought that was the only way of doing it. If it had been made clear to me that there was an "upgrade" process then I would have done it, and I have never heard of the "downgrade" process either. Why do you think the telephone agent didn't mention this when telling me I couldn't transfer all my mandates from the old account? Surely she should have worked out what I was trying to do?

2) With regard to your second point again it's completely wrong. You are free to downgrade to an "everyday account" with no fee or funding requirement at any stage and this process takes about 30 seconds.

Well I'm glad to hear that - but could you please share your knowledge of how to do this for my and others' benefit?

I'm afraid without seeing your secure message it's hard to comment but for them to register a complaint you must have used some words indicating a dis-satisfaction in which case they are obliged by the FSA to log it as a complaint.

Well of course I indicated dissatisfaction because the original response didn't answer my question. I simply asked them to answer it properly!

Asking questions via secure message is generally a slow and inefficient method compared to calling the 0800 new account number or asking a member of staff at your local branch.

Going all the way to a branch might be quicker, but it's hardly a sensible alternative to communicating online when speed is not of the essence (which it was not). And as for dialling the "wrong" number to get a free call, I once called Alliance and Leicester (as it was then) on their "international" landline. The agent asked me if I was abroad and when I said I was not I was scolded like a school child and told that she would deal with my inquiry this time but would put a black mark against my account so I would never be able to ring that number again!

gromituk

innovate wrote: »

yes, you are right, gromituk must have got that wrong, because Santander even tell you on their website how they can switch your bank accounts. http://www.santander.co.uk/csgs/Satellite?appID=abbey.internet.Abbeycom&canal=CABBEYCOM&cid=1237851829604&empr=Abbeycom&leng=en_GB&pagename=Abbeycom%2FPage%2FWC_ACOM_TemplateW2

Erm, as far as I can see, that is from another organisation. I was trying to transfer from another type of Santander current account as I made clear in my posting.

gromituk

innovate wrote: »

By the sounds of it, you chose to take a different approach to your relationship with Santander to me, gromituk.

You collated a history of your communication with them and £10.

I collated cashback and interest from them since last April. Don't want to brag so I am not saying how much - suffice to say it is a lot more than £10.

What on earth are you going on about? Where did I say I wasn't collecting cashback and interest just like you are? I was merely recalling a recent amusing experience in the light of people on this thread who seem to be acting as apologists for the organisation, claiming that the customer service problems are in the past.

I can't say there have been no problems at all in my dealings with Santander - - but they have all been caused, and resolved, by human beings (those things that do make mistakes. Heck, sometimes I make mistakes myself......don't you?).

And your point is...?

JimmyTheWig

gromituk wrote: »

Erm, as far as I can see, that is from another organisation. I was trying to transfer from another type of Santander current account as I made clear in my posting.

Correct. If you are moving from a different bank then Santander will do it all for you. [Not sure I'd trust them to, mind!]
If you've got an existing Santander current account you can convert that to a 123. I can't remember how I did it but it was fairly self-explanatory once in online banking.

Have you started moving your DDs yet, gromit? If not, it might be easier to close the 123 account that you have and convert your existing account to a 123.

gromituk

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

Correct. If you are moving from a different bank then Santander will do it all for you. [Not sure I'd trust them to, mind!]
If you've got an existing Santander current account you can convert that to a 123. I can't remember how I did it but it was fairly self-explanatory once in online banking.

Damn - maybe I assumed it wouldn't be possible so didn't look for it? Or I went the standard MSE route (having found out about it from the weekly email). I've also had to open other Santander accounts in the past by post because there was no way of doing it on line, which can't have helped.

Have you started moving your DDs yet, gromit? If not, it might be easier to close the 123 account that you have and convert your existing account to a 123.

Yes, unfortunately I've moved all but a couple which are a pain to move, and still suck money out of the old account until I can get round to changing them. And I've now got two debit cards and am still using the one from the old account as I haven't memorised the PIN of the new one yet. How wonderful it would have been just to tick a box to do it!

innovate

Really don't know what the problem is. In the time you spent posting about these problems, you could have transferred your remaining DDs yourself.

As it happens, I changed all my DDs myself (about 15 of them), so I know it is easy to do. Some you can even do online (e.g. Virgin Media), others you have to fill in a piece of paper and send it off.

If you have 2 accounts and feel that's one too many, just stop using the superfluous one.

Surely, before you even started moving to the 123, you had an idea of what was involved? And you found it worth your while to go through with it? You are happy to bag the additional money every month, yet you still complain?

I am constantly amazed that people seem to be expecting others to do the simplest things for them.

gromituk

innovate wrote: »

Really don't know what the problem is. In the time you spent posting about these problems, you could have transferred your remaining DDs yourself.

First point you've missed: the idea was to warn others that they won't transfer the account from the same institution, so it's not about my time, it's about many people's time. I have now been told that it is possible to convert one account to the other, thus avoiding this pain, but I did not know that at the time I made the posting.

As it happens, I changed all my DDs myself (about 15 of them), so I know it is easy to do. Some you can even do online (e.g. Virgin Media), others you have to fill in a piece of paper and send it off.

Yep, I know all that. It's not difficult, but it's time-consuming and a pain, and as we are constantly being told it can be done for us but I thought it couldn't in this case, then it is a real pain.

If you have 2 accounts and feel that's one too many, just stop using the superfluous one.

Second point you've missed: it's not about having two accounts, it's about having to transfer everything manually from one to the other (and I repeat as you seem to misunderstand things easily: I have now found out there is another way to do it).

Surely, before you even started moving to the 123, you had an idea of what was involved? And you found it worth your while to go through with it? You are happy to bag the additional money every month, yet you still complain?

Third point you've missed: no, I assumed they would transfer everything automatically until they told me they couldn't, after I had already opened the account. (Again, see the caveat above...)

I am constantly amazed that people seem to be expecting others to do the simplest things for them.

I am not expecting anyone do do the simplest thing for me! I am constantly amazed that people can be so stridently patronising while completely misunderstanding the situation of the person they're rubbishing. I came on here to offer what I thought was useful advice, not to be shot down in flames. Why have you got such a hostile attitude?

POPPYOSCAR

I have had absolutely no problems with my Santander 123 account.

Now Lloyds bank vantage is another matter all together - not sure the extra interest is worth it now.

langstroth2

I've been with Santander (Abbey) for years and had really few problems. They can be very slow with paper work, and have once or twice messed up saving account transfers, but always fixed when prompted. However I'm not sure about the 123 account. Am I being too cynical in thinking this is a way of getting us used to paying a monthly fee for banking? Whilst good now, over time the cashback offers will be withdrawn while the monthly fee will remain (and increase).

KTF

langstroth2 wrote: »

I've been with Santander (Abbey) for years and had really few problems. They can be very slow with paper work, and have once or twice messed up saving account transfers, but always fixed when prompted. However I'm not sure about the 123 account. Am I being too cynical in thinking this is a way of getting us used to paying a monthly fee for banking? Whilst good now, over time the cashback offers will be withdrawn while the monthly fee will remain (and increase).

If that happens then you just downgrade to their non-fee account.