Santander 123 Card...AVOID!! 9 June 2014 at 4:50PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Credit Cards 32 replies 4.9K views

modusman

I mistakenly took out a Santander 123 credit card when I opened one of their 123 bank accounts, which I am very happy with. The CC side of the business, however, are run by Santander of the bad old days..

Whilst in Spain recently I started to get calls from an 0845 number, so ignored it.Arrived home last Friday and was getting up to three calls a day from these people all over the weekend.It appeared that a standing order payment had been missed and not paid for the total of £8.47 The kids charged with pestering their customers are, shall we say, not the brightest stars in the sky, and having spoken to one of their managers, the same applies at that level too:mad:

Today Monday, first call at 8.36am..so I rang the branch and sorted it out within 10 minutes.Now get this..when the standing order was set up there has to be a clear 28 days before any payment can be taken. If the due date falls within that 28 days then their computers are programmed not to collect the money (in one of their own accounts) and class it as a failed payment. Only a complete idiot, who has never heard of customer service, could arrange such a thing to happen.

As a result I have sorted out payment, they tell me that the standing order this month will be collected fine but it will take up to 12 days to lift the block on the card being used:shocked::shocked:
Santanders computers must be on a planet of their own..The `late payment` fee they added, becuase of their own incompetence has been refunded but as I am clearing the balance tomorrow and telling them where to stick their 123 card long before it activates again...hopefully this might cause one of their computers to fail..

Nevertheless the letter to Anna Botin will make someones hair curl..:j

Sorry to take so long but deal with these Credit Card Bozos at your peril..As I say the Banking side, both branch and call centre I have found to be excellent and would recommend

pjread

I'm pretty certain every card I've had has clearly said to pay by other methods until a statement says it will be collected by direct debit. Did your statement say it would be collected by direct debit?

grumbler

modusman wrote: »

....when the standing order was set up there has to be a clear 28 days before any payment can be taken. If the due date falls within that 28 days then their computers are programmed not to collect the money (in one of their own accounts) and class it as a failed payment....

What are you talking about? A Direct Debit maybe, not a Standing Order?

If so, it's the same for all CC companies. You can't rely on a DD until you see in your statement that the money will be taken by a DD.

Buzby

I have both - and I can confirm my 12 months with them were trouble free, and my 12 months free use was a good deal. The Cashback has meant it worthwhile for me to pay their £24 pa charge.

As to your error - banks don't collect a Standing Order, your bank sends it on the due date. If you meant DD, then it is your responsibility to ensure you get their confirmation it is active - this is confirmed in writing.

You made assumptions that were incorrect - and rejected their attempts to call you to advise. Why avoid them because you got it wrong?

planteria

i think the other guys are right here, modusman.
the onus is on us to ensure that a DD is in place before we rely on it. once we have done so, we can then relax knowing that the DD will be taken as planned, as long as we know there are sufficient funds available, or we can expect the banks to rectify any problems that result.

wannabe_credit_free

I have both current account 123 and credit card, never had a problem. I have had excellent customer service to date. You should have answered your phone.

Iheart

Never had a problem with either my account or my credit card. It sounds like your error, not theirs.

modusman

No I didnt make any incorrect assumptions.Everything was set up in a branch of Santander and was told so in writing by a senior member of staff. Why would I assume anything?Hence my suggestion that their CC side isnt too good. As for the phone calls, when you have confirmation all is in order would you lot be happy with 3 calls a day????hmm ..Never mind I wont bother posting again, better things to do with my time

bengal-stripe

modusman wrote: »

Never mind I wont bother posting again, better things to do with my time

Yes. use the time to understand the difference between a Standing Order and a Direct Debit.

tizerbelle

modusman wrote: »

As for the phone calls, when you have confirmation all is in order would you lot be happy with 3 calls a day????hmm ..Never mind I wont bother posting again, better things to do with my time

But if you'd answered them the first time they rang, they wouldn't have had to keep calling you.

Iheart

And they were ringing for your benefit, not to harass you.