PPI- Santander Can't Find Me!

Ceorl

I wrote to Santander some time ago to obtain a list of past loans which had PPI and they duly responded with the account numbers. I then submitted a claim just before the deadline last year, quoting the numbers. I received a letter from them today advising they can't trace me as ever being a customer of Santander or it's predecessors in the UK and requested I complete a questionnaire providing more information.
I rang them  to query this and advised I had past acknowledgement from them that I had been a customer (with Cahoot) but they are still saying they can't locate me and that I need to complete the document. 
The loans were taken out a long time ago, probably going back to 2005, so I understand their possible difficulty in tracing them, however as I have already provided the account numbers and virtually all the information requested now in my original claim, my fear is that they will just come back with the same answer. I also may not be able to provide copies of original documentation/banks statements etc going back that far.

Can a provider just state that they can't find you in their records and that's it, case closed? If so, will I then have any recourse to the Ombudsman?   

[Deleted User]

If you don't want to complete the form to help them find you, then yes, it's case closed.

It sounds unlikely they will find you in any case after so long, but it's your choice as to whether to bother or not.

You can go to FOS, but they can't force you to provide the information either if you don't want to.

dunstonh

Can a provider just state that they can't find you in their records and that's it, case closed?

Yes if that is the case.  If they are found to be telling lies on purpose then the regulator will be on their way to fine them.

If so, will I then have any recourse to the Ombudsman?   

The FOS doesnt have access to documents.  So, if Santander tell the FOS that they cannot locate any records that show evidence PPI was paid and you have no evidence to show that it was paid then the FOS will not be able to rule on the case.

Generally, complaints handlers (at banks and the FOS) get a little suspicious of people who make the process more difficult by refusing to disclose information.   It often means they have something to hide.   So, don't make things difficult. If they have asked you to complete a form to obtain info then do so.

Ceorl

dunstonh said:

Can a provider just state that they can't find you in their records and that's it, case closed?

Yes if that is the case.  If they are found to be telling lies on purpose then the regulator will be on their way to fine them.

If so, will I then have any recourse to the Ombudsman?   

The FOS doesnt have access to documents.  So, if Santander tell the FOS that they cannot locate any records that show evidence PPI was paid and you have no evidence to show that it was paid then the FOS will not be able to rule on the case.

Generally, complaints handlers (at banks and the FOS) get a little suspicious of people who make the process more difficult by refusing to disclose information.   It often means they have something to hide.   So, don't make things difficult. If they have asked you to complete a form to obtain info then do so.

dunstonh said:

Can a provider just state that they can't find you in their records and that's it, case closed?

Yes if that is the case.  If they are found to be telling lies on purpose then the regulator will be on their way to fine them.

If so, will I then have any recourse to the Ombudsman?   

The FOS doesnt have access to documents.  So, if Santander tell the FOS that they cannot locate any records that show evidence PPI was paid and you have no evidence to show that it was paid then the FOS will not be able to rule on the case.

Generally, complaints handlers (at banks and the FOS) get a little suspicious of people who make the process more difficult by refusing to disclose information.   It often means they have something to hide.   So, don't make things difficult. If they have asked you to complete a form to obtain info then do so.

My worry is that the information requested isn't over and above what's required in the PPI complaints form, which I have already provided, so they are likely to come back with the same answer. My only hope as I see it is to provide copies of loan documentation or bank statements dating back 15 years, which I may not be able to do.

I have a previous letter from Santander listing the past account numbers that had PPI , which I quoted on my complaint form, so doesn't that count as legal acknowledgement from them that I was a customer at some point and that therefore being unable to locate me now is their issue rather than mine?

I suspect that due to the current situation, they don't have ready access to records going back that far.  I also wouldn't have thought I am the only complainant to be in this situation give the number of complaints submitted close to the deadline. 

[Deleted User]

It's your 

Ceorl said:

I have a previous letter from Santander listing the past account numbers that had PPI , which I quoted on my complaint form, so doesn't that count as legal acknowledgement from them that I was a customer at some point and that therefore being unable to locate me now is their issue rather than mine? 

It's your issue because they don't have records for you.  And you are legally allowed to keep all of your, whereas they are not.  So your option remains to help or not to help.

You being a customer is entirely different from having a valid PPI complaint.

Ceorl

Deleted_User said:

It's your 

Ceorl said:

I have a previous letter from Santander listing the past account numbers that had PPI , which I quoted on my complaint form, so doesn't that count as legal acknowledgement from them that I was a customer at some point and that therefore being unable to locate me now is their issue rather than mine? 

It's your issue because they don't have records for you.  And you are legally allowed to keep all of your, whereas they are not.  So your option remains to help or not to help.

You being a customer is entirely different from having a valid PPI complaint.

I'm not confusing the fact of being a customer with the validity of my claim.
I'm also not unwilling to 'help', nor have I been unwilling before, but I may not be able to provide the 'silver bullet' of proof, because the form doesn't request any new information they don't already have from me.

The fact remains that they were able to find me at one point and give me the account numbers needed to kick off a complaint, and now they can't, so in essence through no fault of mine, I may be denied the chance to have my complaint looked at on it's own merits. 

 If I didn't have the letter and could provide no further proof via the questionnaire I'd accept my fate in this instance.

[Deleted User]

If you can't provide the information they need, then you need to let it go. 

noitsnotme

Ceorl said:

The fact remains that they were able to find me at one point and give me the account numbers needed to kick off a complaint, and now they can't,

How long ago did they give you the account numbers?  You said in your first post "I wrote to Santander some time ago to obtain a list of past loans".  If that was a few years ago, perhaps since then they have purged that data due to its age and whatever data retention regulations they have to adhere to, so maybe no longer have it.

Ceorl

noitsnotme said:

Ceorl said:

The fact remains that they were able to find me at one point and give me the account numbers needed to kick off a complaint, and now they can't,

How long ago did they give you the account numbers?  You said in your first post "I wrote to Santander some time ago to obtain a list of past loans".  If that was a few years ago, perhaps since then they have purged that data due to its age and whatever data retention regulations they have to adhere to, so maybe no longer have it.

I wrote to them and received their response early in 2019.

sun73

Ceorl said:

I wrote to Santander some time ago to obtain a list of past loans which had PPI and they duly responded with the account numbers. I then submitted a claim just before the deadline last year, quoting the numbers. I received a letter from them today advising they can't trace me as ever being a customer of Santander or it's predecessors in the UK and requested I complete a questionnaire providing more information.
I rang them  to query this and advised I had past acknowledgement from them that I had been a customer (with Cahoot) but they are still saying they can't locate me and that I need to complete the document. 
The loans were taken out a long time ago, probably going back to 2005, so I understand their possible difficulty in tracing them, however as I have already provided the account numbers and virtually all the information requested now in my original claim, my fear is that they will just come back with the same answer. I also may not be able to provide copies of original documentation/banks statements etc going back that far.

Can a provider just state that they can't find you in their records and that's it, case closed? If so, will I then have any recourse to the Ombudsman?   

Firstly I’d do as they ask and fill in the complaint form, even if you did one earlier just in case it’s lost. When you phone their helpline those staff don’t have access to the same systems as the actual PPI claim handlers, so you can’t rely on everything they tell you as completely accurate.  Also 2005 is not too long ago, I got PPI information from Santander about a store card account that was opened in 1989 and closed in 1998.  I think they will be able to find yours, did you send a SAR before your original complaint?