How bad/unreliable have Santander become?

[Deleted User]

Ed-1 said:

Ed-1 said:

WillPS said:

DeletedUser said:

(how do i deposit a cheque now?)

For the benefit of anyone else the answer is:

At a Post Office or if you don't mind the cost of a stamp by post.

Or at at ATM.

Which ATM's?

Thinking about it, it has to be a Santander ATM.

Exactamundo!

Marchitiello

DeletedUser said:

WillPS said:

DeletedUser said:

(how do i deposit a cheque now?)

For the benefit of anyone else the answer is:

At a Post Office or if you don't mind the cost of a stamp by post.

Or get a Starling or LBG account just for mobile cheque pay ins then transfer the money across, which is what I'd do if Santander was my main/only account.

I have no complaint regarding my Santander account but then the only times I've used the debit card are when I have an offer to use. The app has some nice features like the home screen widget.

Main use of the account is for utility/council tax DD payments; I make about £1.50/month now in cashback after the £2 fee. It wouldn't be enough to attract me as a new customer but it is enough for me to leave those direct debits where they are (until they nerf it again or something better comes along anyway).

 A post office? The one near me closed last year. By post? As you say, the cost of a stamp, and the potential it goes astray.

Set up an account at another bank, just to pay in a cheque? Now you're being silly. Just what i expect from these forums tbh.

Most people in these forums will have several bank accounts, as these are almost always free or pay themselves with the right management. I was on the original trials with Barclays years ago for Mobile app paying in cheques and have thus paid in check via app for years now. 

I use my Santander Select account as my main cash flow / float account so that any cash flow money can earn interest and I also get cashback on my bills DD, which after the fee still leaves me with over £2 a month (and as an option for FOREX ATM withdrawal in US and Spain) but I still have accounts with Barclays, RBS, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, Fineco UK, Starling and Chase… each offer some benefits or features which I makes great use of. I also have several Credit Cards, again each with some features (Avios, Cashback, Hotel Statuses, Airport Lounge Access, Free Forex spending, Travel Insurance etc), and all this is perfectly easy to manage daily from the comfort of my home sofa..

Sensory

DeletedUser said:

pafpcg said:

Here goes:
1. If my main bank account has a problem, I have alternatives.

2. There are advantages and disadvantages for every account - by having multiple accounts, I can exploit the advantages and avoid the disadvantages.

I don't ever recall having a 'problem' with any bank account, other than a bank not offering me the functionality i require.

Lucky you, but it doesn't mean others have not had problems; your luck doesn't negate the fact it's useful to have other accounts in case your primary account suffers downtime. I have a distinct memory from within the past 10 years where a friend of mine couldn't withdraw any cash from any ATM, because Santander was experiencing technical difficulties. Also, a bank not offering your desired functionality would be a disadvantage for you, no?

DeletedUser said:

pafpcg said:

3. To maximise offers such as switching bonuses and introductory interest rates (plus providing a supply of donor accounts for switching).  For example, I needed a FirstDirect current account to open a FirstDirect regular saver (paying 7.5% interest at the time if I recall correctly).

That's fine if you want to do that, i don't.

It's still a good reason to have other accounts (this is MSE after all), regardless of whether you want to take advantage of that reason.

DeletedUser said:

All that is really rather meaningless, as the original point made, was that i should set up another bank account, just to enable me to pay in a cheque to Santander. No thanks. I've just checked their site, and other than at a branch, and by post, i don't see any other options.

The world isn't going to reverse course to suit your ideals and idiosyncrasies. Not owning a smartphone in 2021 is a hindrance to modern life; if you don't keep relatively abreast of developments in society as the world innovates and evolves, you will get left behind, and no amount of complaining is going to change that. You can stubbornly stick with your one bank account without a local branch presence and no Post Office or smartphone to compensate; no one is bothered by that except you, because you now have difficulty depositing cheques.

How often do receive cheques?

[Deleted User]

Do Santander accept cheques via smartphone?

In what way is not having a smartphone a hindrance? Do tell.

[Deleted User]

DeletedUser said:

Do Santander accept cheques via smartphone?

In what way is not having a smartphone a hindrance? Do tell.

They don't; so you are left with branch/ATM or Post Office.

You may be able to post them too but you'd have limited traceability.

Mobile app deposits are definitely the way to go for low value cheques.

Sensory

DeletedUser said:

Do Santander accept cheques via smartphone?

In what way is not having a smartphone a hindrance? Do tell.

You’re experiencing one right now; I can deposit cheques from my sofa with multiple banks (the few times I receive cheques). You however are hindered, by refusing to open a bank account that can accept cheques via app, and not having a smartphone to make use of it. Mobile banking, without needing a computer, is extremely convenient and has accelerated the branch closures you are complaining about.

I can literally: open a new Starling account and deposit a cheque, in probably less than 20 minutes from start to finish, then transfer the money when it clears, all from my sofa. Cheques clear sooner when you deposit them sooner. I’m also an existing customer of Barclays, Lloyds and Halifax and can choose any of my accounts there too.

Your time is also hindered, wasted by branch visits rendered unnecessary by mobile banking.

I also came across a new Tesco that denied entry to those without their app, because the store had no checkouts. Do you think there will be more stores like that soon? Amazon started the trend.

But of course, it is your life and you live how you wish. Just because you accept and are happy being hindered, does not mean you are not hindered. My mother only ever withdraws cash inside a branch and doesn’t trust mobile or internet banking, and she accepts that it’s more than what most would put up with. She uses counter services to send money to others. She does have two accounts though, at different banks, and as recently as last year she was finally able to use WhatsApp, and she joined the family group chat. Our family now communicates far more often and more conveniently than ever before; the convenience facilitates the increased frequency.

My grandmother who’s 88 years-old was recently introduced to Facetime video calling. She doesn’t know how to use a computer, but it’s simple and free for her to video call us from the US, and I can answer the call as long as I have signal, allowing her to see her grandchildren and great grandchildren in various environments and situations. She is no longer hindered by expensive call rates and complicated computers to talk to and see us.

Parents can track the location of their children in realtime on a map, assisting safety and security. In emergencies, SOS features can be triggered (by others) to alert your emergency contacts, including sending them your precise location, even if you are unconscious; paramedics are hindered by ‘dumbphones’ and your life could be on the line. A woman was able to configure a sleeping app (designed to record snoring) to record herself being raped by her partner (who was a policeman), sending him to prison.

wmb194

Do you have a tablet? They will run mobile apps and can also be used to deposit cheques.

[Deleted User]

Oh no, i can deposit cheques easily now, i changed banks.

 Most of your latest essay once again completely irrelevant. The orignal point was about paying a cheque into Santander, but you seem to ignore anything that doesn't suit you.

Very well, I'll spell it out for you. You said not having a smartphone is a hindrance, yet the article to which i linked depicts many people not even realising that their nice new smartphone won't be supported for long, and therefore won't have security updates for long. In fact, just the kind of device not to be using for banking i would imagine. Indeed, If i was a victim of fraud, due to lack of security on my phone, that would be a hindrance. I wouldn't want to be buying a new smartphone every year, just for banking!

And the price of those things! Just to cash a cheque? No thanks. I'll stick to online banking. With the occasional gentle stroll to the local branch at my nice new functional bank.

Anyway, now that i have a local branch, i can verify beyond a shadow of a doubt, that despite your assurances, i am not hindered in any way whatsoever by not owning a smartphone. Everything is Bon.

...Oh, i almost forgot, how do you get cash out of a smartphone?

Daliah

As a Natwest/RBS/Ulster Bank current account holder, you can cash with your smartphone app, much like you can get cash with your debit card. Where shops are offering cashback at the tills, they are offering the cashback to you whether you pay with the physical debit card or through ApplePay etc with your smartphone, for any UK debit card. These options are provided to cater for the twindling number of people who are still using much cash these days.

Sensory

DeletedUser said:

Oh no, i can deposit cheques easily now, i changed banks.

Great! I hope your local branch stays open for your sake.

DeletedUser said:

The orignal point was about paying a cheque into Santander, but you seem to ignore anything that doesn't suit you.

Why do you think that? On the contrary, I never ignored your original point regarding paying a cheque into Santander; it's the very reason I responded in the first place.

DeletedUser said:

You said not having a smartphone is a hindrance, yet the article to which i linked depicts many people not even realising that their nice new smartphone won't be supported for long, and therefore won't have security updates for long.

That article doesn't apply to me because I ensure my devices can receive the latest updates. Is the computer you use for online banking secure? The important point here is that OS and browser vulnerabilities exist regardless of device, whether it's smartphone or computer, although smartphones tend to be more secure due to the nature of their design. Even for smart devices that no longer receive updates due to age and have actively exploited vulnerabilites, they can remain secure for mobile banking if you isolate your behaviour, because exploits require a degree of user input, such as clicking a dangerous link, visiting a compromised webpage, or downloading an unauthorised app; they would essentially be 'dumbphones' with mobile banking (until the bank stops supporting the device model, which is usually longer than the phone can physically last).

DeletedUser said:

Indeed, If i was a victim of fraud, due to lack of security on my phone, that would be a hindrance. I wouldn't want to be buying a new smartphone every year, just for banking!

Just for banking? You wouldn't, as above. People certainly do buy a new smartphone every year, but not because of mobile banking. As for fraud, it's just as likely (probably more so) due to lack of security on your computer and being a victim of social engineering, than an outdated smartphone.

DeletedUser said:

And the price of those things! Just to cash a cheque? No thanks. I'll stick to online banking. With the occasional gentle stroll to the local branch at my nice new functional bank.

And there are people who don't even own personal laptops or computers anymore because their smartphone/tablet is sufficient (no landline phone either). The chances of your new functional bank closing its local branch due to a continuing decline in foot traffic (as a result of online and especially mobile banking), is well above 0.

DeletedUser said:

...Oh, i almost forgot, how do you get cash out of a smartphone?

I do not follow your logic. If you're asking me personally, I don't generally use cash. I also never claimed smartphones could replace cash (although they can replace physical cards), so where is the logic in your question?