Why I leave Santander after only 4 weeks

pecunianonolet

Hi, 

Sharing my experience with Santander, the most incompetent people I ever came across.

I opened an esaver and that worked out fine but I got an email with the need to hand in further details so went to branch and was told it's not needed. Applied a few days later from within the app for a credit card and this is when the nightmare started.

Credit card application went through without issues, got the card rather quick and also a pin letter after. However, I also got a new ID and security number. Asked on chat and they were not able to help, I should call the hotline. Hotline also coldn't help and said I need to go to branch. Been to branch, it turned out the address was wrong (an aphostrophe which is coming up in the Royal Mail postcode checker but isn't used by the letters the council sents nor on the road sign). Address got corrected and been told accounts should merge within max 48h. Nothing happend, called the hotline again, the lady found further discrepancies but had no idea how to correct and said she needs to speak with a manager  - got cut off. Called again, somebody else now corrected the data, again, I should wait for the merge but nothing happened.

Went to the branch again and now it showed up that details again were not right, preventing a merge. The branch staff (at least one person) seemed to care and printed off all details and went through it line by line with me. Again, was told to wait for the merge and it again didn't happen. A few days later the branch lady called and said the merge has now successfully happened. In between I asked via chat on any status updates but nothing except of wasted time.

However, I was still unable to see the cc in my online account so rather frustrated I called the complaints hotline. The only positive, on that hotline is no waiting time. It was investiated and Santander admitted they made an error and I was credited 75 quid compensation. Now I was told that the accounts merged but that a security block was put on the card and that I need to go to branch. So I went again, for the 3rd time copies of my passport and council tax bill were taken. Now they also needed last 3 payslips, which I took as a precaution with me. Been told it should take a max of 6 days for the block to be removed and there is no way of speeding this up. These 6 days were over a few days ago, card still not visible. 

While I am now on holiday, I tried again to call but for some reason I can hear them speaking but they do not seem to hear me so get cut off all the time. As I do not longer wish to deal with these clowns I moved (just under 10k)  away in one transaction and wanted to move a second tranche (again just under 10K) away and now the account has been locked and I have to call. 

End of story, once back in the UK I will go one last time to branch and they can remove the block so I can move my money and they can cancel it all. I do not want to deal with them ever again, however great their future interest rates might be. 

Wasted almost 4 hours for branch visits and driving there, at least 5 hours on calls either speaking or waiting and at least 1 hour in chat. That's many hours I could have wasted better.

Bye bye Santander, see you never ever again!!!

comeocome

Oh my that’s horrendous! 

By the way when you applied for a bank account, why didn’t you open a credit card at the same time? Also, do you have a good credit score? 

pecunianonolet

I only wanted the saver first but discovered they do a zero fee zero interest cc which I wanted to use for stoozing. Credit score is excellent.

[Deleted User]

Santander are an absolute nightmare.  Your experience does not surprise me.  If you have any contact with their incompetent staff or indeed their systems, expect nothing but problems.  Meanwhile, at the bank of Ant and Dec, everything is bliss !! 

penners324

I left because I'd received the bonus and another was available 

Band7

[Deleted User] said:

Santander are an absolute nightmare.  Your experience does not surprise me.  If you have any contact with their incompetent staff or indeed their systems, expect nothing but problems.  Meanwhile, at the bank of Ant and Dec, everything is bliss !! 

Amongst other banks, I have held Santander accounts for many years and am not complaining or leaving. At the last count, I have made well over £4,000 from Santander in interest, cashback and switches, which puts them top of my list of all banks in terms of profit.

Like any other bank, Santander aren't perfect, and the shambles some people have experienced with the esaver is unforgivable. I could write a very similar sad tale about Barclays, where it recently took me nearly 6 weeks to open a current account. The repeated incompetence of the Barclays Branch staff, which they insisted to involve, was staggering but I persevered as I desperately wanted their Rainy Day Saver, and I eventually succeeded. I don't blame the OP for voting with their feet.at Santander but I will stay put.

[Deleted User]

comeocome said:

Oh my that’s horrendous! 

By the way when you applied for a bank account, why didn’t you open a credit card at the same time? Also, do you have a good credit score? 

Nobody has a credit score, the number you see is a novelty, not seen by, nor used by, any lenders for any financial product of any kind

Ebe_Scrooge

comeocome said:

Also, do you have a good credit score? 

What's that got to do with the price of fish?  I appreciate you're a relative newcomer to the forum, but please understand that the credit score you see from the CRAs is utterly irrelevant, it's not used - nor even seen - by any lender.

Band7 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Santander are an absolute nightmare.  Your experience does not surprise me.  If you have any contact with their incompetent staff or indeed their systems, expect nothing but problems.  Meanwhile, at the bank of Ant and Dec, everything is bliss !! 

Like any other bank, Santander aren't perfect

Couldn't agree more.  All banks make mistakes, even more so these days what with IT glitches and the like.  And it's bloomin' annoying when it happens.  I've been with Santander for donkey's years (I originally had an Abbey National account when I was young, and have just kept it since then).  But on the very odd occasion I've needed to phone them, I've always found them very helpful.

pecunianonolet

The strange thing is that my partner opened an esaver a few minutes after me, and a couple of days later ordered the same cc type (same day as I). No issues whatsover for my partner so I agree that once it goes wrong it usually means that sh** hits the fan big time. Maybe I am relaxed anough when back and can get it sorted and further compensation granted but if not I am leaving for sure.

oldagetraveller1

"Meanwhile, at the bank of Ant and Dec, everything is bliss !!  "

The advertisement with that pair was the last straw for me.

Time to switch again fo another "incentive"!

phillw

Ebe_Scrooge said:

comeocome said:

Also, do you have a good credit score? 

What's that got to do with the price of fish?  I appreciate you're a relative newcomer to the forum, but please understand that the credit score you see from the CRAs is utterly irrelevant, it's not used - nor even seen - by any lender.

Right, because your CRA credit score being low because you're bankrupt & homeless wouldn't make any difference to lenders ;-)