Santander has frozen all my bank accounts

grumbler

GeoffTF said:

grumbler said:

born_again said:

grumbler said:

born_again said:
That is exactly what I've said to them, stop the payment, yes, but do not close off my access to all my funds. 
Why would you say that if it was a genuine payment???

I think it's obvious. They suspected that the OP was a victim of ongoing fraud and wanted to protect the OP.  Why on earth did they freeze the account instead of just stopping the payment to make sure that it was genuine? 

From OP, this was a genuine payment. Set up by the OP, who said followed the banks instructions.
So why say "Yes" to stopping the payment?

Because IF Santander don't believe the OP (i.e. despite all assurances still think that the OP is a victim of some sophisticated fraud), blocking the payment makes some sense. Blocking all accounts makes no sense.

If Santander believed that the OP was the victim of a sophisticated fraud, and desperate to get their money to the fraudster, blocking just one payment would not make sense. The OP would just set up more payments, or draw out cash. Blocking all the OP's accounts would make more sense.

Yeah. And we need a system where one bank suspecting something can alert all other banks to get all accounts blocked. Sky is the limit! We all will be very safe and very happy.

dealyboy

... and have smiles painted on our faces 

boingy

When a bank treats you like that, change the bank.

antiquatedanne

Not to move too far off the point:

I fully understood why they stopped the payment - had no problem as I knew it might be a red flag, being a paving company with the name including the word "paving".
I had no problem with them blocking my account for 24 hours.
These actions made me feel protected

My problem was that after 24 hours, my account remained blocked and from then on all I heard when I rang was the standard patter - it's with the back office, no we don't know how long - we do apologise

My annoyance is because they gave me no opportunity to send proof (or present proof in Branch) that the payment was legitimate.  I had fully undertaken due diligence before we signed the contract, so I could have sent Santander copies of the quotation (2 months previously), the contract, photos of our driveway, photos of the worker on site, copy of the Contractors accounts downloaded from Companies House, copies of the directorships, a photo with ID of the director/owner who came to see the work twice a day at least, screen shot of the Company on the Which recommended trader site and so forth.

I could not see with the information they held, i.e. just the Company name and bank account, that back office could do any more investigation than already done during the 3 hours I spent on calls to them on Monday.

I also dread hearing the words "back office".  To me that is a team of overworked people facing innumerable email from Fraud and having to work through them as best they can.  I have experience of items going into "back office" and never coming out.

Also as one OP has said, by the freezing of all my accounts does look as though they were looking into me rather than the Company I was paying.  I actually asked them that, because in my mind accounts are frozen when money laundering is suspected.  Of course they were quick to deny that, but, as I said to them, that is the impression it gives other people.  Anyway, good luck to them if that is what they were looking for.  I would have no more idea of how to money launder than fly to the moon. 

antiquatedanne

boingy said:

When a bank treats you like that, change the bank.

Am doing this.  My original post was to see if anyone had any ideas as to how I could get my account unblocked.  Thereafter, it has more been at least let anyone else in a similar situation know how I sort it out.  I might be helpful to someone.

lindabea

antiquatedanne said:

boingy said:

When a bank treats you like that, change the bank.

Am doing this.  My original post was to see if anyone had any ideas as to how I could get my account unblocked.  Thereafter, it has more been at least let anyone else in a similar situation know how I sort it out.  I might be helpful to someone.

Music to my ears!!!  Glad to hear your ordeal is now over; I'm sure you'll be glad that you closed your account.  Any bank you choose will be a lot better than Santander. In my opinion, they are by far, the worst bank in the UK and have been for many years.   

Marchitiello

lindabea said:

antiquatedanne said:

boingy said:

When a bank treats you like that, change the bank.

Am doing this.  My original post was to see if anyone had any ideas as to how I could get my account unblocked.  Thereafter, it has more been at least let anyone else in a similar situation know how I sort it out.  I might be helpful to someone.

Music to my ears!!!  Glad to hear your ordeal is now over; I'm sure you'll be glad that you closed your account.  Any bank you choose will be a lot better than Santander. In my opinion, they are by far, the worst bank in the UK and have been for many years.   

If you spend enough time on this forum you will realise that those types of account freeze/suspension/ some time closure, have been happening with all banks, none excluded, Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest/RBS, HSBC, Nationwide, TSB etc, and depending what bank one was impacted by, that becomes the “worst” bank ever for the “victim”.

As banks have stricter money laundering regulation and also an increased risk exposure to customer being victim of fraud, they all have implemented overzealous procedures where such risk is defected. 

Bigwheels1111

I’m a First Direct fan, yes I’ve had issues but a call or two sorts the problem.
Since last year I’ve made 20 payments of over 10k a time.
In the last 6 weeks FD to Chip to Coventry, back to Chip, then Tandem, Coventry and back to Chip.
A few were to max out 5 and 7 year fixed rate savings,  they blocked them on Friday.
On Monday they paid them and gave me compensation for lost interest and a good will gesture.
Never locked my accounts even with rent payments from my tenants, Marked as rent payment.
Yes their systems are a bit behind, but the service is great.

antiquatedanne

Eventually, after over two weeks, I've received their complaints closure letter.  The whole letter refers to my complaint being that they had stopped the payment.  They have totally missed the point that my complaint was they had blocked all my funds for four days, and was likely to be far more had I not put in a claim through the Resolution platform to have my accounts unfrozen.  Unbelievable

GeoffTF

antiquatedanne said:

Eventually, after over two weeks, I've received their complaints closure letter.  The whole letter refers to my complaint being that they had stopped the payment.  They have totally missed the point that my complaint was they had blocked all my funds for four days, and was likely to be far more had I not put in a claim through the Resolution platform to have my accounts unfrozen.  Unbelievable

What were you seeking as compensation? Have they paid up?