Santander Credit Card Applications

PSVW_bowler

Applied for Santander credit card about one week ago and to my surprise was asked for proof of identity and address. I have a rich credit history and should never be asked for this sort of information as they should be able to confirm this through electronic records and electoral roll information. In this century I would not expect to send these documents through the post, however they never offered any other channel. I queried this with customer support and was signposted to their Document Upload Hub. I tried this but due to an error on their system was unable to upload documents digitally. After several calls and failed attempts for them to send me a link so I can upload my documents I logged a complaint. A bank of this size I don't expect so many problems. There appears to be a fundamental problem with this hub and no process in place to correct the issue I'm experiencing. A breach of Consumer Duty and a clear harm right here when attempting to access their products and services. Next step will be a FOS complaint but before I do I was wondering if anyone else has experienced similar issues with the document upload hub. 

CliveOfIndia

PSVW_bowler said:

and a clear harm right here when attempting to access their products and services.

What "harm" ?  Inconvenience yes, but you've suffered no harm - either physical or financial.

PSVW_bowler said:

Next step will be a FOS complaint

You need to go through the bank's official internal complaints procedure first before you can escalate to the FOS.

It's not unreasonable (admittedly perhaps slightly unusual) for any financial institution to take such steps to verify identity.  Is there an option to take your documents into a branch for validation ?  This may be a simpler and quicker solution, if possible.

PSVW_bowler

If I want the Santander card to move a balance from an interest bearing card then there is harm financially. I could have chose another lender but I liked the Santander promotional rate with no fee. They also left a hard search on my credit file so if they do not allow me to submit my documents within the channel of my choice then it's a poor customer outcome. On the point you raise about visiting a branch, well that's an interesting view given branches are closing hand over fist in the UK and visiting the one nearest to me is not convenient. 

wiseonesomeofthetime

There is no guarantee that Santander will offer you a credit card and thereby you may still hold that hypothetical balance incurring interest. Will you then complain because they have chosen not to select you as a customer, and this has affected you financially?

martinbainbridge1975

Perfectly normal practice to check ID, I bank with Natwest and have done for 4 years,  when I applied for their card recently I had to follow a similar process to submit my driving licence and payslips to a 3rd party company they use for verification purposes. 

It is a responsible lending practice to verify a customer particularly in current times when there are lots of scams and attempted scams out there.

I looked at Santander myself - glad I did not apply to them reading the above

Olenna

PSVW_bowler said:

Applied for Santander credit card about one week ago and to my surprise was asked for proof of identity and address. I have a rich credit history and should never be asked for this sort of information as they should be able to confirm this through electronic records and electoral roll information. In this century I would not expect to send these documents through the post, however they never offered any other channel. I queried this with customer support and was signposted to their Document Upload Hub. I tried this but due to an error on their system was unable to upload documents digitally. After several calls and failed attempts for them to send me a link so I can upload my documents I logged a complaint. A bank of this size I don't expect so many problems. There appears to be a fundamental problem with this hub and no process in place to correct the issue I'm experiencing. A breach of Consumer Duty and a clear harm right here when attempting to access their products and services. Next step will be a FOS complaint but before I do I was wondering if anyone else has experienced similar issues with the document upload hub. 

Where are you getting all these 'rights' from?
I'm confused about 'a breach of Consumer Duty and a clear harm right' especially. 

Having worked with Santander, I never got the impression they were cutting edge; quite the opposite infact.

PSVW_bowler

wiseonesomeofthetime said:

There is no guarantee that Santander will offer you a credit card and thereby you may still hold that hypothetical balance incurring interest. Will you then complain because they have chosen not to select you as a customer, and this has affected you financially?

I've been approved subject to proof of ID and address. Is it pick on the newbie? 

martinbainbridge1975

PSVW_bowler said:

wiseonesomeofthetime said:

There is no guarantee that Santander will offer you a credit card and thereby you may still hold that hypothetical balance incurring interest. Will you then complain because they have chosen not to select you as a customer, and this has affected you financially?

I've been approved subject to proof of ID and address. Is it pick on the newbie? 

I thought you would be approved subject to ID&V but did not want to tempt fate.

Santander do not have great reviews looking online 

NoodleDoodleMan

Anytime I've applied to open any type of account with a bank where I'm not an existing customer I've been required to supply photo ID and proof of home address.

I see nothing wrong or exceptioal about that procedure.

PSVW_bowler

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Anytime I've applied to open any type of account with a bank where I'm not an existing customer I've been required to supply photo ID and proof of home address.

I see nothing wrong or exceptioal about that procedure.

Over the years I've applied for several credit cards moving balances from one to the other whilst paying down the principal balance. I applied to Santander due to their no fee card when transferring a residual balance I plan to pay down over 12 months. In the time I've held cards with Virgin, M&S and Tesco, I've never had to provide ID&V at acquisition stage. My applications sailed through the KYC due diligence and everything was verified electronically. Santander has failed in my expectations as a consumer. 

NoodleDoodleMan

I'm not familiar with the specific intracacies of KYC due diligence procedure, so can't comment.

We've been Santander customers for many years - their customer service in the early days was erratic, however they soon got their act together, I suspect new faces at command level made a difference there.