Santander hiring 600 staff as it goes on customer service assault

' the bank reported that UK trading profit before tax was up over 10%' Is that because when you close an account they steal your money by putting it in their own account rather than transfer it to the account details given? Then when pushed they send out rubber cheques that bounce when presented to the new bank.

UK chief executive António Horta-Osório - I have a lesson for this amateur ' never believe your own propaganda'. Look what happened to Lehman Bros. et al. You may believe you are the 4th largest bank in the world; all that means is you are likely to fall with the 4th largest debt. Oh and by the way rubber cheques are illegal so expect a visit from the 'boys in blue now I know the person responsible for stealing the money!

You may be taking on 600 extra staff but if they only stonewall and frustrate the client, as they do now, your propaganda exercise will still come back to bite you. Never bank with Sintander!

Is Santander the most incompetent bank in the country? We have been attempting without success to transfer an ISA from Santander to Nationwide but it has proven to be a daunting task for the idiots at Santander.

Keith - I would probably say yes.....having had the 'pleasure' of working for them following one of their takeovers, the attitude is very much one of getting things to market ASAP, and (allegedly) to fix problems as and when they arise............shame they didn't lay off all of the decent staff from A&L/Abbey/BBG - people who knew what they were doing......

.....meant to say shame that they did lay off all of the decent staff...........

that was my Santander training coming out there......oops.

It will take significantly more than 600 staff to sort out the horrendous mess of this organisation’s service. I recently suffered the misery of trying to close a savings account and extract my own money from them. This took 17 phone calls (to various different numbers) and several letters over the course of 4 months.

The norm is that nobody answers any of the numbers they provide on websites & literature for existing customers. You then have to phone a sales line (guess what they always answer that right away) and try to get somebody there to put you through to somebody who can help, and on it goes.

The FSA should close them down to new business until they sort out the disgusting contempt with which they treat customers.

I hope they send all of them to their Alliance and Leicester part of the business.

The information given by their "Customer Advisors" is often wrong. I have just had a letter sort of apologising for one of these errors (although it mostly prattles on about how important its customers are) and I am awaiting a reply to a second complaint about a same day CHAPS transfer that didn't happen (agian with 4 different stories duringthe curse of the saga). Am now about to write a third letter about another issue I had today when I wanted to transfer money and was told a different story about how much I could transfer in a day and by what means, than I was told twice before a few months ago.

From my experiences to date (and they have been many) I would say they are currently the most incompetent and inefficient bank in offering the poorest customer service. Lets hope the extra jobs are focussed on putting things right and that Santander can at least start to improve from now on.

Sorry about all my typos - the "curse of the saga" , although unintentional, reads pretty well though doesn't it, instead of the "course of the saga"

I've had similar experiences with them (as Abbey) regarding a credit card. Subsequently, I choose not to open any accounts with them, even if the headline rates (for savings, cards, accounts) are best buys. What you gain up front, you will lose later when you waste time, money and patience trying to contact them and resolve an issue of their making.

For an easier life, it is best not to bank with them.

They weren't named Shabby Abbey for nothing - they first need to understand the concept of customer service and the word customer

Incompetent, unhelpful together with appalling IT systems in any product I have had from them. Their response to complaints is to ignore or continue the process for months hoping that customer will just give up

My advice - however good the product might look in the advert steer well clear of this bank

You've said it all for me! The most incompetent institution I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

It took four months to get a replacement zero credit card after a theft. On holiday with no credit card-well done santander.

Echoing all of the above, I would highlight complaint-handling as being unbelievably poor. I have learned that complaints are in fact dealt with in the departments where the errors occurred, with only standardised "acknowledgement" letters being issued from the so-called Customer Relations team. If one is lucky enough to obtain a response, it's almost always necessary to revert back with a list of items they've not responded to, and even then there is an absolute absence of any notion of the concept of customer loyalty. My advice - although alas it will go unheeded - would be:

1 sort out complaints, by getting a proper team together

2 record and act upon RCA gained thereby

3 drive improvements across the piece, with evidence that TCF and Customer Loyalty initiatives also feed in.

Simples....

I have received £1,000 in compensation from Santandurrr in the last 12 months for appalling service. Let's hope it doesn't improve!!

Santander, from these comments appear to be the worst bank in the UK. I haven't had much dealings with them so cannot comment. However, I would say that the banking sector in general treats its customers with contempt and seem more interested in gaining new customers than retaining its existing customers. If anyone can explain to me why this is so when all my marketing experience and wisdom is that retaining customers is far more cost effective than gaining new ones, I'd be delighted to know. (The utilities industries are just the same).

For me, the worst bank I have ever had the misfortune to bank with is Lloyds, truly dreadful, incompetent and totally unrepentant over their failings. The best bank for customer service is First Direct, but even they haven't really moved on in the last few years. And they too don't really appear to care about rewarding their loyal customers - try getting anything like a competitive savings rate with them.

I really hope Metro Bank succeeds and forces the other banks to up their game, it is long, long overdue.

Your article refers to Santander’s service being maligned. The definition of maligned is “to criticize somebody or something in a spiteful and false or misleading way”. I’m not sure that maligned is the correct descriptor; however I’m too polite to put the one that springs to mind. Their incompetence is monumental and their compliance department appears to send complaints to the internal departments to sort out, which is not how the FSA likes matters!

Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones as I have never had a problem with Santander and in fact have received only excellent customer service.

Having read the comments above i actually thought you were commenting about customer service from the Halifax !!!!!

I will never be involved with Santander again!

ISA Transfers? Unbelievable problems!

Satisfaction from Customer Services? Diabolical!

My immediate family used to have 7 different accounts with Abbey and were loyal customers for many years. As the service deteriorated we started to close these accounts until we no longer used the bank.

When it was taken over by Santander we had another go & found the service had changed - IT WAS WORSE! We had all the types of problems detailed by your readers. Yes we complained sufficiently to get some measly compensation. Once again our accounts were closed and there is no way I would return to that shambles of a "bank" whatever they may be offering.

Do they care - do they, heck!

I Join Diane SFor praise of Santandare/Abbey.

I have had an account with Abbey/Santandar for some 25 years and have never had a problen.

However I have had an account with LloydsTSB for about 65 years, and for the last 10 years they have been a pain in the butt. No first prize for guessing which Bank I do my trading with,and in which I hold an account for old times sake.

I've just joined A&L, now Santander, for its high interest rates, and I can tell you it certainly needs to employ a huge number of people to improve its service!

Finally!

I had a Stantandare credit card loads of mastakes

I now have a bank account which has transfered frol A & L and had a charge that was wrong its the first time i have had a problem with the account and ive had it for 9 years

I hope this is not going to happen again or I will be moveing with my feet

So far very unimpressed with them there as doggy as hell

Yes, Atheist and Diane SF, you are the lucky ones.

Do not doubt those that have aired the grievances above. It is normal for a “bad” company to still satisfy a large proportion of customers (50%+), if they didn't, they are certain to go bust. This, however, doesn't mean that they do not have serious problems and so generate an exceptionally high number of problems evidenced by the furious responses/comments. Certain companies like Santander and Ryan Air are perfect examples where they cause numerous problems but those unaffected say "I've never had a problem, what are you lot on about?!?!?”

SANTANDER HA HA HA . I WANTED TO PAY MY BALANCE OVER THE PHONE FOR MY KIA CAR I GAVE THE PERSON MY CARD DETAILS OVER THE PHONE ONLY TO BE ADVISED THAT MY CARD HAD FAILED THE TRANSACTION AND I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING TO CHECK IF THIS TRANSACTION HAD WENT THROUGH. I WAS VERY ANOYED SO THE NEXT MORNING I PHONED MY LOCAL BANK RE THIS RANSACTION TO BE TOLD THAT THE CARD HAD GONE THROUGH OK AND PAYMENT WAS MADE TO SANDANTER. SO I PHONED SANTANDER ONCE MORE AND I WAS ADVISED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE CARD DETAILS ONCE MORE AS CARD DID NOT PASS. I HAD TWO LARGE BALANCES TAKEN OFF INSTEAD OF ONE, LUCKILY WE HAD NO DIRECT DEBITS ??COMING OFF. SANTANDER NO THANKS?????????

Speak as you find-A&L accounts last 10 years-Santander now-

perfect and when a gentleman in Brazil used my Visa details (twice) for the same amount-they told me the day after-and refunded.

Oh yes a £50 HSBS hole in the wall failed to pay out- Refunded.

And have enjoyed the high interest on Savings accounts-well up until

the crisis. Currently enjoy free banking plus 5% interest for one year on £2500 balance..

Pretty dam good-long may they reign over us. "vive la Espana"

The only critic is the cost in rain forests caused by their over zealous correspondence

-but they like to keep you informed.

I wonder if they would like to employ a 72 year old- laughs all the way to the bank

SATAN RED, or Santander as it is more commonly known is a terrible bank run by crooks in much the same way as Lloyds of London formerly under Victor Blank, and now Levene. Basically, these banks are all run by prominent members of freemasons, secret societies: which is exactly the reason why we have a problem with them. Derivatives scandals, etc were all created 'by design' set to make the economy implode and make the rich richer, consolidating wealth in the hands of the few, Rothschilds for example. Metro Bank seems better, yet is also under the vice chairmanship of a freemason, Vernon Hill and displays the masonic chess board flooring and chess design on the back of seats. Until the bankers realise that the general public have no time nor tolerance for secret societies, nor for masonic symbolism in their 'friendly bank', confidence will not be restored

I ordered a new cheque book. They cancelled all my previous cheques without telling me. 4 cheques bounced.

I closed an account, but it was till linked to my cash card so that was automatically cancelled.

The staff are all very pleasant but they must be driven up the wall by their incompetent IT systems.

I have been waiting for over 2 weeks to access my on-line current account with A&L (held for over 20 years) since Santander began the merger.

Customer Services take hours to answer the phone if at all , and when they do they just pass the buck.

Santander branch bank can't or won't resolve it (when I was told to go there) and the A&L branch can't resolve it because they can't get hold of the online help.

And you call this service! I would call it the WORST service I have ever come across and I Still CAN NOT access my current account with little hope of doing so for another 2 weeks.

I have a Santander credit card, ISA, and e-saver and have recently transfered my current account to them. I haven't had any issues so far :)

Moved to them after 10 years+ at Nationwide.

Nationwide have really gone to pot! Interest rates in the pan, poor customer service and over a month to transfer in an ISA as their head office was kicking its heels!!

Viva Espana!!!!

I'm having problems trying to fix up a mortgage at the moment. So far, after two weeks, I haven't even got as far as a telephone interview. The latest problem is that the computer is rejecting my address: "computer glitch" I am told, nothing to do with us. But until the technician has fixed it we're stuck.

Misinformation is another problem. I called to speak to someone today who had been dealing with the application and was told first that she was on the phone and when I called later that she was "in a meeting." Later I found she had not been in at all!

I've been trying to transfer an ISA from my building society into an Alliance & Leicester ( now Santander) ISA since the middle of May. It went walkabouts and has cost me more in failed telephone calls than the interest I should have earned. When I did finally get through the person I spoke with couldn't help as the ISA dept were not answering her calls, blew my top when she suggested phoning back next day. "Secure messages also a waste of time, after 5 days they finally replied to say they have not received the building society cheque, the same day as I get a (undated) letter from them saying they received it mid-June. Still did not show up in in my account though. I have since discovered they transferred it to another ISA I had with Bradford & Bingley (now also Satander) !!! - Their starting to worry me so I'm slowly moving my accounts to LTSB and Egg

I really can't advise anyone to deposit money with Santander/B+B/Abbey National/god knows who else! I have been trying to get Santander to return J30,000 from an expired B+B bond for over 2 months now, despite over 120 minutes of international calls, 1 registerd letter, 3 (4 if you count the undelivered fax to a non existent fax number, given to me by a member of the postal team) fax and following their customer services instructions to a T. I am no closer to getting my money returned than I was on day one of asking. Worst customer services ever but very happy to take the money.

I don't suppose my anger expressed here will do me the slightest bit of good in helping to get my money returned, Onbudsman do you read these pages?

I wonder what my chances are in getting compensation for stress, sleepness nights, telephone calls, etc?

Maybe someone from Santander reads these comments and would care to give me a call on +380993754256 or robin932@yahoo.co.uk

Santander is quite simply the worst bank I have ever dealt with in over 40 years.

Just carrying out the simple task of transferring money from a postal account to another bank required:

1. A visit to an Abbey National Branch to ask how they would prefer me to do that. I got the "Computer Says No" treatment from a counter clerk. She told me to write to the bank.

2. I wrote to the bank. The bank replied to say that it wouldn't transfer funds to another bank. It asked for identification.

3. I called the bank and asked if I could take my passport and other identification to my local Alliance & Leicester Branch. "Yes" they said.

4. I went in there and the counter clerk asked for my Pass Book. I explained that I didn't want to draw any money, I just wanted her to certify copies of my Passport and a couple of utility bills. This miserable individual gave me the "Computer Says No" treatment again while she did as I asked.

5. I took my certified identification documents with copies of my Santander statements for my two savings accounts to the Barnet branch. A very helpful person tried to help me, but couldn't do anything. She discovered that my Postal Account had been frozen because I hadn't used it in a long time. "Of course I haven't used it", I explained, "its a savings account". She and a colleague tried to unblock it and failed. I left the branch one and a half hours later no further than when I started.

6. I decided to write to seven of the umpteen directors of the bank with copies of where I'd got to and a complaint of how useless the bank was. Of course, the managing director, passed my letter to their Complaints Department which would bog me down in a further administrative quagmire.

7. The Complaints Department wrote to me. I called the FSA and the Financial Ombudsman. Where did it get me? Nowhere. And Santander know that.

8. I wrote to the Complaints Department and copied the managing director, the FSA and the Financial Ombudsman.

9. The bank also told me that it would send me new pass codes for my other account, an on-line account, as I couldn't use it.

10. They did that eventually and when I tried to use it, it didn't work. Someone called me to ask if I had any problems with the bank and whether they could help me. I explained that the pass codes they sent me didn't work. When he looked up my account, he told me that they had given me the old pass codes and had not migrated me on to their new system. He told me that he would send me new pass codes. All this happened in the same month.

11. Out of the blue, I received a letter with a cheque closing my postal account last month. I felt like I had achieved the impossible.

12. I have also just received my new pass codes for my on-line account. I have loaded them up and can now at least access my account. I haven't tried to transfer any money out of it yet. I shudder to think what will happen when I try.

As stated above, Santander is the worst bank I have ever dealt with in over 40 years and I work in the financial industry. I would like to close all of my accounts with them and never deal with them again.

They claim to care about giving good customer service, but that is only words. The service I received was a million miles from reasonable service, let alone good service.

Just been in to local branch of Santander to withdraw funds of my matured one year bond. Told computer says 'No'. Appears funds have not been transferred internally so not paying out to me or anybody else. Suggested I go home and wait for them to call me and say when it's possible. Having trouble understanding how I lent them money but they don't pay me back. Presumably their as understanding with those that owe them money...............

Positively the worst bank in the UK, useless, useless customer service, been trying for two days to get throught to speak to a customer advisor, there always busy. If you do ever get through the staff don't appear to have had any training and will often just cut you off if they are unable to answer your questions. I am (trying) to close my account, I have no confidence in the bank and seriously worry about leaving my money with these clowns

I have had a savings account for a long time, containing many thousands. I first opened it as a Safeway Instant Access telephone savings account, and then eventually it was taken over by Santander. Like the person above I was using it as a rainy day emergency fund and didn't touch it. I only found out it was locked when I started asking if I could use the internet to administer it.

I was not allowed to have it unlocked over the phone and was ordered to go to my local branch. So I went, a cashier looked at all my identity documents and then told me to come back the next day when the manager was in. I did that, and the same cashier went through all the same documents again, finally accepting I was me. Then I was told that in order to complete the unlocking process I had to present myself at the branch on 3 seperate occasions to pay in cash each time, and if I successfully completed that task I would have an appointment with the manager who may agree to allow me to make withdrawals. Hello? I am 58 not 6 and you have a 5-figure sum of MY money already.

What really bugs me is that these extra visits with cash are not going to prove my identity any more than I already have done. Surely a better test would be to have me pay in a sum in the normal direct transfer way, then they can see I do actually have access to another of Inge Jones's bank accounts too. As I said to the cashier (and his friend who was by now joining in with amusement) this is just an over-officious hoopjumping exercise. The cashier said he thought that would make a good slogan for the bank. Looks like the staff aren't enjoying their time there any more than the customers are.

Santander may be a fiscally sound bank, but it is a STONE COLD BUSINESS entity. If you want any "personal" service at all, this is NOT the bank for you. I have most of my retirement savings in a Santander owned bank in the U.S. and when I was recently on holiday in Scotland, Santander flatly refused to advance me any cash on my credit card ... I met with the branch manager and she said that even she couldn't make it happen, no matter that it was an urgent situation. On the recommendation of a local resident, I tried the Royal Bank of Scotland across the street, and they very graciously ran a paper imprint of my card and gave me a modest cash advance. I was very impressed and grateful.

Every branch of the RBS has a sign on the front of the building ...

"Welcome ... We're here to help ... Here for You"

The signs and the philosophy will be IMMEDIATE casualties when Santander takes over any RBS branches. I will be moving all my business out of any Santander owned bank as soon as possible.

Art in Carlisle PA USA