Santander wont let me have my own damn money

[downfader]

Just wasted a morning. Its a 2 mile walk to the local bank, so I head off to go and get a counter cheque (I dont trust credit cards or online money, theres a history to this) only after queuing for about 20 minutes I get told:

"We dont do cheques for less than £1000"

WTF. Since when? I was hoping to send the payment off this morning for two new cameras and now I cant. She said "you can have it in cash!"

Does the bank or their staff REALLY think that me posting cash through the post is going to be safe? Jesus. Even with insured delivery I aint doing that. I suppose I could split it over postal orders, but that will work out at about £70 surcharge on top.

Its annoying when you've been a good customer and they treat you like scum. I would go to another bank but when they were Abbey they seemed to have black listed me (never been in debt, never been illegal with money). Everything I ever read about banks is how much money they all get in bonuses, and how much profit they have (even when they're taxpayer owned).

Bunch of greedy, unhelpful w***ers.

 

[HLaB]

That's because they usually give all their money to me (at least thats what their emails say ) and they've nothing left for anyone else; maybe I'll have to open Santander account one day to replace my Natwest one which has been shut 500 times, or was that the Santander one

 

[asterix]

2 mile walk? I'd have cycled!

 

[downfader]

I would bank with someone else. I had real trouble getting other ones to listen, went through the whole rigamarole of ID, form filling and then found out my bank had pressed a button somewhere saying I'm effectively not trustworthy.

Weird thing was I was STILL getting letters off them saying "have a credit card!! Go on, have two!" Up until about 2-3 years back. I personally think credit cards are the most dangerous way to use money, as it isnt yours and you end up in debt. All banks should just issue their members with PAYG top-up cards that work like Visa and allow you to order online without the risks associated with online banking or CCs.

 

[downfader]

2 mile walk? I'd have cycled!

I know, but it was peeing down, I didnt fancy it. Easier to walk, less of a problem with parking etc.

 

[downfader]

Cheques are on their way out in the UK aren't they? They're as rare as hen's teeth here and counter cheques only get used for really big purchases like buying a car or a house. People manage OK, but I think it's a shame. The assumption is that everyone uses plastic for legit purchases.

The elderly will be disenfranchised through the abolition imo. They and people with learning difficulties will end up being more prone to electronic fraud I reckon.

 

[rich p]

I have a cheque book, rarely used but occasionally useful.

 

[beanzontoast]

I don't see getting rid of cheques as a progressive move. If I want to buy something on Ebay I have 4 options -

1. Go fetch it and pay cash (only ever done this twice, and one of those involved a 60 mile round trip)

2. PayPal (I don't use it and never wish to)

3. Postal Order (that's assuming the seller will accept it - and then there's the surcharge on top)

4. Cheque.

So basically I'm well and truly stuffed without cheques unless I cave in and sign up to PayPal.

 

[Over The Hill]

5. Pay by credit or debit card
6. Pay electronically into their account.
7. Pay the money in at the bank into their account.

If you live in the system of 40 years ago and reject all the new ways of paying that have opened up since then you end up with no options.

Do they still do postal orders?

No one should have any issue with giving out their bank account and sort code details to anyone. Neither is a security issue and after all it is printed on every cheque anyway.

Why are you writing an instruction on a bit of paper (cheque) sending it to someone, that someone then sending it to his bank to then arrange the funds to be passed accross?
Just walk to the counter and pay it into the account by whatever means takes your fancy. Or sit at home and do it on your computer to save the effort.

Even the VAT office asked me to not send a cheque to them and wanted me to pay it direct!

 

[mr_cellophane]

Wire me the money and I will send a cheque back to you by return. No commission charged.

 

[beanzontoast]

5. Pay by credit or debit card
6. Pay electronically into their account.
7. Pay the money in at the bank into their account.

If you live in the system of 40 years ago and reject all the new ways of paying that have opened up since then you end up with no options.

I do a lot of online shopping electronically, so not entirely averse to such methods. However, don't think I'd ever give my credit or debit card details out or pay money electronically into the bank of a private seller on an auction site, personally. Just don't feel comfortable with it.

 

[Dan B]

No one should have any issue with giving out their bank account and sort code details to anyone. Neither is a security issue and after all it is printed on every cheque anyway.

Apart from that you're giving the recipient all the info they need to set up direct debits in your name which you then have to spend your own time on cancelling and recovering the money

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1574781/Jeremy-Clarkson-eats-his-words-over-ID-theft.html

 

[Riverman]

I can't stand Santander but then most of the banks are pretty useless. Abbey always used to be really stingy when it came to student/graduate overdrafts, i.e.- sending a letter out and putting a missed payment on your credit record if you didn't put more than £1000 each month into the account once you'd graduated. Do they really expect people to get a job immediately after graduating?

I've had worse problems with Santander though. They entered my address details incorrectly (first line of address was wrong) and I couldn't recieve any post from them. Then when I lost my card, they refused to let me withdraw any money until I showed them a statement from Santander. Putting me in a catch 22 situation as I could not receive mail from them to enable me to do this. Neither could I change my address until I showed them proof of ownership of the account (i.e.- the card I'd lost) ah! It took a lot of ranting to resolve it so you're not alone.

 

[snorri]

I had an account with Girobank, who were taken over by Alliance and Leicester(whose name irritated me no end ) , and who in turn were taken over by Santander. I have had no problems with any of them, and haven't visited a branch office for donkeys years.

 

[asterix]

You think you've got problems..

I'd an account with the Anglia Building Society who were taken over by Alliance and Leicester who then became a bank and gave me some shares. Then they started doing daft things, lost loadsa money and were taken over by Santander. My shares became worth roughly 0.148571428571429 of their previous value. But what the heck.. It's only money.