To have cried in tesco.

[storminabuttercup]

Yes I am fucking unreasonable. And a knob!

Last week I was moaning about morrisons over charging me. And that I complained. Karma has just bit me on the fucking arse.

This is long and ranty.

Had a horrid day at work, got a text when I left from dp to say we'd run out of milk. So popped in to tesco. Whilst in there I got some cake making stuff I needed and a cheap bottle of wine (simply chenin blanc, try it it's good)

Goes to the till, lady scanned stuff, put my card in, incorrect pin, tried again, still saying incorrect. Used other card with same bank, incorrect pin. Till lady suggests I use cash machine.

Goes outside tried both cards with right pin again says wrong.

Now my fucking card is blocked.

Phoned Santander. No worries madam, we will sort it. Just answer these security questions, so I did, failed security. Please don't ask how because this is beyond me! Bloke on phone wouldn't discuss.

Goes to car emptied handbag and gathered loose change from all over the car, convinced I had enough.

Go back in, woman had wiped my bill off as she thought I wasn't going back.

Take shopping to self service. Checkout bloke comes over to authorise cheap wine, asks for I'D. I say please tell me you are kidding, he laughed and said yes love sorry.

Put handful of cash in, I'm 59p short, at this point my eyes are stinging, I call check out bloke and say please can I remove a box of icing sugar as I'm short (no way was I giving up my wine)

Till Bloke says two minutes love, comes back and put 59p in my till. At this point overcome by his generosity and my own embarrassment I begin to cry. I thanked the man and sobbed 'you are just so kind' he looked a bit scared and I said 'i will fetch you the money back I promise'

I sobbed all the way home.

Are you still reading? Have a we deserve it!!

Did you get sorted? Lovely bloke helping you out

Santander are dreadful.

First Direct are wonderful. I have been with them since they first opened. I think they were the first telephone bank, before we had computers!!!

I have never had a problem with them. I wouldn't consider banking with anyone else.

I am glad you met a kind person op.

Now change your bank account.

Seems like Santander are the pits.

Noone will speak to me now as I've been 'referred to branch'

Ive emailed a complaint and will wait and see.

I hope you get your card sorted Storm. What a lovely man for helping you out.

I hate bank security. You can't really write your security info down as it defeats the purpose of being secure and then you are expected to remember information you said years before. Crazy.

I know security has to be tight but sometimes it takes the p*. HSBC stops my card everytime I try to book a hotel abroad online even if I have set my holiday destination with them. However they were very good recently at spotting 1 unusual transaction (not a high amount) and they were right that it wasn't me so I was glad they'd stopped the card and sent me a new one.

What a nice man OP. Restores your faith in human nature.

Santander are the pits. We've had an account there for over 30 years (when it was Abbey who were fine). Always have plenty of money in it, never been overdrawn. Plus both DH and I have 4 ISAs with them. Wanted to set up another ISA this year and you would not believe the security questions. Then, having answered all their security questions they had the cheek to say they still needed proof of identity posted to them (even though the money was simply being transferred from one of our accounts to another of our accounts there) e.g. passport, driving licence.

At which point DH, who was doing the transaction had total melt down and demanded to speak to the supervisor who also would not authorise it, then demanded to speak to the account director. After explaining to him that it was a bit stupid to be taking precautions against identify theft by asking a customer to post a bloody passport or driving licence the director conceded the rule was total bollocks and agreed to the transfer.

Am really thinking of ditching them except I guess other banks are similar.

If banks paid more attention to their bosses taking silly risks with money, fixings LIBOR rates and generally fucking up they would do better....

Enjoy your OP

I hate Santander. And Lloyds TSB. And one particular brand of Sainsbury's.

Nationwide scrape through my exacting list of requirements so I deign to bank with them.

I hate security questions.

Q. "What's your favourite food?"
A. "Errrrrm, rice?"

Who has a favourite food past the age of 10?

They don't even let you go through a list of all the 'favourite foods' you can possibly think of. Rice, cinnamon whirl, smoked salmon, mushroom tagliatelle... Even worse when you are pregnant and don't care about anything except where to get discontinued Jacobs Thai Bites in sweet chilli flavour. I hate Jacobs for discontinuing those

I am sorry to say you probably won't get far with the complaints department. I had about 3 complaints open at one time and could never get an answer from anyone. Or ever get through without holding for 10 minutes, after the automated system claimed to NEVER recognise my account number. Santander are seriously rubbish, the best way to make an impact as consumers is to take our money elsewhere (First Direct).

*branch

I was sat IN santander in front of an advisor, on the phone to their fraud team and I failed the security questions. I Hung up the phone advisor asked what was wrong I told her and she was rang straight back and got it sorted straight away.

They wanted me to tell them to the penny how much had come in and out my account in the last 2 weeks...