Being Harassed by Santander Bank - Absolutely Disgusted

[NameChanger22]

A few weeks ago I started a thread on here about how Santander Bank kept repeatedly sending the mail of an ex-boyfriend to my address, even though we split up and he moved out 12 years ago, died 2 years ago and I have repeatedly sent mail back to them for 12 years and I have phoned them and made complaints about it twice. He owed them £1,200. He owed everyone money, he owed me a lot more than £1,200.

In the end I went into to my local branch and showed them my council tax bills for the last 6 years proving he hadn’t been living at my address for a long time as all the bills were addressed to me alone and I have the 25% single person discount.

A week ago I got a letter from Santander (addressed to me) saying I was wrong to complain but that they weren’t going to send anymore mail to my address.

Today I got a letter from Santander (addressed to The Personal Representative of the Late [ex boyfriend’s name]). First of all I’m not his representative, so that annoyed me. The letter went on to read:

“At this difficult time, customer care is obviously the main priority and I therefore wanted to advise you that we have referred the above mentioned account to our specialist probate partner, Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK) Ltd.

Until further notice, Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK) Ltd will be responsible for managing this account on our behalf, and where appropriate will take steps to come to an amicable arrangement for the repayment of the outstanding balance from any existing estate.

All future communications should be directed to Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK) Ltd in the first instance ….”

I cannot believe a bank can do this. They said a week ago they would stop sending post to my address and then this. I am extremely worried about this. Can they really get another company to come after me for the debt of a dead ex-boyfriend who hasn’t lived at my address for 12 years. I just don’t understand this at all. Please help and stop me from panicking, especially advise me if you have any real understanding of the law.

Thanks so much.

Well, that was inept of them. Though, a council tax bill doesn't really prove someone doesn't live with you.

Just send the letter back, as you have said you will, with details of his next of kin (not his gf, she's not nok) if you know them. They will need to show the death cert and add these details to the probate record.

@ShorelyKnot

The customer has not disputed the debt, have they?

The customer has not done anything.

The bank is NOT harassing the OP. They have not even addressed the OP, she just keeps opening other people's letters and getting upset about their contents. It's not harassment to write to someone else, is it!?

It's inept and annoying. It's upsetting. But it's not bloody harassment when the letters are not even addressed to her!

Ah well I tried. The FCA is there to protect consumers and would step in.

I think it was a mistake to even open the letter addressed to "the personal representative of..." - that isn't you. The letter should have been either forwarded to next of kin of the deceased if known or returned to sender with a covering letter saying you have no idea who the personal representative is otherwise.

I know people like to throw this out there all the time these days, but in all seriousness OP I would go to a solicitor and seek advice about suing the bank for this. Please consider this option. What's happened is unacceptable.

[email protected] try this

After a worrying night I have decided to weigh up all my many option so I don’t make any mistakes.

VanGoghsDog and Edwinbear, I am thankful for your input so far but I would prefer it if you don’t comment further. For obvious reason, I do not trust Santander Bank and therefore I cannot trust employees of Santander Bank. Please don’t take this personally, but you may not be giving me impartial advice.

Many different pieces of advice have been given to me, so I’m going to list my options and hope someone with good sound legal knowledge can help me make the best decision or at least tell me what not to do.

1. Ignore and hope it goes away.
2. Contact Financial Ombudsman (I did this yesterday).
3. Contact the Financial Conduct Authority.
4. Go to Citizens Advice.
5. Write to Santander, or phone or go to my local branch again.
6. Write to the CEO of Santander (I did this yesterday, but I don’t think I am able to get an email through to him).
7. Contact Phillip & Cohen Associates and explain what has been happening to me.
8. Send post back to Santander (I’ve been doing this for 12 years, it hasn’t worked so far and now I don’t want to voluntarily send back evidence).
9. Try and contact the family of the deceased and ask them to get involved.

10. Contact Experion for credit check (this might upset and stress me out further). 11. Get a lawyer and sue the bank. 12. Go to the press.

Thanks for your help with this.

Whose name is on the outside of the post?

If it isn't yours, then either just write, not at this address and whack it in a post box the next time you are passing or put it in the bin.

If the post isn't being addressed to you then it just isn't your problem to solve.

I have been wacking the post in the post box or putting it in the bin for 12 years, it hasn't worked and I now have this problem.

On 22nd March Santander addressed the post to me and said they wouldn't contact me again.

On 29th March Santander sent post to my address (knowing this is my address and not somebody else's address), but this time sent the post to "The Personal Representative of the Late Mr [namechanger's ex-boyfriend".

I don't think my dead ex boyfriend has a personal representative, if he does it certainly isn't me since we split up 12 years ago and he hasn't lived at my address since. So why send post not directed to me to my address?

I feel like it is my problem to solve as post is still being sent to my address and I'm getting threats about debt collection.

I feel like it is my problem to solve as post is still being sent to my address and I'm getting threats about debt collection.

No, you're not. The person who the letters are addressed to is getting threats - it's nothing to do with you so just ignore them. They can't chase you for anything so just put them in the bin.

Santander are only writing to your address because they have no other way of contacting your ex or any of his family. If the only address they have for him happens to be yours, they don't really have any other option.

Now they've passed it on to an external company who, again, only has your address as a means of contact. However it still doesn't mean it has anything to do with you!

I have just been reading reviews of Santander online and they seem to get an average of 1 out of 5 stars and lots and lots of bad things said about them. I do not trust this bank in any way.

But the threats are to the Personal Representative? You are not his personal personal representative.

Hold on to the letter addressed to you and just forget about the rest, it is an annoyance, not a big problem.

If you can't be arsed to return, just bin unopened. It isn't your post, therefore it isn't your problem.

We get post here to the people who owned the house before us (been here 9 years now). I couldn't tell you what the post is about, I just chuck it.

If I find out his previous addresses will this new company then send post there instead? Even though he no longer lives there, as he is dead?

Okay, I'll just do nothing then and forget about it. Until the next time.

Don't know, I wouldn't contact the new company.

You have a letter from Santander saying they would not contact you again.

If anyone contacts you directly then you could perhaps redirect them. But I wouldn't be giving this new debt collection company my details.

It just isn't your problem. Forget it. In the bin and don't open anything not addressed to you.

Don't give it headspace the next time either, not your name, not your problem.

Straight in the bin.

I don't work for Santander but I agree with those who do.

This is incompetence and a box needs to be ticked on a system somewhere to stop it but it's not intentionally, cruel, devious, underhand or any of the insults you are throwing around.

You are making far more of this than you need to. Return the next letter to Phillip wotsits as 'not known at this address' then bin the rest.

Don't contact the new company - it has nothing to do with you so why do you keep getting involved?

We get post here all the time for the previous occupant who has sadly passed away. We just chuck them in the bin - her mail is absolutely nothing to do with us.

Why give it the headspace?

Thanks. I am just ignoring it now and hope it goes away.

I haven't said Santander have been cruel, devious or underhand. I haven't used any of those words. I said I have felt harassed because Santander have been pursuing this against my wishes, have ignored my attempts to put a stop to it and it has made me worry.

I don't trust this bank, partly because of this, but also because of the reviews I have been reading about them, so it's not just me who has had a very bad experience of them; and I'm not even a customer.

Get in contact with the Financial Conduct Authority or contact Martin Lewis on Twitter - he's helped me with a situation with HMRC.

Thanks Nomorepies. I did this yesterday. I don't want compensation, I just want it to stop.

Option 13. Buy a shredder and put them straight in unopened.

I feel like I will be back on Mumsnet complaining about this and asking for advice again in the future, but hopefully not. If I do need to do that, does anybody know how I link threads so I don't need to explain it all again?