Santander in Bristol - where?

[Dumbledoresgirl]

I need a proper, fully functioning bank type branch of Santander. You may wonder what other type of Santander you can get. Well, where I live, it is an "agency" not a "bank" and cannot give me access to money I have in an account

So, I rang Santander and asked if I could get the money by post. Yes but it would take weeks and if I went into a branch, I could get the money there and then.

So where is my nearest branch? I asked. She spouted names of streets in Bristol but when I looked them up, some of them are not even in Bristol!

So please, to save me a wasted journey, could anyone definitely confirm there is a working, fully operating Santander bank on any of the following streets, and which one would it be easiest for me to get to and park near, given I am coming from outside Bristol, via the A38:

Merchant Street
Whiteladies Road
East St Bedminster
Kings Chase shopping centre, Kingswood
Baldwin Street

Sudden hopeful thought: is there one at Cribbs Causeway?

the one in Whiteladies Road is just an agency, I think. They deal with debt rearranging or some such nonsense.

Just went past on bus - it definitely has an ATM, so might be a proper branch.

Whiteladies is fully functioning, in a very loose sense of the word....

East St bedminster is a proper one but not exactly convenient for you, and is v. small so would phone to check services first.
Baldwin st is an old Alliance and Leic, in case that matters.

Merchant St prob best bet. Is in Broadmead/Cabots circus shopping centre. Could park in Cabots Car park Coming off M32 in to BRistol, walk through CC shopping centre til get to Merchant St, turn R (opp BHS, I think) and is tucked away at end of St (opposite Chandos Deli). 10 min walk from car park (assuming no toddlers in tow!).

Good luck!

Oh Lord, thanks for the info - all useful stuff. No-one know about the one in Kings Chase shopping centre which is the one I thought would probably be nearest? I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up going down to my parents in Winchester, Hampshire and using that branch there! That was where I originally opened the account 18 years ago! For this reason, and a major other one, I can certainly tell you Santander won't be getting my custom again!

If you haven't been yet, the Whiteladies Road one (if it's 107 Whiteladies Road) has close local parking in the Clifton Down shopping centre - multi-storey, entrance on Alma Road. (Free for the first 30 minutes, 50p for up to one hour, £1 for 2 hours, free if you do a shop at Sainsbury's downstairs.) You exit through the shopping centre (with Sainsbury's etc in it), cross the road, turn right, and Santander is a very short distance down the road.

I can't answer for that branch's competence though - I spent nearly an hour there last year trying to sort out DD's child trust fund, and a couple of months later got a letter from head office which proved that absolutely none of the paperwork I'd filled in or documents I had produced had been passed on...

No not been yet. The fact that I am feeling quite ill at the moment and totally lacking in energy coupled with your story of incompetence at the Whiteladies branch does not inspire me to try, though thanks for the great info re parking. It is that sort of minor detail (not knowing any of Bristol, where you can park, one way streets etc) that really helps and when I am feeling stronger, I will give it a go. Thanks.

You want the Merchant Street one, you can park in The Galleries car park.

I wanted to withdraw some cash from the Whiteladies Road branch the other day and they didn't have enough money on site!

I will be after a cheque, but thanks for info anyway. LOL just how much cash were you after?!

I still havent been yet as I now don't have a working car (another reason I need to get the money).

Yup, agree with Saggy

Parking is rubbish on Whiteladies anyway!

Mission finally achieved today at the branch in Merchant St. Thanks very much for all your advice on this thread. Dh was rather annoyed with me for insisting on going to the Merchant St branch but I have long known to trust the judgement of Mumsnetters!