Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

Absolutely livid and petrified

145 replies

RichTeaAreCrap · 01/08/2011 18:14

Bollocks. That's all.

I have just been to the supermarket and had my card declined. One week after payday. I have come home and rang the bank and some bastard has used my card online to the tune of almost 2.5K Shock

I was furious at my bank for allowing this to happen - surely it looked suspicious to them that it was being used abroad and in the UK at the same time.

I am even more furious at the bastard who has helped themselves to my money. I am now absolutely skint for the rest of the month. They did leave me with £19 to live on.....how fucking kind of them.

How embarassing having to walk out of Tesco's without any shopping. Aaaaarggggghhhh. I have been ill recently and wasn't feeling too great today and this just finished me off. I burst into tears at the checkout mumbling to the lady that I had no idea what was wrong and I would call the bank to sort it and come back in and pay. I didn't go back in because I couldn't pay.

Luckily most of my bills have been paid for the month but I've got nothing left at all. No petrol money, no food money and nothing to live on. Sods law too that 3 months ago I cut up my credit card so don't even have one to use.

My bank won't give me an overdraft even though they know that it is obvious what has happened. I have to wait for them to investigate and they will refund the money but it could take 'up to six weeks'.

So......I have 4 potatoes, a chicken, 2 apples and half a pint of milk for the month. Has anyone got any miracle way of making that spread for 25 days?! Grin

Feel free to ignore, I am so bloody angry and just having a rant. I am terrified now of this month and how on earth I am going to manage.

I am ill, my mum is ill and I have been looking after her this month after she was admitted to hospital, she is 300 miles away, I am about to lose my job. Can anything else go wrong for me?

Did I mention that I was pissed off? Angry

OP posts:
TheOriginalFAB · 01/08/2011 19:49

I am with Nationside and they stopped my card when someone tried to take a quid. They didn't tell me though. Found out in the shop Hmm

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 01/08/2011 19:53

Well I'll certainly be changing banks after this, I can't believe how unhelpful they have been. I have been with them for at least 15 years (previously Abbey national). That counts for nothing these days though.

OP posts:
eandh · 01/08/2011 19:56

I work for Santander in a branch

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 01/08/2011 20:00

God that's awful eandh and you work there but they still couldn't help? That doesn't give me much hope - so they wont necessarily give me an overdraft if I go into the branch?

Is there anything I can do to get this money back quickly? I need it really fast and can't wait for 6 weeks.

OP posts:
caughtinanet · 01/08/2011 20:04

What an awful situation, I had some trouble with the terminally useless Santander recently and I looked on the MSE forums and there were lots of threads about their appalling lack of customer service.

It might be worth posting over there as well to see if anyone can help.

caughtinanet · 01/08/2011 20:04

What an awful situation, I had some trouble with the terminally useless Santander recently and I looked on the MSE forums and there were lots of threads about their appalling lack of customer service.

It might be worth posting over there as well to see if anyone can help.

EveryonesJealousOfWeasleys · 01/08/2011 20:15

eandh I know you are being supportive but I really would suggest you get your post deleted - it would definitely be construed as gross misconduct if they somehow managed to trace it back to you. You can't be too careful!

OP good luck going into the branch tomorrow, if that fails chick's solicitor suggestion sounds like an excellent next step, followed by the Guardian.

Stick to your guns girl, it's not as if they can't afford to lend you this amount of money short term.

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 01/08/2011 20:17

I had an issue with them a few months ago - I had asked for paper statements (they switched them to paperless without me requesting it). They raised a complaint for me and I sent 4 chase up emails. In the end they sorted it out, but it took 7 weeks for them to do it.

OP posts:
eandh · 01/08/2011 20:29

I would have it deleted but I to be honest I haven't said anything that isn't the truth. Branch staff are very limited to what they can do and the systems are not the best (and this is admitted by higher managment and meant to be resolved and one new part has launched today) I would advise going into branch speaking to Banking Adviser who can look at history on account, then asking them to put you on phone to complaints who will be able to log complaint and deal with reimbursement of any fees etc. ALso quote the T&C as someone put on one of their posts.

daisydotandgertie · 01/08/2011 20:32

We had a very similar thing happen with Santander about three years ago.

They didn't want to help us. At all. But we went to the branch and refused to move until they helped us. We hadn't got access to a bean because our problem was that someone had accessed DHs account over the phone and moved all the savings into the current account and then withdrawn the lot, up to the overdraft limit.

We just kept saying the same old thing 'we have no money because you have allowed someone else to access our account illegally. You cannot leave us with no money as a result of your error.

The branch manager opened us a brand new account and gave that account a substantial overdraft. They are not able to access the 'frauded' account at all because it's immediately locked down by their security teams, so there's no point pursuing that tbh. We were able to take out a good chunk of cash there and then over the counter - make sure you get enough because the new cheque books and cards and pins take ages to come through - ours took at least 2 weeks. You can always go back in and get more over the counter though; our trouble was that our nearest branch was more than a 30 mile round trip.

Take plenty of ID, photographic, and a couple of recent utility bills to prove you are who you say you are because if your branch is anything like ours, they kept banging on about them not being sure we were who we said we were - that we could have been fraudsters. Take the ID with you so they have no wriggle room.

It was very, very hard to do - and even harder to finally sort out afterwards. We were in there for a very long time. We said we'd have to wait for the manager to arrive because we weren't able to go anywhere until our problem was resolved.

We did pursue compensation too which was hard fought, but did cover our costs and some of the trouble it caused.

Good luck and it is resolvable.

WasSparklies · 01/08/2011 20:34

OP - wow, I am sorry this has happened to you and I'm extra sorry Santander are being so utterly shite, but I cannot say I am surprised.

Back when they were Abbey, we kept getting bank cards (and PINs) for the previous tenant of our flat - who knows if the tenant had updated their address with the bank but if they were anything like NatWest were with me they probably had, and nobody changed it. I kept sending them back saying not at this address, but the cards and PINs still kept coming. In the end I had to go into the bank in person and tell them to please stop it.

Maybe email them a link to this thread as that might get their attention then!

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 01/08/2011 21:07

All these stories are awful about them. I am sorry that others have had the same crappy service as I am experiencing now.

I'll try and do what I can tomorrow, I'll let you know how I'll get on.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

OP posts:
mrstimlovejoy · 01/08/2011 21:24

i had my card cloned after using it at a cashpoint they only took a small amount out as i realised straight away after checking statement online and had the card cancelled.this was at the end of may and i'm still waiting to get the money back.i'm with santander too

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 01/08/2011 21:30

bloody hell mrstimelovejoy......the end of May? That is disgusting. They told me 'up to 6 weeks' and I thought that was terrible so god knows how annoyed you are with them.

OP posts:
Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 02/08/2011 18:15

I just typed out a long update and MN went offline so lost it all.

Well.......I went into the branch today. After spending almost an hour with them telling them how furious I was and them making several phone calls to head office and the fraud team, it turns out they can't or won't help me. eandh was write in her post above. They won't give me an overdraft and say they will try and deal with it as quickly as possible but kept reminding me it could take 'up to 6 weeks'.

They did say that if I struggle to make my next mortgage payment (yes my mortgage is with them too) that they will make a note on my account to explain why and wouldn't penalise me. Oh how bloody kind of them. I won't struggle because I have already paid it this month and I will have been paid before the next one is due, so that 'help' they offered me is meaningless.

My neighbour brought some food round today which was really kind of her. I just have no money, a phone bill to pay, petrol to buy and need money to live on for 3 weeks until I get paid. I can't even get to see my mum either which I am sad about. All because Santander allowed someone to take my money without their security systems flagging it up. I am so angry with them about this.

As soon as this is all over I am going to close my account and change banks, I can't risk this happening again and just can't put up with the dreadful customer service they have.

OP posts:
uggmum · 02/08/2011 18:25

This Happened to me. My card was cloned. I called the bank the day it happened. The transactions were taking me over my limit.

The bank refunded the entire amount of the transactions immediately. I signed a declaration and returned it with my card.

I am shocked that your bank won't help you. When it's over I would recommend that you change banks. Even if they can't refund the money, they should give you a temporary overdraft facility until it is resolved.

RandomMess · 02/08/2011 18:26

that is just truly awful. Who is that newspaper bloke that chases up these things on your behalf, he could help you get some compensation?

SoupDragon · 02/08/2011 18:32

The person in the Daily Telegraph is Jessica something. Jessica Investigates is the column. oddly enough, Santander features regularly when I read it at my parents'

PhyllisDiller · 02/08/2011 18:38

Bad enough to have your money stolen, but how crap of Santander.

An odd idea....but one that might be worth a try, if you have a regular income and a good credit rating I wonder if you could get a new current account now. Pick a good bank and see if they would open an account with a temporary overdraft for you. Most banks see current accounts and sales and they?d be getting a new customer on the back of anther banks cock up, they?d love that. You could pay the O/D off when Santander get their sorry act together.

BecauseImWorthIt · 02/08/2011 18:42

If you earn enough/can open more than one account, I can really recommend first direct. I had some fraudulent activity on of my accounts that they picked up, before I noticed, and it was all sorted out the same day without me losing a penny.

I am so Angry on your behalf that you are having to go through this. I have removed all of our various accounts/bonds with Santander, and they were shit at dealing with them all. They made it as difficult as possible for me to get the money out.

gregssausageroll · 02/08/2011 18:55

I can't believe they are being so unhelpful.

I agree, try and open a new current account. Some offer overdrafts of £1000 as standard. I know RBS did when I openened mine.

moonmother · 02/08/2011 18:58

I too have had problems with Santander - not theft from my account tho, it was £100 of charges on my account for going overdrawn by 12p.

I went into my local branch and got nowhere, I phoned the telephone banking dept on advice from local branch and got nowhere.

Finally I rang the customer complaints dept and got through to a lovely helpful guy there who refunded and cancelled all the charges on the spot. I very quickly cleared and closed my account.

Give the customer complaints dept a ring- they often can do things local branches can't.

FabbyChic · 02/08/2011 19:02

Ask your employers for an advance on next months salary.

Somewhere along the line you gave your card details away via a dodgy site or you clicked an errant link in an email and gave them away.

twoistwiceasfun · 02/08/2011 19:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Taghain · 02/08/2011 19:10

You don't want an overdraft, you need a refund.
If you can prove that you were in this country they should be able to credit your account (or another one) immediately.
I agree about the use of having two accounts, one for emergency use when you have forgotten the card for the one you use most.