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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:
MakesCakesWhenStressed · 03/08/2011 10:02

Hope you have more success today - do let us know how you get on.
x
M

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 03/08/2011 12:40

I havent got anything to pawn that I wont need - I need my laptop and cant bring myself to pawn my ring.

I just can't get anywhere at the moment - I can set up a new account but by the time that is all sorted it will be almost payday. I've got £6.50 left in my purse Angry

OP posts:
MakesCakesWhenStressed · 03/08/2011 12:42

Thinking of you

colditz · 03/08/2011 12:46

RichTea - I know this sounds brutal, but is there anything of the kids' you can pawn? Or do you have a valuable phone? Games consoles can fetch a high price.

colditz · 03/08/2011 12:47

www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_money/benefits/help_for_people_on_a_low_income_-_the_social_fund.htm#crisis_loans

The above link is for a crisis loan which may be enough to see you through the next few weeks. You have to pay them back but there is no interest.

ShoutyHamster · 03/08/2011 12:53

Newspaper, MP, ombudsman!!

Angry for you.

Do you want to say where you are? Others please correct me if it's not the done thing but if you were close by I'd be more than happy to drop off a few supplies for you!

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 03/08/2011 12:54

Thanks colditz, I wont be able to get one, I am not on benefits or a low income, just stuck this month. Dont have kids stuff to pawn either.

OP posts:
TadlowDogIncident · 03/08/2011 12:54

I have accounts with First Direct and Nationwide and both are good. Neither of them asked me to put any actual money in when I opened the account, and First Direct offered me an overdraft automatically straight away. It only took a day or two to sort out (had the cards and everything within a week!).

Santander are horrendous: we have our mortgage with them and can't move it because we'd never get such a good rate now, but I wouldn't go near them for anything else.

ShoutyHamster · 03/08/2011 12:55

Oh sorry just seen you are in Berks - I am north.

Grrrrr for you - name and shame to all and sundry

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 03/08/2011 12:56

RichTea, I have no advice (and am amazed at the knowledge on this thread!) I just wanted to say how sorry I was for you.

colditz · 03/08/2011 13:02

YOu don't have to be on benefitsand ANYONE can apply. It's notabout what you normally have, it's about what you have RIGHT NOW and you have £6.50

jumpingjackhash · 03/08/2011 13:09

Just saw this thread and I'm so Angry for you too!

I've had my card cloned twice - once at a cash point, when the bastards took a grand from my account in two quick purchases and once in a restaurant when fortunately the bank noticed and blocked it immediately (within an hour of it being swiped).

I'm with HSBC and on both occasions they spotted the fraud quickly, blocked my card, did what they could to check I was OK for cash and the money I lost the first time was back in my account with no issues within a few days.

I can't believe Santander are being so useless - in fact, they're beyond useless, they downright despicable.

I have to say though that the poster who suggested you'd 'given' the details away or clicked on a didgy link is talking out of their backside - cards are all too easily cloned in a number of ways. More often than not it's just bad luck that your waiter / shop assistant or whoever is just a thieving scrote. (Please note I'm NOT saying ALL waiters, shop assistants etc. are thieving scrotes, just the ones who sneakily clone your card!).

bellavita · 03/08/2011 13:14

Oh no Sad

Bloody banks Angry

I am with Lloyds, but they actually rang me to check if some transactions were mine. Someone had tried to use my card for varying amounts for a total of around £700, but the bank declined every one of them.

They cancelled my card but within 3 days I had a new one.

I am sorry your bank is being such an arse.

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 03/08/2011 13:25

Thanks i will look into it all. The help on this thread has been brilliant and really useful.

I have just phoned my phone company - they are not going to cut me off and will wait until I get paid for me to pay my bill. Phew.

I need a couple of hundred quid now just for petrol and living money until I get paid. I have some food in that my neighbour brought round. I need to get to see my mum somehow (and can stay at her house while she is in hospital because her freezer is full!)

OP posts:
caughtinanet · 03/08/2011 16:31

Not sure if its been suggested already but do your children have any money in piggy banks or anything you could use temporarily? Or would your employer be able to do you a small salary advance to tide you over?

bunjies · 03/08/2011 17:00

It's already been suggested but can you ask work for a salary advance?

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 03/08/2011 18:04

Work can't do it - they told me that they can't give out advances on wages. It was bloody embarassing having to ask them too.

I have had some lovely PM's from people offering to help, I am so grateful but really didnt want this to be seen as a begging thread, just wanted to vent my anger. Thank you everyone that has offered to help.

OP posts:
TooImmature2BDumbledore · 03/08/2011 18:13

OP, this is awful! So Angry for you.

Don't go to Barclays! I had heaps of troubles with them, firstly when DH was made bankrupt (they froze the account even though it wasn't overdrawn - I discovered that when I tried to pay in Tesco and it was mortifying - and then when they unfroze it they wouldn't let me take out all the money in it as DH wasn't there too. I went back to the Bank of Scotland, where I still had my student account), and secondly when I tried to pay back a loan in full. They just weren't prepared for me to give them the money back in advance, and they couldn't calculate the amount I needed to pay because they wouldn't let me do a bank transfer, only pay by cheque, and by the time the cheque would have cleared it would be 3 days later and the amount owing would have changed. It was ridiculous! Also, they lost one of my payments on the loan and neither they nor the Bank of Scotland ever traced it, so I'm still out £200 and have a registered loan default against my credit rating. I did report it to the ombudsman but just lost the will to carry on with it after the first year had passed with no further action from anyone.

unitarian · 03/08/2011 18:42

Santander is a dreadful bank. And it pretends to be red-hot on security.

It gets my goat that I get three phone calls to check on 'unusual usage' when I use the santander card to buy online groceries every week. What is unusual about that? But they have to call me on my home phone, mobile and work number.
A few months back it suddenly dumped my online banking numbers so I had to request new ones. Every phone call involves answering all sorts of security questions including my address. For six weeks I waited for a pair of letters giving me new numbers and I never got a pair - by the second month they had allegedly sent out three pairs.
Everytime I rang I was asked for my address which was always accepted as the right answer.
Eventually a couple who own an empty property about half a mile away came round with a bunch of letters from Santander. The wrong address was on these letters and a new postman had been delivering them to an empty house.
Then I rang Santander again and waited for the security question about my address which I enunciated very very clearly and was told I had given the wrong answer and could not discuss my account on the phone.
I then had to go into a branch with id. I waited half an hour to be attended to......
I'm changing to Natwest.

You have my sympathies and I hope you get sorted out soon.
I once had a Halifax card cloned and was refunded in three days.

ChristinedePizan · 03/08/2011 18:43

I have just had an email from FirstDirect saying that if you join them on my recommendation, they will give you £100 and me £50 if that tempts you at all :o

Original poster
RichTeaAreCrap · 03/08/2011 19:00

Thanks all, it seems that Santander are well known for being useless.

I am going to open a Nationwide account I think, they seem to be ok from what I have read.

OP posts:
twoistwiceasfun · 03/08/2011 22:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SuiGeneris · 03/08/2011 23:11

Call Santander tomorrow and tell them that they are not treating you fairly (important to use these words). Make sure you speak to someone senior (ask to speak to the complaints manager and then ask for her boss) and explain the hardship in which their mistake has landed you in. If they still refuse, ask them to put it in writing. Ask who their TCF champion is and make it clear you will contact her/him- and do so. Also lodge formal complaint and ask that they send you details of how to complain to the ombudsman.I know others have given you details of the ombudsman, but you still need to ask for the info to be sent as that request normally triggers alerts within banks.
Good luck!

PigfartsPigfartsHereICome · 03/08/2011 23:33

HSBC have been fairly ok with me, though they did freeze my account because I bought a track on iTunes which apparently fraudsters do that to try out the card. But they didn't tell me, so I was left very red-faced in Boots whilst buying £30 of formula (was on offer!).

They called me a couple of nights ago too because I just moved and was spending on different websites sorting furniture etc. That was ok.

Have yet to hear anything good about Santander!

Haggisfish · 03/08/2011 23:57

Royal Bank of SCotland are great.

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