Santander Credit Cards showing off there Customer Service and of course
FSA and Information Commissioner’s Office are definitely on top of this one obviously.
General public again are paying lots of money for toothless regulators.
Well it’s a nice job in a nice office and pretty unlikely to get fired!
Thursday, 13 August 2009.
The Complaints Department
Santander Card Customer Services
PO Box 700
Leeds
LS99 2BDDear Sirs,
I received a computer generated letter dated 10th August from Tim Woods that states the following.
Santander had mistakenly sent out two cards due to its own incompetence. It’s not a computer problem, it the people that are using it. Or, lack of testing the system in the first place.
The first card of which I have received expires on xx/12. The second card which I haven’t received expires on xx/12.
As you now wish me to use the second card. I suggest you find out where it is! I’m the customer in case you had not noticed. I have no intent to pay Santander indirectly by using 0871 (chargeable at 10p a min) then to have to plough thought Customer Service nightmare on options, whilst paying for the privilege to clear up your mess. To then be cut off because Santander has not enough agents to take the calls.
You sent out the letters and therefore could manage this problem by phasing there release and providing a dedicated fast track option within the letter or allocate a 0800 number. I repeat – it is your error.
If, I was a suspicious person, this so called problem, combined with a 0871 revenue generating number is a nice way of increasing the bottom line profits. After, all someone has to pay for these additional cards issued. Perhaps, all revenue from this error or even all 0871 calls should be donated to charity. Now, that would show me that you are truly sorry.
With regards to the Term & Conditions I believe it’s customary to include the complete agreement rather than starting at clause 8.
It would also have been nice, as this again is your error, for the agreement to be highlighted with changes, rather than expect the customer to re-read these. The text of which not surprisingly are again in the smallest type you could find. (Santander not heard of the Disability Act?)
Do your company lawyers get paid by the word? 3 pages of close text to get from section 8.0 to 21. Section 16.9 states that you are going to “Strive at all times” to keep my data safe. Under the Data Protection Act you ‘DO’, anything less than this is not acceptable. Should read “Your data will be kept in compliance with the Data Protection act xxx date at all times including overseas data centres”. Again, in section 16.10 second sentence states “Use of Personal Data” no reference to the section that this is included in. I would imagine that this should be included in the definitions section or at least referred to a numbered section of the agreement that states its meaning is within. The Credit Act requires the agreement to be in English and understand able.
If this is a new agreement or amended, then you surely you should have included the option to cancel this contract. I expect again this agreement has been changed, due to the issuer finding out that the previous agreement is either not enforceable or that it can gain secure status on a non-secured advance on what were until recently unobtainable assets of the house.
I will not going on, although I could.
All in all, a text book demonstration of how not to perform Customer Services.
Perhaps, when you have gathered you thoughts, you can suggest how you propose to sort out this mess in writing and insure that the current card is not cancelled until this has been resolved.
Yours faithfully,
David Vincent
Classic! – sent the wrong letter out and didn’t send a card either.
I don’t know how these payday loan sharks sleep at night. Unfortunately, we have to take the good with the bad in free enterprise. However, consumers retain the right to avoid these predatory businesses. The concept of supply and demand must carry the day with shams like payday loans and credit repair. If and when people refuse to be fleeced by these people, their operations will go away.