Santander Current Account Fees

[supermac9]

After being charged a small fortune last month when I exceeded my overdraft limit (my fault, no excuses), I checked the latest charges information for Santander accounts.
From March 2012, they are now charging an unauthorised overdraft fee of £5 per day, capped at £100 (!) in any one monthly charging period.
This sounds excessive - is there any way this can be challenged?
The detailed information is attached.

Update:
Santander have just made my day by refunding the unauthorised overdraft fee today! I might nominate them for an award at this rate!
Ask and you shall receive is the motto - I tried three times to get this refunded, the third time I simply asked if it could be referred to a team leader. I'm gobsmacked (but happy!).

[bluebottle]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

After being charged a small fortune last month when I exceeded my overdraft limit (my fault, no excuses), I checked the latest charges information for Santander accounts.
From March 2012, they are now charging an unauthorised overdraft fee of £5 per day, capped at £100 (!) in any one monthly charging period.
This sounds excessive - is there any way this can be challenged?
The detailed information is attached.

Update:
Santander have just made my day by refunding the unauthorised overdraft fee today! I might nominate them for an award at this rate!
Ask and you shall receive is the motto - I tried three times to get this refunded, the third time I simply asked if it could be referred to a team leader. I'm gobsmacked (but happy!).

Hi,

I am a Santander customer and shareholder. I use an authorised overdraft facility on my current account and the charge is £1.00 per day and capped at a maximum of £20.00 per month. It doesn't matter whether your overdraft limit is £500 or £50,000, the fee is the same. Give it some thought.

[supermac9]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

After a long period of relative quiet with my friends at Santander (I have been managing our account better), I slipped up and a direct debit went through a few weeks ago which took our account £16 over the overdraft limit. Having checked my T&C's, I understand that they won't normally charge a paid item fee (£25) if it only took an account £12 overlimit, so I sent a message on 06.10.12 asking if the charge could be waived/cancelled.
Since then I've been the beneficiary of Santander's strange idea of customer service - on 08.10.12 they sent a message knocking me back (I expected this), so I replied on 09.10.12 asking the same question again (persistence can sometimes be rewarded). On 10.10.12 they came back with the same response (charges are valid etc.), so I immediately replied asking if this was their final response so I could then refer it to the FOS. I have sent subsequent messages on 15.10.12 and 17.10.12 but the only response I have had are automated calls - the first asked me to ring them back (!), and the second redirected me to a queue to speak to a customer service rep, but as they must have been very busy, I was eventually cut off.
At this point in time I am still waiting for a response from them - I look forward to getting something from them soon

[winner12]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

Hi not sure if you want to but I went through to the Complaints department (you will have to look up there number)they have more clout than the call centre staff who told me I was going to be charged £5 a day and £25 for going overdrawn
The Complaints took all charges off putting my account back to my overdrawn amount and I brought it back in credit when I could and they asked me at the end of the call if I was happy with what they had done TOO Right

[supermac9]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

I have spoken with one of the Santander 'resolvers' this afternoon - they have made an ex-gratia payment of £25 to compensate me for the time I have spent chasing this up. Seems that this payment is based on FSA recommendations and is linked with the actual amount of time spent by the customer making calls, sending messages etc. I said that it was no more than an hour (wish I had said more now, but it would be stretching things!).
I was also told that it is Santander policy to only give one 'goodwill' refund of charges over the life of an account.

[winner12]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

Hi Supermac
Well done but they do give more than one goodwill refund depends how you word it when you call

[supermac9]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

I think I've scored a bit with Santander, and the moral of the story is to speak to the 'resolvers' as they seem to have the ability to issue refunds (although they call them ex-gratia payments). After my first conversation, they only refunded £10 instead of the promised £25 - I sent them a couple of messages, and spoke to a second resolver who refunded me another £25.
It all helps!

[supermac9]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

Here's the latest response from Santander in relation to their 'goodwill gestures' and refunds:
I can confirm that the Goodwill is a gesture that Santander provides to customers to refund charges for a statement period. All valid charges are expected to be paid and customers are notified through their statement and given a 22 days advance notice before the charges are taken from their account. Santander extends the goodwill gesture to its current account holder /customers to waive any one statement period worth of charges for the life time of the account. Once a customer has received this goodwill gesture he/she wont be eligible to receive another.
I take this to read that you get a goodwill payment once only throughout the life of an account.

[TUTTSI]

Re: Santander Current Account Fees

That looks like exactly what they are saying from what you have posted up, totally bizzare.

Here's the latest response from Santander in relation to their 'goodwill gestures' and refunds:
I can confirm that the Goodwill is a gesture that Santander provides to customers to refund charges for a statement period. All valid charges are expected to be paid and customers are notified through their statement and given a 22 days advance notice before the charges are taken from their account. Santander extends the goodwill gesture to its current account holder /customers to waive any one statement period worth of charges for the life time of the account. Once a customer has received this goodwill gesture he/she wont be eligible to receive another.
I take this to read that you get a goodwill payment once only throughout the life of an account.