Do you bank with Santander and do you rate them? thinking of opening an account with them.

yep, they're ok. The Co-Operative are also pretty good.

I do. Excellent IMO

Bank with A&L who've been taken over by Santander………. can I now use any Santander branch? Got a load of cash I need to pay in and the A&L branch is a pain to get to.

In the sense that I opened an account with Alliance & Leicester who are now part of Santander, yes. I moved because of a very attractive interest rate which has now of course lapsed.

No complaints, but I do prefer the more hands-on and personal approach of my last bank (Natwest).

Alliance & Leicester = Very good. Never that busy in branch. Helpful smiley staff. You can actually phone your local branch, without going thru a premium rate no.

Abbey = Terrible. Always a massive queue. Very depressing place to be by comparison. Horrible telephone banking. Finally paid off overdraft to escape.

A Shareholder speaks:

used to work for their business banking section, in the customer services dept.
Woeful record. Lots of hacked off customers.
Closed any savings accounts I had with them as a result when I left.

Shares were from way back, when Abbey National (remember them?) issued some to all customers during the privatisation trend.

Personally bank with Co-Operative now. Only one branch in this city, but I can pay in at Post Offices, and, they recently merged with Brittania, so other options will be available.
The customer service line – fantastic. Never had any issues in the 15 years I've been there. Ethical policy too, if that appeals.

One advantage of Santander – if you go to any Hispanic country you will find plenty of branches there, at which you can deposit/withdraw any funds you like.

£100 for a new account w/A&L + £45 quidco IIRC

While we're on the subject of Santander, & sorry to butt in, but I've got 200 'old' Abbey National shares which I've done nowt with. I know they're still valid (if thats the right term) but what's their value today? Anyone know?
At one point in time they were about £11 each! But I'd imagine no longer.

Abbey = Terrible. Always a massive queue. Very depressing place to be by comparison. Horrible telephone banking. Finally paid off overdraft to escape.

+1

esselgruntfuttock I think your old Abbey shares converted 1 for 1 into Santander stock so you now own 200 SANTAN at EUR 10.6 this morning.

Thats EUR2,120 or £1,850……go buy yourself a Blur LT frame.

Yes and the co-op.
Have problems though with them getting my on line banking started up again after I lost my debit card, it's taken a few phone calls and promises of forms in the post, still no joy.

Santander have given me free banking with my small business for year now, so shouldn't really complain.

I bank with them and they are a bit handy with the bank charges but otherwise OK.

They lent me lots of money for a house at a very nice tracky rate so I'm pleased.

The most ignorant and stupid staff ever to be allowed to look after your money, as when you ask,then tell them you want to draw some out they turn ferul and look for reasons why you cant have your money.

Their complaints and probate departments are just ignorant,of what a customer is,and their responsibilities to the customer.

Also think how much they will rob you in charges to pay for the rebranding of all abbey national to abbey and now to santander then theres all the alliance and leicester branches to change as well

Check out cater allen, part of the same group. They're good. Really rate first direct too.

i work for santander

Check out cater allen, part of the same group.

i bank with carter allen

A&L do a great scam. If you have bank charges going out they take their money before they re-present any bounced DD's. Creating a cycle of bounced DD's and charges. Great for them shit for you. They done this to me over the course of two months, and at one stage I just could not pay in enough money to cover the charges and DD's. No help at all..

I wrote a post but it was becoming libellous so I deleted it. Suffice it to say that I can thoroughly recommend HSBC from long experience and have never heard a bad word said about First Direct, whilst the answers to your original questions are respectively yes and no.

MCBOO!! Thanks for that! I'll get you a pint sometime. 😀

very happy with my local santander branch, just transferred a fair bit of money within their group from old safeway and bradford & bingley accounts.

they also employ the most attractive bank worker women in my town.

bank of scotland in st andrews are utterly useless on the other hand, and were it not for the student loan/rent/DDs etc all needing to be adjusted, i'd leave HBOS in the blink of an eye.

useless.

Has anyone noticed the music on the new Santander ad has a remarkable similarity to the beginning of Beneath The Remains by Sepultura? Something ironic in there for sure.