[Paul Simpson]

Nothing to do with cleaning but had a call today from a company representing "The Santander Group" asking if I would be prepared to complete an "on phone" survey/interview about business banking that would last approx. 20-30 minutes.
Apparently they want my thoughts on the service I receive, any improvements, etc for which they claim they will pay £50 for my trouble.
Told them I couldn't do it now but they've booked to phone me on Monday.

I intend to find out about payment before I waste my time on it but just wondered if anyone else had been approached with anything like this? As although they sounded genuine enough (but then most of them do!) it does smell to me as some sort of scam. 

Can just imagine them asking me about specific bank details, etc.
Not even the wife knows that so there's some chance they'll get that sort of information out of me. 

Paul

[Daria Taylor]

Nothing to do with cleaning but had a call today from a company representing "The Santander Group" asking if I would be prepared to complete an "on phone" survey/interview about business banking that would last approx. 20-30 minutes.
Apparently they want my thoughts on the service I receive, any improvements, etc for which they claim they will pay £50 for my trouble.
Told them I couldn't do it now but they've booked to phone me on Monday.

I intend to find out about payment before I waste my time on it but just wondered if anyone else had been approached with anything like this? As although they sounded genuine enough (but then most of them do!) it does smell to me as some sort of scam. 

Can just imagine them asking me about specific bank details, etc.
Not even the wife knows that so there's some chance they'll get that sort of information out of me. 

Paul

i wouldn't bother with them at all,there has been alot of publicity about santander, because abbey just changed to them and there has even been a website set up which was identical to santanders and when customers put their details in it asked them to confirm few things etc becaue of the change over and they did and got ripped off. but it's now been sorted out. so many scammers will try and use their name because they know the company just rebranded etc and its really easy to lead people on.

regards
dash t

[Joe H]

Probably some sort of scam.
Dont give them details of ANY banking arrangements you already have - NOTHING.
I would imagine they have nothing to do officially with Santander, but if you shift your account to Santander they get a kick back and they give you some of it (maybe).

I am with Alliance & Leicester, part of Santender,  for my buisness and personal banking and sometimes they offer incentives to get a friend to join.

[John Kelly]

Smells of a scam. Can't imagine any tight arsed bank parting with 50 quid for 20 minutes of your time. I get asked by Barclays and RBS now and then and it takes 5 minutes but don't get anything its just to improve the service.

[Paul Simpson]

Can't imagine any tight arsed bank parting with 50 quid for 20 minutes of your time.

  Very true.


I bank with Alliance as well Joe and recently got the letter about Santander taking them over which is why I thought they were initially calling.
But then when he asks who I currently bank with alarm bells rung.

[derek west]

£50 for 20 mins work?

isn't that the norm for most carpet cleaners on here

[fenman]

Down South we expect £100 for 20 mins work

[derek west]

don't ya mean

"darn sarf"

its twice as dear darn sarf so don't blame ya guv.

[wynne jones]

This is off topic so apologies in advance.

But please avoid Santander like the plague if you are thinking of getting a credit card from them.

They have cost me 100's

They asked me for PHOTO ID (I was already a customer)

I sent it and they sent it back all approved.

Two weeks letter a letter arrrives saying I hadn't sent it. A month later and 10 calls to a far east call centre I'm paying interest on the card I wanted to do a balance tranfer from.

In the end I went elswhere and they turned it around in 3 weeks.

That was that I thought.

No. The other week a card arrives from santander and they had automatically done the balance transfer on a card I had paid off and charged me a 3% fee.

Basically the twats have cost me money all round  AVOID

Sorry to rant on a first post 

[clinton]

Good post wynne

[Colin Day]

I swapped banks from Abbey/Santandair to HSBC, I went in to Abbey to close the account down and the girl in there asked why I was changing business account over. I told her I was sick of waiting up to 8 days for cheques and 3 days for cash to clear to which she said "Well it is free banking!"
"No, it's not!" I barked "Thanks to Abbeys ineptitude, I was being charged up to £120 in bank fees per month because payments to my creditors via DD were missed because you lot were holding on to cheques and my cash for far too long!"
"Well HSBC takes the same sort of time!"
"Actually, if I get the cash in before 3:30pm it's usually creditted to the account that day, but certainly the next day. And the longest I've had to wait for a cheque is 3 days..... And, I've never had a bank charge in the 3 months I've been using HSBC... And it's free banking for the first 12 months.....!"
Her reply was "Oh!"

[Joe H]

I dont have any problems on either my personal or business account with Alliance & Leicester - part of Santander. All hunky dorey.

For example - I send thro the post cheques for depositing into my business account - sent 8th April (thursday) 2nd class. Probably got there Sat/Mon, certainly not worked on until at least the Monday 12th April (this week) - the money has been showing as available for at least the last 24 hours.
Hence I dont have a problem.
I can go down the road to my local post office, deposit cash, wait a couple of hours and I can see in my online account.
I cant grumble.

[Colin Day]

Abbey had just become a part of Sandandair when I left Joe, so I'm sure they must have their act together now..... But I'll never know I suppose cos I'm over the moon with HSBC. Any time I had any problems and went into Abbey down town, they used to say "We don't deal with business accounts, you'll have to ring up" The worst customer service "EVER!"

[Joe H]

Probably why they were ripe for takeover eh!

[wynne jones]

Choosing Lewis Hamilton to spearhead their marketing campaign was good branding.

He's slow as well.

[JandS]

Don't know why transactions take so long.
I transfer money from savings to current account online
and it's there immediately I press proceed.

John

[Michael Smallwood]

Don't know why transactions take so long.
I transfer money from savings to current account online
and it's there immediately I press proceed.

John

Banks are discouraging people from using cheques. My bank, and I think it is common to all UK banks, can take the funds out of my account up to 10 working days after a cheque has been paid in. I don't yet have a card terminal. More customers are happy to pay in online. Then once its in - its in.

Of course, "Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity and cash is reality"
Cheers
Mike