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Simon Flaig

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Review of the Santander, Basic current account:

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Title: I deeply regret switching to Santander

I switched my personal banking to Santander, initially attracted by the £175 switching offer. My experience since then has been appalling, and I now have serious concerns about whether I can rely on Santander to provide me with access to my own money. I have previously spent weeks unable to properly access or use my account, spending hours on telephone calls trying to resolve matters. At points I had to rely on my business banking because I could not reliably access my personal funds. The latest incident has now started affecting my business. My father loaned me £2,000, transferring the money from his Santander current account into my Santander current account. I then attempted to transfer that £2,000 to my business, @mosferics, where it was urgently needed to bridge a cash-flow requirement. Santander stopped the payment for security checks. I have no objection to genuine fraud-prevention measures, but what followed has been extraordinary. I answered numerous questions about a legitimate payment and explained its urgency. I was told the matter would be reviewed. I have subsequently had my Online Banking access blocked and have now been told I must physically attend a Santander branch with my passport and bank card so that the branch can telephone the relevant department. On my latest call I spent 58 minutes trying to resolve this. I asked what would happen if I were abroad and therefore unable to visit a branch. I also asked what would happen if a customer were physically incapable of attending because of illness or injury, or was housebound. I was told a home visit could potentially be arranged if the branch offered that service. That answer concerns me enormously. I have previously experienced severe depression, although thankfully my life today could not be more different: I am mentally and physically well and enjoying life. But my past experience means I understand how overwhelming weeks without reliable access to your own money, hours of telephone calls and uncertainty could be for somebody already in a vulnerable or perilous situation. I have made a formal complaint to Santander (reference 14087679) and requested the recordings/transcripts of my calls through a data access request. I intend to review that evidence carefully and, if necessary, take my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. I am also shortly due to travel abroad. After this experience, I genuinely fear what would happen if Santander restricted my account again while I was outside the UK and unable to comply with a requirement to visit a branch. I understand why banks carry out fraud checks. My complaint is not that Santander asked security questions. It is what happens to a genuine customer after they cooperate with those checks. At present, £2,000 legitimately loaned to me remains unable to reach my business, my Online Banking access is blocked, and my confidence in Santander has been severely damaged. I deeply regret switching. Reviewed on: 5th September 2026

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