Santander UK Reviews 

My long-standing overdraft on my Select account has suddenly been reduced from £2300 to £100.
No notice letter or phone call was received.
Such a shock.
I spent an hour on the phone and was messed around by at least 4 people, none of whom knew how to resolve this.After 40 years with them and having had numerous loans, mortgages and support I am totally let down.

I wanted to open a business account. The amount of questions I was asked felt like I was taking a loan from Santander business. I needed to open an account so I can set up my direct debits with the energy supplier, rent, business tax and business insurance.
And that Manager that was speaking to me was adamant that I provide all paperwork for above mentioned, am I stupid to put direct debit go out from my personal account instead of a business. Ofcourse I will open up a business account first to set all direct debits up.

Thank god I told that manager to put the damn phone down.
It was a shit service, if I could I would have given them a 0 star

Rang Santander over two weeks ago to close my business account. Ok we'll send you the closure forms, Today, over two weeks later the WRONG forms arrive - change business details ones. Call the business banking number, 30 min of same tune over and over, get through to someone, explain the problem - I'll have to transfer you you've come through to credit cards - five min more music, get a woman. Explain the problem - I'll have to transfer you they've put you through to retail banking. More music, get through to a different guy. Explain the problem again, agrees they've sent the wrong forms and will send the right ones (hopefully) - so now I presume it will be another two weeks

Very poor experience. They locked me out of my account for 1 week with very little prior notice (I was on holiday). This was made worse as I couldnt access my account during payroll and none of their staff were able to do anything to help. Avoid this company where possible.

As others have said, utter incompetent bank. I’ve had a business account with them for over 15 years. (Not for any longer) Of late we are having difficulty logging on. Try speaking to a person to resolve, forget it frequent 30min plus wait times. Once you get through I get asked the question “what was your last outgoing “ as a security question, I run a business with multipul outgoings on a daily basis…. I couldn’t answer the question as I didn’t know (and obviously couldn’t see my account) No further help given.
At the moment I’m still locked out, with no help.

Like many others Santander Business banking has been a painful experience of recent years. They promote supporting small business yet they don't.
We needed a small short term loan for the business of £3000 for purchasing of materials from our supplier overseas. They refused for no reason?!?
I still don't have any reason for this from them. We struggled though and caught back up only for them to send Countless forms about our business. Rather than just the form they stated was just to check our details where correct. The form was submitted and nothing happened. Then one day we got locked out of our account. Which took 2 days to get unlocked. Resulting in us not able to buy stock for a job next week. That has now had to be cancelled. It then has a knock on effect with another company on this project also having to cancel as they can't proceed without us being there. So thanks Santander !! and yes there is a formal complaint gone in as I had submitted the forms and for some reason it was ignored. Proved with log in times and the pass words you sent me to do the form. So that was an issue YOUR END! that caused all this grief!! so I have now opened up a Lloyds Business account as we have another business that uses Lloyds and they have been very good from the start. So now both our business accounts are going to be with lloyds. As I wind down the santander business account and move over. 20 years no loyalty from you, so you can get STUFFED as far as I am concerned.

Deeply disappointed
Opened a sole trader account and they refused to add my trading name on the account. So all statements and payee/recipients will see on their statement is my full name including my middle name, no reference to the business. Why not explain when the account is being opened or before? So you have the option to decline or continue opening the account. I wonder if I should now close the account.

I concur with other customer sentiments. Utter useless process, procedures by Santander, poor communication and contempt for how they deal with small business customers.

Unable to change a name on a shared business account belonging to a charity, the trustees eventually resorted to opening an entirely new account with a different (much better) bank, and then found it impossible to close the Santander account despite submitting the right form. Now on our third try three years later... at what point does incompetence become negligent?

Disappointed with Santander Business Banking.
The good bits...Their website is great, app is fine and the Santander system integrates well with my accounting software.
The bad... They now charge £120 per year when I was initially told it was free for life. They have closed my local bank and now I have to pay them when I want to bank cash whereas I used to pay it into their machine for free. The customer service is dreadful! Every time I ask them for something it's a flat NO!
I've been with them for over 20 years and I've never been overdrawn. Unfortunately I'm going to have to change banks.

Terrible Experience after 20+ Years of banking with them.
1. They now charge £120 per year when they had promised the account would be free for life.
2. They request a ridiculous amount of documents to prove where funds have gone to, as well as share structures of related businesses and other information. For example they want a personal pension statement from a beneficiary of funds sent. They say they cannot email details (because it's 1983 in the Santander offices) They threaten Account suspension/closure if it's not provided, and they want it certified by a solicitor (at my expense)
3. Raised a Complaint, no reply. It seems they will pick that up in 10 years time when the office gets into the 1990s and they can access my complaint.

I will for sure be moving to a bank that knows how to communicate and treat their (loyal) customers as being valuable to them and not something they have stood in.

Buisness difficult at moment Rates up 160%
Minimum wage up
Employers national insurance up
Still paying bounce back loan
Worst of all dealing with Santander 😒
Customer service embarrassing

This is the worst business bank account I have come across. Have tried to make chaps payments and FPI payments in relation to a property transaction and the account has been blocked three times. Have been on the phone to them three times today and the last time they just cut the line.

They have no idea whatsoever of how to run a business bank account. If you want your business banking to run smoothly then avoid Santander Business Banking at all costs.

Junior inexperienced managers harasssing long standing customers in their Know Your Customer process without really thinking. Hour long forms to fill in. Having to dig up photo ID of all minor shareholders before we can pay a small gas bill.

- Junior relationship or compliance staff appear to have no discretion
- Context from years of trading is ignored
- There’s no escalation to someone commercially experienced
- Accounts are restricted before common-sense clarification
- The burden of proof shifts entirely onto the customer while payments, payroll, suppliers, or tax obligations are live

For example Nick vs Nicholas in small company minutes = blocked account and no payments! WTF! As if this is deliberate sophisticated financial subterfuge! I can imagine the same guys running the airports "Put your hand up if you are a terrorist"

Total idiots. It is not worth it. Close your account and when you make money do not go anywhere near them. Sell your shares and encourage others to do so. London Stock Exchange (BNC)

Been a business account customer for probably 15yrs and always been good but last year they have been diabolical! Changed contract terms to remove cash back and interest. Setting up a new savings account has taken months and only happened with me chasing continuously and now its been so long thats also dropped interest rate from what it was. Tried to set up a credit card and 2 months later nothing still. Honestly what has happened, such bad service for the business banking now.

If I could leave a negative score I would. Dreadful experience from start to finish.

It used to be that you could pay up to £1000 per month into your account free of charge. Now, if you pay cash into your account over the counter at the bank it is regarded as "cash paid in at post office". So when paying in your £1000 you will be charged £12.50 for the privilege. The only way you can pay in cash for free is if you pay it into the atm which is ok if the atm is working or the branch has not closed! According to the member of staff that I have just spoken to if the atm is not working you need to inform the bank staff that this is the reason you are paying cash over the counter. And it would be good if the bank staff informed you that you will be charged if using the counter.

Santander do you read your reviews?
Logged on to my business account last night to check transactions paid in as we need ref numbers, shows payments in but no transaction details just the amount, how do I reconcile these, I called the fraud helpline as your online support is closed, for heavens sake 24 hour banking, clearly not, I called the fraud number just incase there was something going on with my account, I spoke to a guy who blatantly lied through out the conversation about the details on the account, all very worrying considering this was your fraud department, I refused to give anymore details as I didn’t feel comfortable, I was told to phone help desk in the morning at 8am, I asked are they open as it was a Sunday, I was told yes……they are not!
Check online banking again, I now have payments in my account for tomorrow ….. you can see into the future can you Santander ?
This account is terrible, I have made payments to customers, which shows on my account as paid, only to find out via the customer no payment received, phoned Santander to be told sorry it’s a cliche and no the payment wasn’t sent, this is bad, I pay for this account and service and it’s not fit for purpose, get your act together, for get the flashy man on a bike pictures, read your reviews and just get it sorted …….quickly we can’t all be wrong!

Do not bank with santander charging £9.99 a month for a bussiness account charge £3.75 for with drawing cash
Charge for banking cheques
They was a good bank with no charges when i opened the account. They promissed never to charge
Now thay are ripping bussinesses off
Cant get to contact customer services
I am looking for another bank for my personal and bussines banking

If I could give 0 stars I would. Trying to managed my deceased dad’s affairs make exponentially more stressful because of Santander. Abysmal customer service, passed around depts, promises not kept, poorly trained staff, hours on hold. The list goes on and on. Avoid at all costs