Santander Consumer UK plc Arvostelua 283

Absolutely DREADFUL company.
Zero customer service etiquette, staff have absolutely no knowledge of anything.

Hidden fees and Interest rates are absolutely ridiculous! And judging by the other reviews on here, people clearly all feel the same.

Aviod these useless lot at all costs!

Only finance company I deal with who are completely unable to confirm if they have received large sums of money for 3 business days even when done by faster payment (instant). Won't give clearance for 3-5 business days but countless finance providers will give clearance over the phone and email moments after funds transferred. Must be nice to be able to use the money they've received for a couple of days before applying it to the account its meant for. Currently have a finance agreement I settled on the 4th and here we are on the 9th and they are still showing an interest and saying the money "hasn't cleared" on the agreement. Rubbish, faster payments are instant.

This company is going to ruin your life.stay away from them.

terrible service no record of agreement but they seem to be able to take payments okay. Nobody seems to work there as they never answer the phone despite waiting nearly an hour. Online systems can't find details now stuck with a new VAN at the dealers and these clowns not responding. Ovoid like the plague

Dear Santander Car Lease,

First, you tried to charge me for next year’s road tax on a car I returned last year. Then, you attempted to bill me for an extended lease—even though the car was returned on time. And now, you’re trying your luck again with a charge for “no service.” Impressive dedication.

Thank you for your incredibly thorough six-week investigation, which led you to the remarkable conclusion that the vehicle has no service history whatsoever. Your commitment to customer service is, quite frankly, second to none.

That said, I do have the tiniest concern that your findings might not be entirely accurate. I was all set to accept them, but then—oh, what do you know—I remembered that I had already told you the vehicle does have a full service history. Funny thing is, it took me all of four minutes to confirm this.

It’s a shame your investigative team wasn’t able to crack this particular mystery. But let me offer a little insider tip—just between us. If you call Mercedes-Benz, provide the vehicle’s registration number, and simply ask, they will magically tell you the service history. Hard to believe, I know. But don’t worry—you can thank me later.

Perhaps your team could consider this revolutionary technique in the future? Or, if that’s too much trouble, you can always stick to your usual approach—asking customers for an arbitrary £200.

Rest assured, I’ll be sharing my experience on social media so future customers can fully appreciate the world-class investigative skills they’ll be dealing with.

Best regards

Awful, awful experience. Numerous hidden charges following handover. Incredibly petty chasing me for a few hundred quid for small alloy scratches when id just payed £470 a month for 3 years and never missed a payment! They have just lost a customer who was about to renew.
GO TO LEX AUTOLEASE, they are a proper, fair lease company.

38 minutes and no answer yet. absolute joke!

Incredible amounts of unknown charges. Would not recommend. Happy to not be in contract with these guys anymore.

WORST FINANCE COMPANY EVER, bought a motorcycle using them because I trusted the Santander name, found out later they are not part of Santander bank. Firstly they accused me of selling the bike while under finance, then of buying another bike that was under finance to them! Instead of bothering a good customer they could have easily sorted it out by contacting the DVLA, but because this would cost them a small fee they decided the best thing to do was harass and threaten me. All their letters where badly spelt and had bad grammar, I mean who doesn't put their letters through a spell check. They were so bad I reported them as scammers. Use any finance company but this one.

Dreadful company and no care for the customer. I paid my car loan in full a few days ago and no one can confirm they have received any money !

The worst experience I have ever encountered when dealing with a business.

Santander provided finance for a car I purchased on PCP in August 2022. The car suffered irreparable engine damage after 16000 miles in June 2024 and was written off as a result. I was 2 years in to a 4 year finance agreement and Santander told me that I was liable for the rest of the finance agreement totalling over £9000 which I felt was very unfair given the circumstances. They really couldn't be less helpful and on occasion actually rude.

I went to the financial ombudsman who investigated and ruled in my favour in September 24 and ordered Santander to refund my deposit and associated costs plus interest. Santander then argued the case and a final ruling was issued in Jan 2025 upholding my complaint and the ombudsman's decision.

DO NOT LET THIS COMPANY BULLY YOU AND STAND YOUR GROUND.

The worst customer service I have ever experienced - NO ONE will answer your call. Don't use them.

I understand that most reviews are often penned after a negative experience rather than a positive one, and I typically refrain from writing them. However, my encounter with this company was so dreadful that if this message deters even one person from choosing their financing, it will be worthwhile. I had a financing agreement for a leased car. When the term ended, I intended to lease a new car, which was unavailable for six months, so I discussed extending the lease on my current vehicle, which seemed straightforward. Despite my payments being made on time each month, I received frequent calls asking to collect the car. I repeatedly explained my desire to extend the lease, and each time, I was assured it was fine. After six months, with no new car in sight, a debt collection agency contacted me unexpectedly, demanding the car's repossession. Despite explaining the situation to Santander multiple times, they claimed they couldn't intervene as the matter was now with the debt collectors. This was despite my consistent payments, numerous communications, and my intention to remain a customer for another three years. I arranged for the car's collection, settled the remaining fees with Santander, and confirmed that no more money was owed. Yet, six months later, another debt collector called, claiming I owed more money. No emails, no letters, no calls. Contacting them required enduring long phone waits. This was the worst experience I've ever had with a company of this nature. They show no regard for the stress, anxiety, and frustration they inflict. Even when you ask straightforward questions and rely on their assurances, they make mistakes and refuse to accept responsibility. I reiterate—I never missed a payment and communicated with them multiple times to ensure resolution. My biggest error was not getting it in writing. They claim to record all calls, but conveniently not the ones that prove your case. A truly terrible company. Seek financing elsewhere to avoid unnecessary stress.

DO NOT AGREE A LEASE WHERE THIS COMPANY IS USED.

Hidden in their T&Cs is the fact that they will charge you an Admin fee for paying any fines, PCNs, etc. They will pay them, and then let you know you've received it, thereby "accepting liability" on your behalf, and making it almost impossible to appeal.

They will claim it's to stop any escalation in the fine, even if there is still 3 weeks before payment due date. Seeing as they email you their receipt, and the fine, there is no delay and it is clear the sole purpose of this is to be able to charge you and make more money.

Worth noting, they will do this whether the finenis valid or not, legal or not, and the charge of £30 does not change, even if the "fine" is £2.50.

Absolute thievery, making consumers lives difficult, all to line their pockets and give their boses a better payout.

Son unos auténticos sinvergüenzas.
El seguro asociado al préstamo del vehículo les está pagando las cuotas desde noviembre 2024 y en diciembre 2024, se presenta Luz Ojeda de cobros A MI CASA, coaccionándome, a las 20:40 de la noche, obligándome a pagar las cuotas de noviembre y diciembre (que ya paga el seguro) porque en 48 horas si no lo hago, me quitan el coche.
Ahora en Enero 2025 estoy reclamando las cuotas que yo por miedo pagué al día siguiente de su visita y NO RESPONDEN, SE HACEN LOS LOCOS.

Complete waste of time. Signed all agreements with them days in advance or the car being picked up. Santander didn't release the funds on time. Made us resigned the agreement and still didn't release the funds. Paid insurance, at a premium, ready for pick up. Couldn't take the car....wasted loads of money.

When contacting them they give a wealth of incorrect information and contradict each other like it's going out of fashion.

Will make sure we never use a company that use Santander again.

Got a settlement figures, couldn't send as name doesn't verify with their sort code/account number, tried phoning after going into Santander local branch who said they're nothing to do with them and gave up after one hour and ten minutes holding on the phone. Absolutely shocking service, never get finance through them unless you like getting the run around.

Repo’d my car - filed a complaint because it was wrongfully repossessed. Horrible waiting times. Avoid this plague of a company at all costs.

Been on hold for almost 2 hours, online chat doe snot work. The settlements differ with rebate of interest.
DO NOT USE worst company I have ever dealt with.

Following my recent experience I can confirm that
there are no human beings left working at Santander Consumer Finance. They have replaced them all with AI bots which my 3 year old could outsmart.