Alliance And Leicester Internet Banking www.alliance-leicester.co.uk

Strange some of the comments here - we've been using them from back in the days when we started with Post Office Giro which eventually became A&L. Good service, fair products - in fact no problems at all.

However - did you know....we have A&L Internet banking and every time we log on we are asked if we wish to switch to Santander Internet banking - we were about to (same company now after all) until we read that the current account benefit of Travel Insurance with A&L lasts until you are 79 - with Santander this is cut down to last until you are 64 - so BEWARE (and keep an eye on A&L's benefit in case it changes without you knowing). Very sneaky Santander - you should be warning people of this fact in the

i have had internet banking with Alliance and Leicester ever since i have had an account with them. It has caused me anxiety.It gives inaccurate information it turns out, with out of date amounts available to use. When some of the available funds are used to pay for on-line bills it has registered me as going over the agreed overdraft, very confusing giving over to high charges requested from meat the end of the month, to pay.

After contacting the company and speaking to reps in connection with the obvious confusing inaccurate info I have been told i will not have to pay the charges requested. Only to find that they had been added to my account and requested

I have decided to close my account with the group

This service is simply not customer focussed. The whole bank I think has forgotten just where it gets its funding and I regret a catalogue of poor service, being palmed off from one department to another and feeble excuses means that after many years loyal patronage, first with the Post Office, then with Alliance & Leicester and now Santander my patience has gone beyond thin. The bank right and justly deserves its 1 star rating and if I could have given them half a start that is what I would have done. I was frequently locked out of my account, never once was it due my error, and then the process of resolution was tortuous and expensive. I was often “refunded” £35 as “compensation” but when I needed fast reliable access to my money this just simply did not cut it. I am sorely disappointed with the levels of service and would advise anyone looking for a reliable internet banking system to look elsewhere – Alliance & Leicester/Santander are simply not reliable or efficient!

I originally joined them as Girobank years ago when it first started and it was excellent. I never had any problems and their service was second to none. After a few years they morphed into Alliance and Leicester and although they started to lose a little of their lustre they were still pretty good and I was more than happy with the service I received and would recommend them to anyone. THEN DISASTER. Along came Santander like a creeping virus that slowly infected my beloved bank. Levels of service plummeted and the levels of aggravation have risen steadily to the point that I am off. I must be one of their oldest customers but enough is enough. They have not the slightest inkling of what constitutes customer service and when one complains it takes weeks for a trite letter to arrive that neither answers nor resolves anything. Their web site is full of bugs which is just what you need with an internet bank. I see many people leave bad reviews because they have been turned down for an overdraft or had a single incident that has annoyed them but in my case I have never been overdrawn or turned down it is just because they are so difficult to deal with and I have had enough of being taken for granted. No bank really cares about their customers but Santander seem to care less than most.

Absolute shambles.Ripped off with charges i didnt know i would get.Charges applied to the account that generated more charges because the original charges put the account in the red.No contact from the bank to warn me.Impossible to contact them as phone is voice recognition,constant "i didnt understand that".No matter what they offer to rope you in dont do it!!

Probably the worst bank to deal with.

Despite my account always being in credit the management at the local branch seem to want to be obstructive and make life as difficult as possible. The call centre staff are slightly better but again are not very helpful. Not only could they not easily change my address, each time I went to change it they asked for a different piece of paper. After 3 attempts they eventually altered my address but I was so fed up with them I promptly changed banks.

After being with the bank for over 30 years I switched to another bank and found that they put customer service 1st. The take over of Alliance & Leicester by Santander has meant that the customer service, in my opinion, has deteriorated greatly. My recommendation is to find an alternative bank.

The system is good when it works. If it does not and you have to use there call centre then forget it. Their security is nonsensical. If they block your account you can still access the account but not transfer. They then ask you questions about what you can see on your account. Fine unless you have a poor connection.

The call centre is agressive and does not try to help

If you occasionally go overdrawn, this is not the bank for you. Their charges are extremely aggressive and their call centre staff can be unhelpful and rude.

If you are in control of your finances, they are okay.

My advice is do not bank with Alliance and Leicester or its owner Santander. Communication is difficult, they are slow with transfers and closing accounts cannot be completed on-line

I had to put one star, but minus is actually nearer the point. Do not bank with these people!!

My wages are available for use from the start of trading on 25th of each month. On 25/10/2010 Alliance & Leicester paid, then bounced back £550 which was supposed to go to my landlord. I queried this on the morning of 25/10/2010. I was given an apology. The Alliance & Leicester employee suggested that he should make two 'FASTER PAYMENTS' to my landlord's agent. He did this. However, it is only possible to make one faster payment in a day. Therefore, instead of two payments, one of £300 and one of £250 leaving my account, only one of £300 was paid out. I was told by this employee that the £550 would not be going out.

On 26/10/2010 the Alliance & Leicester paid £550 to the landlord; even though I was informed this would not be going out. Therefore, the Alliance & Leicester overpaid the landlord by £300. I was very upset and asked to be refunded the money. The Alliance and Leicester agreed to repay me the £300. They repaid me.

On 26/10/2010 I tried to journey to France to see my parents. At Dover, I needed to fill my tank with petrol, to be able to continue the journey. My card was declined. After a 21 minute mobile phone call to the Alliance & Leicester I was told that I was using my husband's card; the Alliance & Leicester representative was patronising and asked me to read the name on the card! So I read her my name; as it was my card. She then told me my card had been reported 'lost or stolen'. It had not been. Essentially I was left at a ferry port with no way of getting to my final destination or of getting home.

My internet access was stopped for no reason.

On 29/12/10 I noticed that only £250 and not £550 had been taken from my account to pay my landlord. I phoned the Alliance and Leicester and asked them, 'Why?'. They stated that they, 'Had no idea.' They checked the standing order instruction which was for £550. I asked if £300 could be paid by faster payment to my landlord; considering the problems I experienced in October, I asked the girl to ensure that this was the only payment that would be taken. She paid the £300 on 30/12/10.

Today I noticed that a further £300 has been taken from my account; it comes under the heading, 'Transaction Refund'. I immediately phoned Alliance & Leicester [2pm, I have spent hours on the phone]. After speaking with several different people and getting through to the Complaints Department, I have been told that I should be dealt with in about a week. They have taken £300 from my account with no explanation. I need this money for food and fuel for my family.