Santander Bank is a financial services company which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for phone harassment and annoying robocalls. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
Who is Santander Bank?
Santander Bank, formerly Sovereign Bank, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spanish Santander Group. Based in Boston, Santander Bank offers consumer credit through a variety of retailers and banks. Santander Bank’s in-house collections and billing departments have received a number of consumer complaints alleging financial crimes. If you have been contacted by Santander Bank, make sure you know your rights before responding.
Santander Bank’s website explains the company began in Spain, but started servicing customers in the Northeastern United States in 2013. According to the Better Business Bureau, the company was initially founded in 1902, but was incorporated in 2008 and began operating locally in 2011. Santander Bank is also known as Santander Holdings USA, Inc. and Santander Consumer USA.
Santander Bank “is an active provider of capital, tools, and resources to thousands of corporate and institutional clients across a wide variety of industries and geographies.”
Santander Bank offers consumer credit through three credit cards: The Bravo, The Sphere, and The Santander Ultimate Cash Back. Their consumer credit department states their credit cards are rewarding, convenient, and work with ApplePay. Site visitors can apply for retail credit directly on the Santander Bank site by selecting which credit card meets their needs, then clicking the “apply now” button to begin the application process. Both their Bravo and Ultimate Cash Back credit cards offer cash back rewards as an incentive to charge purchases. In addition to credit cards, Santander Bank also provides traditional banking services such as checking, savings accounts, and a borrower program extending a line of credit to users who meet their criteria for auto loans, mortgages, and similar needs.
For businesses, Santander Bank offers business checking and merchant services and will extend a line of credit to “consolidate high-interest rate debt, cover emergency expenses, or satisfy seasonal needs.”
How Many Complaints are there against Santander Bank?
Since June, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has logged over 1,161 complaints against Santander Bank, and over 3,158 complaints against Santander Consumer USA, the company’s alias. The reasons for these complaints range from erroneous information being reported to credit bureaus to issues managing accounts, fees, and charges and problems with the payment process. The BBB’s profile page for Santander Bank lists 217 complaints closed in the past three years, with 89 closed in the past 12 months. Its page for Santander Consumer USA lists 1,923 complaints closed in the last three years with 634 closed in the last twelve months. The bulk of these complaints concerned problems with payment and service, but there were also complaints about billing and collection issues. Of the 103 combined customer reviews, 100 are negative. Justia lists at least 25 cases of civil litigation that name Santander Bank as a defendant.
What Will It Cost To File A Lawsuit Against Santander Bank?
Absolutely NOTHING. Here are some Sample Cases filed in Federal Court
In 2017, Lemberg Law filed a case in the Middle District of Florida on behalf of a Plaintiff who was being harassed by robocalls while he was homeless and unable to make payments on a repossessed truck. Plaintiff told Santander Bank to stop calling him, yet the calls continued. The case was settled out of court to his satisfaction.
In 2015, Lemberg Law also filed a case on behalf of a Plaintiff who was continuously receiving calls for another person in reference to an auto loan. When the harassment didn’t abate despite the Plaintiff explaining they had the wrong individual, he contacted our firm. We were able to reach a fair settlement on behalf of the client with very little effort on his part.
In July 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined Santander Bank ten million dollars for tricking consumers into signing up for an overdraft service over the phone and charging them fees. The CFPB further noted that telemarketers were offered incentives to hit sales targets and encouraged to employ deceptive practices to trick consumers into “opting in.”
Here is a Press Release of a case filed by Lemberg Law
October 10, 2015 – On behalf of our client, Lemberg Law recently filed a complaint in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. The case, against Santander Consumer USA, charges the lender with violating federal law and asks for between $500 and $1,500 per robocall in statutory relief, plus other relief.
No one likes getting robocalls, but robocalls to your cell phone are particularly aggravating. Our client says that Santander Consumer USA robocalled his cell phone even though he hadn’t given them permission to robocall that number. When he answered Santander Consumer USA’s call, our client heard a prerecorded voice that instructed him to wait for the next available representative. At least once, he waited on the line to talk to a real person. He told the Santander Consumer USA representative that he didn’t have an account with them and didn’t know the person they were trying to reach. He asked them to stop calling his cell phone. However, Santander Consumer USA continued to call.
The lawsuit alleges that Santander Consumer USA violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by calling our client’s cell phone without her express consent using an automatic telephone dialing system or a predictive dialer, and/or by using a prerecorded or artificial voice.
75 State Street Boston, MA 02109 Telephone: (800) 428-9121
Santander Bank Calling You?
Understanding Your TCPA Rights
The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a law that prohibits telemarketers, banks, debt collectors, and other companies from using an autodialer or robocalls to call you either at home, or on your cell phone without your consent.
The rules of the TCPA and of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), administered by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), control telephonic collection practices. The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforces the rules and regulations of both Acts.
These laws also provide individuals with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For instance, the TCPA provides monetary compensation to consumers who can prove harassment. In the case of willful harassment, this compensation can be increased three times. As a result, entities can be fined up to $500 if case harassment is proved. In case willful violation is proved, this compensation can be up to $1500.
Here are some numbers Santander May be using to call you
888-222-4227
Ready to Stop the Calls from Santander Bank? Your phone harassment checklist:
These robocalls are prohibited:
Calls made without your prior written consent to the business
Calls to a residential line listed on the “Do-Not-Call Registry”
Calls by telemarketers and debt collectors between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Calls that do not provide the name of the caller, identify the business behind the call and provide a contact phone number or address
Calls that do not provide an automatic opt-out mechanism
Calls that violate the law, such as making misrepresentations or threats
To spot potential Santander robocalls, listen for signs like these:
A silent pause between when you answer the call and when the caller begins to speak
An audible click just after you answer the call
A prerecorded message instead of a live person on the other end
A hang-up after you answer
To prepare for a TCPA lawsuit, there are certain steps you can take to strengthen your case:
For each suspected robocall, make a note of the date and time of the call, the caller’s name, and their contact information.
Describe the contents of any prerecorded message, or of the conversation you had if you spoke to a live representative.
Save copies of any relevant cell phone call logs, voicemails, text messages, and cell phone bills.
Keep a copy of any letter or online contact you send to the caller that asks them to stop calling.
If you’ve been harassed by debt collectors and even one of these has happened to you, we can help. We will fight for your rights. We can make them STOP!✋
The Lemberg Law legal team is committed to holding debt collectors accountable, so complete our form for a FREE case evaluation, or call 844-685-9200NOW
What Our Clients are Saying:
“Lemberg Law has been great in handling my harassment case . They got the robocalls to stop when I was unable to get my number taken off the company’s list on my own. I highly recommend this law firm to anyone having an issue with pushy bill collectors harassing you”
“Was getting harassed by phone calls. Looked for an attorney that could help online and found Lemberg Law. They took care of everything and kept in contact with me just the right amount. Never expected anything would come of it but they did all the work and it relieved a lot of stress in my life!”
“Lemberg Law was a great choice. They really helped me with my situation. They were very professional and answered any questions I had and responded to my calls and emails. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to others.”
Can You Help Me Stop Santander Bank Harassment?
Chances are we can. Call us to today and we’ll tell you how we can help.
Sound Off!
Have you had a bad experience with this bank’s debt collectors? Sound off and share your experience with other visitors in the comment box below.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
I just received a robocall. The call started out with my name and then a pause. I then heard a woman fumble with the phone. She didn’t give her name nor the company she worked for, just that she worked for a mediator between myself and Santandar. It didn’t take long for her to get belligerent and insulting. I ended up disconnecting the call. I cannot believe this.
Alexandria M
I unfortunately only had 1 choice for a car loan when I got my new car which is through Santander. Everything went smooth at first or so I thought. I paid my first 2 payments on time and even received a confirmation email saying it was paid. 2 months after that I checked my account online and saw that I was 2 months behind and started getting phone calls from them. When I raised my concern they told me my payments were returned and those emails confirming payment are just generic generated emails. I had to catch up quick on my payments which messed me up with other bill. I’m usually a month behind now on a payment. That whole issue was a domino affect and I’m still trying to catch up. They usually call me once and I just make a promissory note to them to pay and catch up when I get paid again but this past month they’ve been calling me every single day!!!! I picked up yesterday to re iterate that I’ve already spoke to someone but it was an automated system telling me to check my online account and then hung up. Also, now when i speak to someone they now ask probing questions as to why I’m behind and what life events caused me to fall behind, then they ask when I think I’ll be able to catch up which is kind of tone deaf considering the time we’re going through and the fact I told them I lost my job!!! But they always ask me that question and I always tell them to look at the notes. One person told me he didn’t have any which is odd cause all call centers keep tabs on callers(I used to work for a call center) it’s just getting ridiculous at this point. The stress of it all. I’m worried if I don’t pick up they’ll flag my account.
VasHas
Several of my acquaintances are pursuing this bank. And this is horror. I look at these poor people. They don’t know how to deal with it. Many refused the services of this bank, a lawyer suggested to them. Only legal support helps. They need to be punished. People should not suffer from abuse and extortion.
Donna J
I would love representation on the Santander Class Action Law….a cease and desist order AND of course stop the harassing phone calls.
Misty M
I will not lie im usually late on making my payments but i figure out how to give them what they want in order for them to back off. I’ve been so stressed out due to the phone calls that I even at one time block the number. I’m a single mother who tries her best to make her car payment. I even pay weekly in order to be caught up by my due date. I don’t know what else to do or say to them I’m doing my best but they act like my best is not good enough
Faviola V
We are constantly being harrassed by Santander we can be 1 day late on our car payment and they call us 3-5 times per day on our cell phones, house, work and even call our references submitted on application!!! We have complained time after time and still receive calls!
I just received a robocall. The call started out with my name and then a pause. I then heard a woman fumble with the phone. She didn’t give her name nor the company she worked for, just that she worked for a mediator between myself and Santandar. It didn’t take long for her to get belligerent and insulting. I ended up disconnecting the call. I cannot believe this.
I unfortunately only had 1 choice for a car loan when I got my new car which is through Santander. Everything went smooth at first or so I thought. I paid my first 2 payments on time and even received a confirmation email saying it was paid. 2 months after that I checked my account online and saw that I was 2 months behind and started getting phone calls from them. When I raised my concern they told me my payments were returned and those emails confirming payment are just generic generated emails. I had to catch up quick on my payments which messed me up with other bill. I’m usually a month behind now on a payment. That whole issue was a domino affect and I’m still trying to catch up. They usually call me once and I just make a promissory note to them to pay and catch up when I get paid again but this past month they’ve been calling me every single day!!!! I picked up yesterday to re iterate that I’ve already spoke to someone but it was an automated system telling me to check my online account and then hung up. Also, now when i speak to someone they now ask probing questions as to why I’m behind and what life events caused me to fall behind, then they ask when I think I’ll be able to catch up which is kind of tone deaf considering the time we’re going through and the fact I told them I lost my job!!! But they always ask me that question and I always tell them to look at the notes. One person told me he didn’t have any which is odd cause all call centers keep tabs on callers(I used to work for a call center) it’s just getting ridiculous at this point. The stress of it all. I’m worried if I don’t pick up they’ll flag my account.
Several of my acquaintances are pursuing this bank. And this is horror. I look at these poor people. They don’t know how to deal with it. Many refused the services of this bank, a lawyer suggested to them. Only legal support helps. They need to be punished. People should not suffer from abuse and extortion.
I would love representation on the Santander Class Action Law….a cease and desist order AND of course stop the harassing phone calls.
I will not lie im usually late on making my payments but i figure out how to give them what they want in order for them to back off. I’ve been so stressed out due to the phone calls that I even at one time block the number. I’m a single mother who tries her best to make her car payment. I even pay weekly in order to be caught up by my due date. I don’t know what else to do or say to them I’m doing my best but they act like my best is not good enough
We are constantly being harrassed by Santander we can be 1 day late on our car payment and they call us 3-5 times per day on our cell phones, house, work and even call our references submitted on application!!! We have complained time after time and still receive calls!