Consumer complaint received 2016-10-12
Product: Bank account or service — Checking account
Issue: Using a debit or ATM card — 
Company: SANTANDER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (RI)

My name is XXXX XXXX, im filing a complaint against santander bank. Santander bank is the bank i had my checking account with, and used the check card to pay bills sometimes, for convenience. Not realizing that santander would allow anyone who accessed my card number, any amount of money out of my account, any time they wanted it, simply because they had the card number. That was actually told to me by an employee of the bank, that i spoke with on the phone. I paid a merchant over the phone, while sick, in the hospital one time, and thats how this began. At that time, i believe it was XX/XX/XXXX, i authorized, a one time only payment to a storage service company.The following two months i was still very ill and away for a period of time. XX/XX/XXXX i went to pay the merchant and realized they were already paid from my account from my bank without my permission and i called the bank and the woman told me they also did the same thing XX/XX/XXXX, and i hadnt realized it. They were charging me XXXX dollars a month, taking it right out of my account without my permission, and that was not even the agreed upon price. I wasnt exactly sure how much, i didnt have the paperwork but somewhere around XXXX dollars is what it was supposed to be, regardless what the price was, they had no verbal, written, or any other form of my permission to enter my bank account. So in XXXX, when i realized this, i filed a partial claim with my bank and was awarded XXXX dollars i believe for XX/XX/XXXX and also XXXX dollars for XX/XX/XXXX. My bank told the merchant and the merchant agreed to give me the partial credit, saying it was based on exchange rate difference, as if it were over seas n using foreign moneys. i dont see how thats possible when we are all located in XXXX, rhode island. At this point i wanted to make sure it wasnt going to happen again in XXXX so i had the bank cancel the card so i couldnt even use it. Being XXXX, and on a limited income, i was very nervous and called the bank three days before XX/XX/XXXX asking them to please make sure it doesnt happen again, that i need that money to live off, and for medicine, and they promised nobody could get to my money. Of course, XX/XX/XXXX came, and the XXXX dollars went, right to the merchant, probably at XXXX just after my check was deposited, i didnt stand a chance. I was so upset, the manager at the bank explained its not the tellers fault, and how it was still pending, and i needed to wait for it to process before filing a claim. And so i did, i waited, and yes, i filed yet, another claim, and marked it urgent, only to have the bank deny me. I cant understand how thats even possible, ive spoken to an attorney, XXXX advocate, and i was told, it wouldnt matter if i owed that company XXXX dollars, they still owe me XXXX for entering my account without permission.At that point i had realized there was no getting anywhere with this bank. I was obviously dealing with a bunch of XXXX that didnt have any idea what they were doing if they were going to give me credit the first two months, and agree that i was right, and then totally change their minds the following month and deny my claim deeming me wrong. I just cant figure out one thing, arent they supposed to have some type of approval from me to do direct withdrawals monthly like that, perhaps my signature, somewhere or some form of permission from me allowing someone or some business to access my account, be it once, or on a regular basis, i would think, it would require some level of authorization, or at least i would hope, but apparantly it doesnt, and thats what brings us here today. At this point i feel santander owes me the three payments of XXXX dollars, since they are the ones that handed my money out, as if it were their own.