Activating a UK credit card

Email
December 12.
Dear Sirs,
I have recently been made aware of something which may be of interest and significance to your readers who have a Santander UK bank account.
I received a new debit card which I tried unsuccessfully to activate at a Santander ATM in Spain. The transaction was cancelled.
I sought advice within the Spanish branch, who were unhelpful as the card was for a UK account.
I contacted, by telephone, the enquiries department of Santander UK to be informed that my debit card could only be activated at a branch in the UK!!!
I have no immediate plans to visit the UK so I am unable to activate my card.
Eventually a request was made to Santander complaints department and now a new card, capable of being activated in Spain, is being sent.
I hope that this information will be of use to your readers with Santander UK accounts and are mystified by their inability to activate their new cards in Spain.
Philip (Moraira)