Barclays bank.......how stupid

been spending hours today phoning companies about a change of address for my mother for tomorrow........

all were helpful

apart from barclays............told them it was for a change of address for tomorrow as she is moving........the girl took all her details.maiden name...phone etc and then asked her for her password...........my mother hasn't had one as doesn't do telephone banking..................so the girl said that she couldn't do it then but would send her out a password in the post.................WTF...she is moving tomorrow...........the new owners might appreciate the password though

I used to work for Barclays customer service (first job when I turned 18!), and it was rubbish then too! If they got a difficult question, most people would just put the caller on hold and transfer them back to the main customer service number for someone else to deal with

Get her mail redirected from the PO, she will receive anything addressed to her personally from her old address at the new one.

Sussex Runner (NLR) wrote (see)

People's details can be obtained by criminals. I wouldn't expect someone to be able to change my address just because they knew a few deatils. Usually tou can do it in the branch with a card and your pin number. It isn't that hard but I would worry more if my bank weren't being protective enough.

That's a very fair point.

seren, she just needs to go into a branch in person and I'm sure they'll sort it. I'm not surprised they won't give you anything over the phone, it's not your account.

Isn't it more the fact that they ask for a password which Seren's mum doesn't have/ never had issued because she's never used telephone banking? That's what I read as being the annoying issue ...

In which case, just say "we can't do this on the phone, go to a branch" - not offer a stupid solution which is not viable due to the circumstances the customer has just explained.  

Its not the fact they couldn't do it.........it was the fact that she thought that sending the password out to an address where my mother would no longer be living would be helpful or sensible.............

we will go into a branch........it would have been easier if she had said at the beginning that without an online password she would have had to go into the bank...........she even had my mother going through 4 different direct debits and dates and companies in the phonecall before realising she couldn't do it..............such a waste of everyones time.................

and Kk all companies will deal with me on the phone as long as she is present and states that she wants them to deal with me...........its a very common practice.........saves a lot of time .......

xine267 wrote (see)

Isn't it more the fact that they ask for a password which Seren's mum doesn't have/ never had issued because she's never used telephone banking? That's what I read as being the annoying issue ...

Ah but she might have had it many moons ago by mail and ignored it or just didn't know what it was? Doesn't a system register the fact you have a password, even if it's by infliction rather than choice? I don't know, I'm not a Barclays fan either but without all the facts it's easy to jump to conclusions.

But surely, if she's never used telephone banking, then she can't suddenly decide to use that method to change the address details..... it needs to be done by going into the branch.

It's annoying, but I have to agree with others, I'd rather have to jump through a few security hoops than for things to be too 'easy' (and hence easy for criminals too).

thats it xine...........it was just the waste of time and the stupid offer of posting the password out to where she wouldn't live that seemed so stupid to me.......

Juliefrazz wrote (see)

But surely, if she's never used telephone banking, then she can't suddenly decide to use that method to change the address details..... it needs to be done by going into the branch.

It's annoying, but I have to agree with others, I'd rather have to jump through a few security hoops than for things to be too 'easy' (and hence easy for criminals too).

 

 

Yes, this.

but to go through asking for 4 direct debits......her maiden name .......her dob  after they have already got her account details ..to then say you need a password..............on teh bank statement it gives you a number for customer services.........which is where we rang.........so not really trying to do online banking...........just trying to change an address ..........had managed to do it with the 11 other companies phoned that day..........

i can understand them not being able to do it..................but why not state that at the beginning.........

PS royal mail has let me redirect her mail by only knowing her address and phone number and the fact she lived their over 10 years..............

seren nos wrote (see)

PS royal mail has let me redirect her mail by only knowing her address and phone number and the fact she lived their over 10 years..............

Ok, that's more alarming.

kittenkat wrote (see)

xine267 wrote (see)

Isn't it more the fact that they ask for a password which Seren's mum doesn't have/ never had issued because she's never used telephone banking? That's what I read as being the annoying issue ...

Ah but she might have had it many moons ago by mail and ignored it or just didn't know what it was? Doesn't a system register the fact you have a password, even if it's by infliction rather than choice? I don't know, I'm not a Barclays fan either but without all the facts it's easy to jump to conclusions.

You'd think you'd have to appy/register a password but I have absolutely no confidence in Barclays   

When I worked there one of their genuis marketing strategies to generate new credit card business was to create new accounts and send out credit cards to customers that fit the right profile ... that was pre-chip and PIN so you didn't even have to get a PIN number to be able to use the card. Used to get a lot of card fraud from people who picked up envelopes sent to blocks of flats etc!

That was pre-credit crunch, can't see them sending out a load of pre-approved credit cards on a purely speculative basis now!

but there again......................i haev never used my own personal account with Barclays that they made us set up when they took over the mortgage from woolwich...........we just pay enough money in each month to cover the mortgage,.................so they kindly gave us an overdraft limit of £55,000..............which considering our income is a bit silly ..........

Haha, sounds like they are as efficient as ever then Seren!

banks are useless, a guy I worked with had an absolulte nightmare when he moved house. the bank sent all his mortgage (including all his personal details for the mortgage application etc, really sensitive highly confidential financial, history etc details) to the next door neighbours house and, to add insult to injury, sent the stuff, apologising and telling him it had been corrected etc, to the same address 

luckily his neighbours were decent and realised the error before anythig was opened but .....