Saturday 25 July 2015

Barking At Barclays

Money,money, money:always sunny, in the banking world

To Barclays Bank the other week to close a very small savings account that had now matured, and to transfer the money to our joint bank account in a different bank. I needed the funds to pay a builder. Ever mindful of the red-tapery that now exists in all public organisations (even those I own 48% of), I brought all the original documentation to prove the account existed.

But. The very young bank person, who could have been a Year 10 pupil in disguise, after asking me a heap of questions about my mother's maiden name, my date of birth, my shoe size and how many beans made 5, fiddled on her computer, studied the documentation, and then handed it back and told me I needed formal ID with a current photo of myself.

I produced my pensioner bus pass, which has a photo and serves as ID for practically everything. Not today. Drivers' license or passport were the preferred options. Sadly, I still have an old paper driving license, and my passport application was still lost in transit somewhere in the Passport Office.

Breathing slightly harder, I pointed out that WHY in the first place would I have the paperwork from the bank IF I was a scammer. And WHY, if I wasn't me, did I want to transfer the money to an account WHICH ALSO HAD THE SAME NAME AS I DID. As did my bus pass, my debit card, my library card, my John Lewis card and my CRB certificate.

Brick walls. It dawned on me that, given the bank's absurd parameters, I couldn't actually prove who I was, and therefore might never be able to get my money out. Arising with as much dignity as someone who does not exist can, I said I'd be back at the weekend. With relevant proof.

Saturday morning I returned, accompanied by BH, his driving license and passport. The Two Grumpy Old Sods were back in business! In his best official voice, honed over years of dealing with local government idiocy, BH informed the woman that HE was prepared to identify me, and HE had the right ID. He also had a wedding picture of us in his wallet.

We are both past masters at this sort of stuff, and can do threatening silence to Olympic standards, so eventually after a Higher Person was consulted, the sum of £1,250 was duly transferred from one bank to another. Reluctantly.

The irony of all this was that, had I banked online, I could have done the whole transaction without any hassle whatsoever. But I don't trust the bank's security. I still don't. But for different reasons.








17 comments:

  1. I'm sure many of us have such tales. My lovely old aunt wanted to move an account, and rang them. They asked for her pin number - she doesn't have one, she explained, as she never used the hole-in-the-wall. You can't do anything without the pin number, they said. Then give me one, she said. But you have to prove who you are before we do that. How do I prove who I am, she said. Give us your pin number ...

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  2. ps, I shall name and shame - Santander.

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    1. Excellent..that's TWO banks named and shamed!

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    2. This is happening all too often. I also went to change some cash £ currency to Euros at Tesco. "No problem" they said and offered me a cash sum at current rates. I asked if the money could in part be given in one of those cash cards. "Sure they can, have you got ID like a passport or driving licence?" What on earth for? I said and she replied "You know? Money laundering and all that." Oh well, I'll take my laundry in cash then.

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    3. It is stupid .. my CRB cert meant that the POLICE had checked my background..and I'd supplied my birth certificate...DUH!

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  3. ...I am a former banker, ...glad to say I went-over-the-wall, escaped over six years ago... and I’m utterly appalled at whet the industry has devolved into... nothing more than a non-glorified pawnbroking cartel...

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    1. Hooray! I am waiting for some banker to pile in and justify all this rubbish! waiting...waiting....

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    2. Agreed Seumas and with it has gone common decency, integrity and sincerity.

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  4. Try being an American and dealing with a bank outside the US. Lepers will get a better welcome.

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  5. and they are supposed to be working for us...with our money...

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  6. This is absolutely NOTHING compared to the insanity that is the US banking system these days. We were going to buy the parent's house. It was a reasonable deal, we had plenty in the bank to back it up, and decided to apply for a mortgage for tax reasons. (Don't even get me started on the US tax system!) Four and a half months later, after demanding our banking and financial life histories going back a decade (so not making this up), the mortgage company demanded and additional $3K because—get this—THEIR process had taken so long that the lock on the mortgage rate expired and the new rate would be both higher and more expensive for closing costs. We walked away.

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    1. Interesting that someone else has also commented on the US system. I really think there is something wrong when people who NEVER give US their past details so we can be sure they are presenting us with good advice, demand such excessive personal stuff from us!

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  7. Oh Carol I would have loved to be a fly on the wall that day. We had to jump through hoops to even put our house up for sale. They had passports and bank details but they wanted utility bills, but we have all ours online and don't receive any paper ones, but they still wanted them. The same happened when we bought our new house,they wanted utility bills. Surely the bank knows most people pay gas,electric and TV online? We're saving paper and saving trees and still they keep asking.

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    1. madness. AND i left my umbrella there on the first visit coz I was so cross!

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  8. My beef was with Santander. I warned them I was about to buy a car but when I presented my card in the car showroom the telephone check person from Santander said I was giving the wrong details. After a lot of complication & visits I discovered they had recorded my dob in the American way, month before day! I closed my account.

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  9. Excellent!! So glad you won that battle!

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