Barclays Reserve Fee (just need to vent!)

RichRich

I've been banking with Barclays since i was a child, always been a loyal customer and never had any cash problems.

I often travel out of the country with work and recently I've been away for 2 months in the middle east, in which time I let my current account slip into its reserve (which I didn't even know existed), upon returning I found several letters amongst my mail informing me of a total of £44 in charges.

After several phone calls and a couple of branch visits they still hold onto their stance that these charges are "fair".
£44 isnt a lot of money for me but the stance which they have taken on the matter has really offended me.
I've read through other similar topics where people have had exactly the same problems and they have been ignored just as I have been, it seems this is just another way of them creaming some money in since their little charges scam got busted.

As of tomorrow morning I will no longer be a Barclays customer, they have in effect lost a life time customer for the sake of £44.
I have also pursuaded both my parents who have also been business customers for 30+ years to move and will continue to spread the word of malcontent in any future conversation regarding banking.

I am fully aware Barclays could not care less, but depriving them of custom certainly makes me feel better!!

OK! I think that's all the steam released, thanks for reading!

Mk14:37

I'm glad you've been able to vent and get it off your chest

I have to say that in your position, I think I still would have been keeping an eye on my accounts via online banking whilst I was overseas, and would also have made sure that an adequate overdraft was available 'just in case'. I know there are people on this board who go to great lengths to remove an OD facility from their current accounts, but IMHO it's better to have it available for situations such as these. Hope that you a) are able to learn from this experience and b) have recouped your losses by transferring to Santander or First Direct to get the £100 reward / entrapment payment!

RichRich

I got them to remove that facility as soon as i found out it existed.

I am normally great at managing money but due to being overseas i was reluctant to use my credit card due to over coplicated fees and fraud and ended up withdrawing chunks of cash from my current accounts.
It was all claimed back as business expense after.

I was unable to use online banking due to very limited web access.