Are Barclays Call Centres Open 24 A Day? Or have they just found a new way to...

Marv02

...rig in a !!!! load of extra cash from unsuspecting customers.

I just called up Barclays to talk to someone regarding a little problem. (I didn't notice it was 2 in the morning! :O) The problem is, when I called telephone banking and pressed * to be connected to an operator, the phone began to ring like the offices were still open. It never mentioned opening times, or that the offices were closed like most do.

So I sat there for 20 minutes on the phone and then hung up. Come to notice it was 2 in the morning and I slapped myself. But then, it hit me. If the offices are advertised to be open from 7AM to 11PM (later checked on the website) then why don't they tell you this over the phone, to let you know, and automatically disconnect the call?

So I beg the question... Are Barclays open 24 hours a day, but just delayed in answering me, or do they purposely not tell you the opening/closing office hours over the phone so you can sit on the phone so you could just sit there waiting on end, making them a pile of cash in the process?

EarthBoy

Neither.

If they advertise as being open 7 am to 11 pm, then those are the opening hours. Why should they need a message on the phone line to advertise the hours just in case somebody who can't sleep decides to ring at 2.00 am?

simax

EarthBoy wrote: »

Neither.

If they advertise as being open 7 am to 11 pm, then those are the opening hours. Why should they need a message on the phone line to advertise the hours just in case somebody who can't sleep decides to ring at 2.00 am?

Because every other bank/utility company I can think of does?!?!?

Marv02

simax wrote: »

Because every other bank/utility company I can think of does?!?!?

This. Thank you. how is someone suppose to know a companies opening/closing times? If I hadn't of looked on the website, I would have never known.

Some may have thought they would close at 5:30PM like normal office hours... Some different. The fact of the matter is, no mater who I've called over the many years, they always automatically hang up after giving you a message that you are calling out of office hours.

How Barclays have gotten away with this for so long is beyond me. What if they closed at 6? And some poor sod called at 6:10... He would be sitting on the phone for hours on end trying to get through to someone, while in the mean time hearing the message "It would be quicker to use our online services at barclays.co.uk..." blah blah over and over again giving the guy the impression that the office is open, just delayed in answering your call.

/rant.

Fedz

Possible reasons: it's too logical & simple to implement

Marv02

Fedz wrote: »

Possible reasons: it's too logical & simple to implement

Aww, how could I have not thought of that :cool:

pmduk

Probably Barclays just don't give a toss about customers. If you use the geographic number (02476 842100) you're not making them money ever when you call.

zppp

It is stated on their website. I imagine there is a 24 hour automated service, and some functions such as lost and stolen will remoain open.

http://www.barclays.co.uk/ContactUs/Callus/P1242557966951

On another note, it is an 0845 number, which is local rate, so I'm unsure how Barclays make any money, given that OFCOM banned revenue sharing in 2008?

iblametheparents

Barclays Telephone Banking is open 24/7, however it is advertised as only being open 7am-11pm. There is only one team working in the Sunderland centre, who work an 11pm-7am shift, and they can't access any systems between 12:30am - 2:30am. I don't know why it's not advertised, it was initially brought in as a trial around two years ago and it's not changed since then.

Separately, Lost & Stolen is open 24/7 too.

iblametheparents

pmduk wrote: »

Probably Barclays just don't give a toss about customers. If you use the geographic number (02476 842100) you're not making them money ever when you call.

Do not use this number, use 02476 842099.

bendix

What a ridiculous complaint. Putting aside the obvious point of the OP 'not realising it was 2am', are they seriously expecting Barclays to think of every possible idiotic mistake that a punter can make. The OP calls at 2am, wonders why noone is answering (despite their advertised hours being on their websites) and then speculates that this is an excuse to make **** loads of money, despite the number not costing anyone anything to call, particularly if it's no answered.

If the OP wants to be angry with anyone, perhaps they should look at themselves for being a prize plonker?