Disgraceful Halifax Customer Service.......

unhappybunny77

Using Halifax’s telephone banking facility, I paid a bill to tune of £175 (the amount becomes more important so bear with me…) on the 28th Sep 2010.

I then went to draw some money out of my account today and realised that Halifax had actually paid £475 instead of £175. So…..I rang up Halifax to notify them of the mistake and asked them to retrieve the overpaid £300 and credit my account as soon as possible.

A Halifax Customer Service Agent then rang me back to explain that they could not help me due to the fact that I had actually stated £475 over the phone and not corrected the adviser during the initial call (the adviser who took the information was useless in my opinion and I had to correct her at least three times during the initial conversation). The agent went on to ‘explain’ that she had listened to a recording of the initial phone conversation and that I had made the mistake not the advisor who took the details.

Needless to say that I was (and still am) LIVID! I replied by re-iterating that the mistake was on their side and also requested to hear the recording for myself. The agent told me that Halifax were unable to let me hear the recording OR provide copies but could provide a transcript at a charge of £10! A transcript would be totally inappropriate in this instance in my opinion and I can’t think of a plausible reason why Halifax would not provide the data in its native format. I will however check this with the Information Commissioner’s Office before going to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Am I chasing a lost cause or should I fight? Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.

YorkshireBoy

unhappybunny77 wrote: »

...before going to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

You'll need to have exhausted Halifax's internal complaints procedure (maximum 8 weeks) before the FOS will entertain you. I assume you've already started the ball rolling?

unhappybunny77

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

You'll need to have exhausted Halifax's internal complaints procedure (maximum 8 weeks) before the FOS will entertain you. I assume you've already started the ball rolling?

Thanks for the reply. Yes, first thing on the itinerary tomorrow

YorkshireBoy

unhappybunny77 wrote: »

Yes, first thing on the itinerary tomorrow

And the second is to register for online banking, so you can DIY?

unhappybunny77

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

And the second is to register for online banking, so you can DIY?

I try to avoid online banking for security reasons.....

Fedz

unhappybunny77 wrote: »

I try to avoid online banking for security reasons.....

Any particular 'security reasons.....' or just general online?

YorkshireBoy

unhappybunny77 wrote: »

I try to avoid online banking for security reasons.....

I always avoid telephone banking, for the reasons you gave in your OP.

I manage all our accounts (38 at the moment, and nearly 150 in the last 10 years or so) online. I've never had a "security" issue.

unhappybunny77

Fedz wrote: »

Any particular 'security reasons.....' or just general online?

Although most banking websites have suitably robust security protocols, your banking information still passes through servers that may not be as secure as you think. In addition there are so many viruses, trojans & keyloggers floating around net just waiting to infect your pc (some very good at hiding their presence) that you could be inadvertently giving your banking details to unscrupulous characters without your knowing!

Call me over cautious but I don't feel comfortable with online banking yet.

Fedz

unhappybunny77 wrote: »

Although most banking websites have suitably robust security protocols, your banking information still passes through servers that may not be as secure as you think. In addition there are so many viruses, trojans & keyloggers floating around net just waiting to infect your pc (some very good at hiding their presence) that you could be inadvertently giving your banking details to unscrupulous characters without your knowing!

Call me over cautious but I don't feel comfortable with online banking yet.

No! No! I understand. Personal preference. Can't argue with that

Personally I've used online banking for donkeys years with numerous banks & no probs. I wouldn't feel comfortable using telephone banking but, as said above it's personal preference

unhappybunny77

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

I always avoid telephone banking, for the reasons you gave in your OP.

I manage all our accounts (38 at the moment, and nearly 150 in the last 10 years or so) online. I've never had a "security" issue.

I think its safe to say that both banking methods have their pros & cons. Its a personal choice....

Coming back to the topic, does anybody have any advice? Are Halifax within their rights to withhold the recording?

Fedz

For a start a transcript from Halifax will only state you as saying £475 so ain't worth £10 as they're saying that anyway for free

If it was escalated to FOS couldn't they have the authority to demand from Halifax (for clarity) 'native format' instead of a transcript?

Plus also as it's a bill. Has this made you go into credit maybe you could get a cheque for the amount back?