Basic bank account feedback thread

chrisontheup

I have a Debt Management Plan. I recently went into Barclays Bank and asked to open a basic bank account. I told them I wanted a basic account, no frills, no overdraft facility, wasn't bothered about a cheque book. I was told what I needed was a Barclays Bank Account. He went through the lengthly process of getting all my info. He didn't ask about debts. I foolishly assumed that as I only wanted a place to keep and manage my money the DMP was not an issue so I didn't mention it.

Needless to say my application was turned down. When he told me it had been rejected, I told him about the DMP and he was very polite but said there was nothing he could do. At no time did he offer the Basic Cash Card account. I only found out about it by reading Martin's article.

Am left feeling a bit humiliated - I live in a small town and this was my local branch. I am now feeling angry as the Basic Account would have met all my criteria and it was never mentioned.

twentyninetimes

Barclays Wandsworth Town were great. Very quick and simple. :T
I walked in and asked a woman about opening a basic bank account with no overdraft and only a cashcard. She asked if I was employed at the moment and when I said yes, asked if I was sure I only wanted a basic account. I said yes, I was certain. She got me a form to fill in (just basic name, address, date of birth etc), photocopied my ID and that was that. I was there 10 minutes I reckon.
Very pleased, since after reading some of the posts here I was expecting a bit of a fight!

united66

Barclays turned me down for even the Cash Card account and I have no record of fraud, CCJ's, bankruptcy or DMP's.
I appealed the decision in writing, someone rang me from my local branch and said there was nothing they can do, Barclays didn't want me as a customer and that was pretty much it. Rubbish.

eurobell

i tried to open a Barclays basic account and was told i had to deposit £50 to open the account . I am on a dmp and don't have £50 just like that. how can i sort out my finanaces if they want money to open a BASIC BANK ACCOUNT have given up

the_sunday_girl

I have just had a very similar experience with Co-op over the phone. The agents I speak to are very nice but the whole system has just been a mess up from start to finish. They took my address down with a bit missing so I had to find a proof of address that was wrong to send to them after they declined my "correct" address proof. It took so long to do everything that apparently my application had then expired. Confused as to why them having the wrong address has resulted in my application expiring I called. After a very frustrated 35plus minutes (to an 0845 number) I was told if I gave permission they could reactivate my application. I called two weeks later to find out what was happening and my previous call wasn't even noted and I would have to re-start my application and re-send in all proofs. I wanted to be with Co-op due to their ethical practices however fundamentally I want to bank with someone I can trust with my money and their incompetence and delay tactics have left me here a month and a half after my initial call still with no bank account. I will NOT be banking with Co-op. I do not trust my money in a system that is so obviously useless! Avoid the Co-op I say unless of course you don't mind spending a fortune in time and phone calls on a complete farce.

the_sunday_girl

My local Barclays made an appointment with me then called 2 days later to reschedule, overbooked, then called the day before the appointment to say due to illness they would get back to me with another date then just didn't bother calling me at all. I may well have been made bankrupt but I still earn a monthly salary and should be valued as a customer. Why provide an account that you don't want to tell people about. The customer service in my local branch was rubbish (Yeovil) and I after an even worse experience with Co-op I am thinking under the bed is my best option. Although sadly my bed doesn't cash the cheques I have waiting!

Kathrynkathryn_2

Yes, I know Metro Bank is a London bank with only a few branches, but I had a very positive experience opening an account with very poor credit rating
I tested my credit rating at my main bank RSB when I applied to get a second account which although a cheaper and lower type of account the the one I have, had a couple benefits which my main account did not have. The system would not even go further than my name, meaning in the application process for the second account the guy just entered my name into the system in the branch and the system said no, so couldn't get past go and in case you are interested I run my account at that bank very strictly, have never been overdrawn or used an overdraft, no loans, no credit card and never bounced a payment.

So I saw a local branch of Metro Bank opening with a big razzamatazz and thought I'd try my luck as it is not related to any other bank.
20mins later, I had a current account, [not a cash account, a real current account!!] with a debit card and a pin, no cheque book, but that's ok.
There is no monthly fee, I get no useful benefits and in fact I did not even use the account for months, but there was an unforeseen moment when I really needed to process some money, it gets like that when you're scraping along the bottom of the barrel, and I was very very grateful I had another account to work with.
For anyone struggling I think having a few bank accounts is crucial, being tied to one bank can severely limit your options. I would recommend making the trip to a Metro now, I feel once they get more established they may get more fussy !

stanzelsa

I've got a problem, I applied for a basic account with Natwest and was turned down as they said I already had an account with them. I then applied to Barclays who also turned me down, and Halifax with the same response. I was made bankrupt on 3rd June 2010, and discharged 3rd June 2011, all of the applications were made after my discharge date. I'm scared of applying to co-op because of the 3 rejections on my file. The problem is, I've recently started work and am having to have the money paid into my partners account and I'm worried that this could cause him problems as he's on benefits and we don't live together. I really need an account of my own, should I try the Co-op? My nearest branch is 20 miles away.

ian_h

stanzelsa Forget Halifax they dont like Bankrupts and thats likely the reason you were declined there.

Natwest - What type of account do you have with them?

The one that surprises me is Barclays - they dont credit check just IDENTITY check, are you on the electoral roll? If not you are wasting your time doing any more applications until this is sorted.

If you ARE already on the Electoral Roll then check your credit files NOW (£2 can be done online) and make sure you dont have CIFAS fraud or GAIN gone away markers on your file.

Co-op are good and you dont need a local branch but if you sort out what they are seeing then you would likely have a reasonable chance if you applied to Barclays again.

stanzelsa

ian_h wrote: »

stanzelsa Forget Halifax they dont like Bankrupts and thats likely the reason you were declined there.

Natwest - What type of account do you have with them?

The one that surprises me is Barclays - they dont credit check just IDENTITY check, are you on the electoral roll? If not you are wasting your time doing any more applications until this is sorted.

If you ARE already on the Electoral Roll then check your credit files NOW (£2 can be done online) and make sure you dont have CIFAS fraud or GAIN gone away markers on your file.

Co-op are good and you dont need a local branch but if you sort out what they are seeing then you would likely have a reasonable chance if you applied to Barclays again.

I think the reason Barclays have refused me is because I have an existing debt with them for a credit card that went on the bankruptcy, though the letter they sent me does say they did a credit check. The staff member appealed the decision based on the fact that it was a no-risk account and it was still refused.
I don't actually have an account with Natwest, though I've had accounts with Alliance & Leicester and HSBC prior to the bankruptcy (affiliates?). The problem with getting my credit check done is I have no way of paying it! But I will try to see if I can get someone else to make a payment for me and give it a go.
I am definitely on the electoral roll, as I got my polling card through for the local elections earlier this year.