Telephone banking - audit trail??

ilesmark

Hi all

Not sure if this is the right part of MSE.

A question - if you call a bank to discuss an issue on your account and, in the process of getting through to a human being, type in your account number and answer all the security questions correctly, does it leave any kind of a record / footprint / audit trail on your account? Like it does if you log into internet banking?

Thanks

Mark

ian_h

yes, as it uses your security details to verify access its recorded access in the same way internet banking is.

ilesmark

Aha. Thanks for this - I thought as much.

The reason for my post is that the bank concerned - who I won't yet name - put the phone down on me when I phoned up to complain about £150 in bank charges, having entered my account number and answered all the security questions correctly before getting through to the idiot in customer 'service'.

Subsequently I wrote to them to complain about this and received a written reply telling me tough luck about the bank charges and adding that there was 'no record' of me having contacted them / accessed the account on that date and time.

Next step - I'll issue them with a Data Protection Act Subject Access Request, asking them to show all their records relating to the dealings on my account and then see if this shows I DID contact them / access the account on that day. If it does......

ian_h

I'd save the tenner and just make a formal complaint, making it clear that they have a responsibility to record when your account is accessed and therefore will see that the call did indeed occur.

Stress that if you do not reach a satisfactory outcome you will have no hesitation in escalating your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (This costs the bank to investigate so they try and agree beforehand).

Good Luck

ilesmark

Hmm - I already pointed out that they should have had a record of the access to the account, and they themselves told me to go ahead and take it to the FOS if I wasn't happy.

zppp

ilesmark wrote: »

Hmm - I already pointed out that they should have had a record of the access to the account, and they themselves told me to go ahead and take it to the FOS if I wasn't happy.

The problem is that though it may show you accessed your account, if the call was not recorded (which they don't have to do) there is very little you can do really - your word against theirs. Did you get the name of the person you spoke to and more importantly what happened in the call for them to terminate? The only reason I ask, is that call centre operatives in many organisations have the right to terminate the call in certain circumstances.

ilesmark

ha ha - if you mean 'did they put the phone down on me because I was shouting and swearing?' then absolutely not. I know they can hang up on you for that. I did a Jeremy Paxman on them (or started to) and asked how 4 failed direct debits, all on the same day, could have possibly cost them £150. On the second repetition of this, the line went dead.

I thought I had gotten the name of who I spoke to, but can't put my hand on my heart and say I got the right name and they denied having anyone of that name in that department - benefit of the doubt on that one.

This phone call took place at the end of 2009 and the letter denying the phone call had taken place or that I had accessed my a/c on that date came in January 2010 ie some time ago, so the matter is closed at their end.

I'm posting about this now owing to a chance remark someone made to me recently about something else, that set me thinking.

The subject access request will probably go to a different department of this bank, who will doubtless be unaware of my complaint. But if this reveals that I DID access my account on that day in November 09, that means I'll have written proof that the complaints people told me a lie by denying that I did in the Jan 2010 letter. Can you imagine how this would look? Am sure they'd be MOST anxious not to let it get out that their complaints people tell lies:beer:

pmduk

Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you now too late to take it to the FOS? I know there is a time limit from the deadlock letter. I believe it's 8 weeks,

zppp

pmduk wrote: »

Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you now too late to take it to the FOS? I know there is a time limit from the deadlock letter. I believe it's 8 weeks,

Yep, the OP is timebarred and the complaint cannot be reopened.

zppp

Guys don't be alarmed by multiple posts, site problems

ilesmark

ha! Who said anything about the FOS? If this exercise reveals written proof they've lied to me, it'll be a civil action for the tort of deceit.

But let's not jump the gun until I've had the answer to the request.