Identity verification frustration

Chordeiles

dunstonh wrote: »

... when all the person has to do is print out the pdf version of the bill which most utility providers offer as standard.

I'd be very interested to hear folks' experiences of getting PDF printouts of online statements accepted.

Three years ago I was in the habit of being paperless even on accounts with paper statements, by scanning the statements and shredding them. I hadn't needed to verify my identity in many years.

Then my Mum died, and I was the executor for her will. All of a sudden everybody wanted to see this sort of stuff. The problem was different in different establishments - from memory I'd say that Barclays were helpful, Halifax were obstructive (but maybe I'm just recalling my impression of the Halifax's service in any situation !).

That experience has inhibited me from going paperless on accounts like Electricity and Gas. I still scan and shred everything, but I now have a small file containing the last paper statement of each type, which I shred as it is replaced by a new one.

My wife has always needed CRB checks for her work, so when she changed jobs after many years she was grateful for my new system of keeping the last bill. But still most stuff is in my name, so I recall her mobile 'phone bill was acceptable for CRB purposes.

Also I'd note that I'm paperless with TalkTalk for my (fixed-line) 'phone bill, but TalkTalk simply don't provide anything that will print out to look anything like a paper bill. It's all bits and pieces, formatted to fit a small screen, not a piece of paper.

bengalknights

This must be quite a strict bank then as ive always printed bills off in colour and duplexed where they had info on the 2nd page that is usually the back on a postal bill never once has it been questioned when issued as id and the same with council tax bill that was always accepted.