Please help - my ex has screwed me over with our joint account

reddevilkay

Hi

I've not posted on here before, but have lurked from time to time and you all seem to have such great advice that I hope someone can help me.

My ex husband and I separated in November 2008, and in April 2009, I realised that we still had a joint account open at Barclays. I requested that my name be removed from the account and I sent off 2 letters - one signed by me and one signed by him to Barclays to remove me from the account. They replied to me at my current address to say that I had to fill in an update details form and take it to a branch with ID, and that they requested him to do the same.

I took my ID to a branch, was told by my ex that he had done the same so I again sent off letters signed by myself and him to request that I be removed from the account.

For about 6 months, I wrote about 7 lettters to Barclays with my new address and phone number on it, with very little contact from them. I spoke to people on the phone a few times and I kept being told that they didn't get any authorisation from my ex.

Eventually I went into the branch with my letter and ID and asked them to forward that to head office with a stamp or something to verify that they had seen my ID. I asked my ex to do the same.

In November 2009, I went into a branch to find out what was going on as I was getting such little correspondence from Barclays. I was told that the account was closed, and I didn't think any more about it.

I then found out in August 2010 from a debt collection agency, that my ex had been using his cheque guarantee card the whole time I was trying to remove myself from the account, and that the debt on the account had got to almost £6.5k!

When I complained to Barclays about this, they said that I never told them my new address or asked them to send statements to me which is why I was never told.

I have also complained to the financial ombudsman, and even though my ex has signed a letter saying that he takes full responsibility for this debt and has offered to pay it in full with an IVA, apparently, I am still jointly liable for this. I have kept every letter I wrote to Barclays. In hindsight, I should obviously have frozen the account, but I had no idea that it would be such a nightmare to get my name removed from the account, or that this could have possibly happened behind my back!

If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it. I'm planning to go to the CAB as soon as I receive the final letter from the ombudsman.

Bloomin_Freezing2

what a nightmare! So, seeing as they are now saying they had no new info for you, I assume they are not sending any post to you there? If they are then they have taken your new info, if they're not I'd forget them. You have done your bit. If they start sending anything to you post it back with 'not known at this address'.

Counting_Pennies_2

Make sure you have the proof.

If you have documentary evidence, get in touch with the Mail or Times Money section and ask them to take it on for you.

They seem to be quite effective.

hth

RAS

Have you made sure that from now on, all debits requyire BOTH signatures?

chocdonuty

Sounds familar. A similar thing happened to me when I split with my ex, he used my card for the joint account so I stopped it.
Then he cashed some cheques which had only my name on them but were for the joint account (It was previously just my account but we made it a joint one, these were from an old chequebook) So I stopped the whole chequebook.
Flippin barclays then rang me up to say that more cheques had been cashed, yes the very same ones I had stopped!! Made no difference to barclays though. I tried and tried to remove my name and eventually got the account frozen. Still had to pay it all back though as the ex wouldn't and as they only had my address it was my door the bailiff would be knocking on! Absolute nightmare, I'll never bank with barclays again.:mad:

reddevilkay

Thanks everyone for their suggestions, and glad to see I'm not the only person that's gone through something like this! I just can't believe that banks are allowed to get away with something like this when one person really has no control over the situation.

The CAB have suggested i try a law centre so I'm going to try that...will definitely try the papers as well.

Thanks again!

Krystaltips

Try asking this question in the banking part of the forum, they'll probably have more ideas up there

tesuhoha

I feel angry on your behalf because it so frustrating and Barclays are liars. I would do what someone else said and get some publicity. Let Barclays know that you have proof and that you are going to contact BBC Watchdog about them. You could also try going to a no win no fee solicitor and ask if they can help.

reddevilkay

Krystaltips wrote: »

Try asking this question in the banking part of the forum, they'll probably have more ideas up there

Oh thanks, I will!

reddevilkay

@chocdonuty...I can't believe that they cashed cheques in your name...even if it was a joint account, did you not have to sign them if it was just your cheque book??

Thanks everyone again