Halifax banking service a complete joke

pmduk

I remember having problems with Barclays stating I'd failed security. Eventually it turned out that they's keyed my date of birth inaccurately. They ended up having to check the original form I'd completed.

rb10

Milarky wrote: »

I have had exactly the same experiences as the OP. You don't expect to be challenged with up to five questions about which accounts you already have, direct debits, etc etc simply to be able to speak to anyone about a PROBLEM! The attitude taken is simply disproportionate - there can be no excuse for it beside the sheer size and impersonal approach of a mega organisation.

Now you 'cross' the high street to (say) Lloyds - and there's an even larger organisation - but at least they are a proper bank - and they don't seem to put barriers in the way of customers who want to talk to them.

Do Lloyds not check the identities of people who phone them up then? If I say 'I'm Bob Smith', will they just take my word for it?

opinions4u

Milarky wrote: »

I have had exactly the same experiences as the OP. You don't expect to be challenged with up to five questions about which accounts you already have, direct debits, etc etc simply to be able to speak to anyone about a PROBLEM! The attitude taken is simply disproportionate - there can be no excuse for it beside the sheer size and impersonal approach of a mega organisation.

Except the issue in question here is that a customer's online access has been suspended. A system has clearly detected a possible fraud (probably triggered by using an unusual PC to transact on). We are not talking Data Protection Act we are talking potential financial loss to the customer (albeit reclaimable). Acting negligently in such circumstances is the wrong thing to do.

Now you 'cross' the high street to (say) Lloyds - and there's an even larger organisation - but at least they are a proper bank - and they don't seem to put barriers in the way of customers who want to talk to them.

It's interesting that you highlight Lloyds. Apart from the fact they now own HBOS, prior to the Credit Crunch their market capitalisation was significantly smaller.

When it comes to the number of personal customers, Halifax and Bank of Scotland combined has significantly more than Lloyds TSB. More savers, more mortgage customers, more home insurance customers.

Lloyds TSB is not a bigger beast than HBOS was.

Interestingly when the EU [STRIKE]asked[/STRIKE] ordered LBG to get rid of some of their market share, they couldn't wait to offer up Lloyds TSB branches in Scotland (en masse), England and Wales but chose to keep their HBOS inheritence complete.

The world is different now. The three brands are all part of the uncomfortably large LBG and I'd expect many of the things you like about Lloyds TSB to start appearing in Halifax and BOS branches and call centres over the coming months.

The initial wave of changes online and in branch don't seem to indicate the Lloyds TSB do things better.

planemad

Halifax are a pain for this - I failed security a few weeks back.

I opened a ISA and the starting balance of ther ISA when opened was £0 (ZERO) as I was waiting for funds from another ISA to transfer inwards to the new Halifax ISA.

I called Halifax to ask a few questions about the transfer time ect, and was taken through security, one of the questions was what was the opening balance on your ISA so I said £0.

She told me that this is not possible as the account must be funded to open it with at least £1 - I explained to her the transfer but she said I failed security.

I was really annoyed so I made a big point and spoke with a senior member of staff who granted access after asking some more sensible questions to ascertain my ID.

Milarky

opinions4u wrote: »

Except the issue in question here is that a customer's online access has been suspended. A system has clearly detected a possible fraud (probably triggered by using an unusual PC to transact on). We are not talking Data Protection Act we are talking potential financial loss to the customer (albeit reclaimable). Acting negligently in such circumstances is the wrong thing to do.

Well just to complete the picture, when this happened to me - I contacted them for 'help' - I failed at least one of the five questions [maybe it was a single question?] and was given the 'go in branch' nonsense [not so easy to do as it was before they closed all the agencies - and, you guessed it, a local branch of LTSB doesn't count!] To cap that - and perhaps this will surprise those supportive posters - when I tried logging back in after the call the block to internet access had somehow 'removed' itself anyway.

planemad wrote: »

Halifax are a pain for this - I failed security a few weeks back.

I opened a ISA and the starting balance of ther ISA when opened was £0 (ZERO) as I was waiting for funds from another ISA to transfer inwards to the new Halifax ISA.

I called Halifax to ask a few questions about the transfer time ect, and was taken through security, one of the questions was what was the opening balance on your ISA so I said £0.

She told me that this is not possible as the account must be funded to open it with at least £1 - I explained to her the transfer but she said I failed security.

I was really annoyed so I made a big point and spoke with a senior member of staff who granted access after asking some more sensible questions to ascertain my ID.

From the horse's mouth!

Halifax's approach is 'dysfunctional' - what other word describes this?

chexum

The only time I had "problems" with them was after I got a card from them. All they requested is a signature, no other supporting proof of address or ID. In the next 4 months (after spending lots on the card abroad in hotels, restaurants, without any difficulty, and returning, using the card in shops too), they sent me two letters to call in a branch with an ID as they suddenly were less confident in my ID? In both cases, I went there, and let them photocopy whatever I had.

Thankfully the branch was quite close, but it still looks less than professional. It made me worry when they are going to decide I don't actually have the card

Although it's different to my case, as far as I understand in most cases when people "fail" security, it's "just" their online/phone access that is blocked - which is still mighty inconvenient, but at least the account should be up and running otherwise.

The real problem with freezing access this way is that it could be too easy for someone else to cause real problems for you. Can they access my account if they just know my name and address? Obviously not, but if they try with a guessed birthday or any other details, does that mean I won't be able to access my account without visiting a branch any more? If I'd be leaving for a holiday I wouldn't appreciate the practical joke...

Peanuckle

MY daughter (17) rang Halifx/BOS last night to request a new debit card after her's was retained by the cash machine when it crashed. She was asked her date of birth and the first and third letters of her mother's maiden name. She gave the correct answers (I was in the same room and I'm Mum so I know the answers ) and was told she'd failed the security check and has to go into the branch. Just how common is it for banks to have the wrong details listed?

Hanky_Panky

pmduk wrote: »

I remember having problems with Barclays stating I'd failed security. Eventually it turned out that they's keyed my date of birth inaccurately. They ended up having to check the original form I'd completed.

I had this once with Orange - it was hugely frustrating being told you had failed security as you had stated an incorrect DOB - !!!!!! it's my DOB I think I can remember it !! What was even more annoying was they had simply put the month and day the wrong way around so 12/7 instead of 7/12 - really was a complete @rse on the phone.

callum9999

Yet I can guarantee if they let someone access details about your account despite not knowing the security questions, you'd be in a fit about how lax their security is.

You failed the security test so they just want you to go into a branch to prove you are who you say you are. Get a grip - it's hardly a "complete joke".

opinions4u

Hanky_Panky wrote: »

I had this once with Orange - it was hugely frustrating being told you had failed security as you had stated an incorrect DOB - !!!!!! it's my DOB I think I can remember it !! What was even more annoying was they had simply put the month and day the wrong way around so 12/7 instead of 7/12 - really was a complete @rse on the phone.

Perhaps the problem wasn't the person you were sapeaking to, but somebody else who had keyed the wrong information at an earlier time.