Halifax closed my current account!

lky2k23

Just got a phone call from Halifax and been advised they have closed my current account accidentally and unable to open it up again, they are sorry.

I opened a Reward account over a year ago and they managed to open 2, 1 extra by accident.

I have never used the 2nd account only the 1st and advised in branch 2 weeks ago that I still see the 2nd account in my online banking. I asked if they can remove it and i completed a form and they said they would remove it.

Today I logged into my bank and they closed my 1st account, and transfered the money to the 2nd account. I went in to the branch and they said they will try and fix this as this is not what they instructed them to do.

Got the phone call saying sorry but nothing they can do. I will have to contact all my direct debits/people and inform them of my new bank account details. I asked for compensation and he suggested £50. I said at least £150 due to the time it will take me to contact all these people.

Any suggestions in what i should do for compensation?

This ever happned to anyone else?

Mandelbrot

lky2k23 wrote: »

Today I logged into my bank and they closed my 1st account, and transfered the money to the 2nd account. I went in to the branch and they said they will try and fix this as this is not what they instructed them to do.

Got the phone call saying sorry but nothing they can do. I will have to contact all my direct debits/people and inform them of my new bank account details.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't believe anyone who told me that there is nothing they can do.
Of course they can rectify it (put it back the way it was) but it might take a bit of manual intervention.

I'd be requiring this of them, plus hefty compensation.

I asked for compensation and he suggested £50. I said at least £150 due to the time it will take me to contact all these people.

Any suggestions in what i should do for compensation?

Ask for £250.

This ever happened to anyone else?

Not to me, but then I would no longer trust them to do anything correctly, so I wouldn't have asked them to close one of two similar accounts. (I'd probably have cycled £1000 pm through the account they set up erroneously to earn an extra £60 per year.)

chanz4

Think £100 is reasonable, it wont take much to contact the lenders.

Mikeyorks

It happened to me a few years ago. When I went into Branch to close a Probate account. Which they appeared to do quite successfully. But I noticed - that over the next few days - the closing interest on the Probate account dropped off. Then the transfer of funds to my Current account just disappeared. Leaving the Probate one fully open again.

Rang the Branch. They rang me back - after several hours - to 'check their understanding'. Then closed my Current account 48hrs later.

Fortunately I noticed it almost immediately. And whilst it was still only at the point a Stop had been put on it. Which I assume to be a temporary freeze whilst they check all o/s Debits have cleared. So they were able to resurrect it, with the only damage a bounced DD.

I was too busy with finishing off a Probate - so never got more that a verbal apology from their rather embarassed online Helpdesk. It took me 2 months to resolve the bounced DD - as they would choose the one that had only a pretty useless foreign call centre and 4 calls / 4 emails only got the response 'you've paid us'. Until I got a threatening letter immediately afterwards.

You seem to be outside the 'Stop' period. They will have signalled to all your DD originators (via ADDACS) that the account is closed ....... so I think you are at the point where you have to resurrect them on the other account?

Mandelbrot

Mikeyorks wrote: »

You seem to be outside the 'Stop' period. They will have signalled to all your DD originators (via ADDACS) that the account is closed ....... so I think you are at the point where you have to resurrect them on the other account?

Is this not possible? (after bank re-opens the account of course, and transfers the money back across)

Direct Debit Instruction Amendments & Cancellations (ADDACS)

R - Instruction re-instated

Reason: Instruction re-instated
Circumstances: Paying Bank may re-instate a cancelled DD up to two months from cancellation
Special Instruction / Information: Originator may resume direct debiting under the reinstated Instruction. However, a new DDI must be obtained and lodged if re-instatement is identified after the two month period

Mikeyorks

Mandelbrot wrote: »

Is this not possible?

Good spot ....... certainly looks to be. Perhaps the OP should ring and ask. What are the odds against finding anyone who knows!;)

That was my experience with the failed DD I mentioned. The originator applies for the money via DD and assumes it will be honoured. So they update your account with the expected credit at the same time. And that is where the 'you've paid us' was coming from. The 'dishonour' obviously took weeks to be processed on to their system as they had no dedicated DD team. And the helpline staff allegedly (mis)handled such matters.

HomerCastle

"I will have to contact all my direct debits/people and inform them of my new bank account details."
If Halifax REALLY can't undo this mess then they should at least do this for you. If you were transferrng an account to them they could do it, so why not now?
Once you're confident that's it's all sorted I would take the compensation and run - move your account to a bank/b soc with a better customer service reputation.

nwc389

It is correct that Halifax cannot re-open the account , unfortunately since the change to Lloyds systems last September if this is done in error it cannot be corrected.
However as it was their error they really should have offered to contact all of your DD companies on your behalf and sort out the mess as well as offering you some compensation .
Hope you get this sorted.

Nine_Lives

Personally, i can't understand why you would want to close the account down in the first place.

As you're posting here, that means you have an internet connection & i would wage that it's a home connection & not a cafe.

Just cycle £1000 through each month & bang, £60 a year for free. If you didn't want it, i could've given you my details & you could've sent it to me. I'd even have accepted a cheque!

Mandelbrot

nwc389 wrote: »

It is correct that Halifax cannot re-open the account , unfortunately since the change to Lloyds systems last September if this is done in error it cannot be corrected.

So you are saying that even if the wrongly closed account had been one held by one of their senior executives or a prominent customer, then it still couldn't be rectified?

lky2k23

k_p83 not sure what that post is relevant to? Wasn't my question and is just useless information now. Don't think anyone did that to you on your ebay fees post. Just to add I do agree you were being dim in that post.