Not impressed with Barclays response to swallowed credit card

katejo

Last Saturday I went to get some cash and tried to use a Barclays cashpoint. First it gave a message to say that it couldn't process my request and told me to take the card back and contact my bank. Then it would not return the card. I spoke to a member of staff and was not happy with his response. He completely rejected the idea that there was a problem with the cashpoint and implied that my card was the problem.
I have now sorted out the card. I went to HSBC who authorised me to have some cash from my First Direct account. Otherwise I would have been stuck with no money for the bank holiday weekend. They also cancelled the card. I now have to wait for a new card to arrive.

I walked past the Barclays bank again and saw 2 other people having problems with the cash machine though I don't know the details of what they tried to do.

I do think that Barclays should have taken that machine out of action to investigate any fault. I did not get as far as entering my PIN so I think there was a problem with it.

MonkeyMad

I would imagine the staff would have been convinced by a stream of customers complaining about their cards being swallowed all through Sat to Weds so perhaps the machine was indeed not faulty?

meer53

Does it really matter whether it was the card of the machine ? Your card was swallowed. There is no way for them to give you your card back once thats happened.

katejo

meer53 wrote: »

Does it really matter whether it was the card of the machine ? Your card was swallowed. There is no way for them to give you your card back once thats happened.

I wasn't expecting them to return the card. i was just annoyed by the assumption the my card was the problem. At work we have copycard dispensers and revaluators. If someone claims they have lost money, we do at least do an initial check on the machine.

inmypocketnottheirs

meer53 wrote: »

Does it really matter whether it was the card of the machine ? Your card was swallowed. There is no way for them to give you your card back once thats happened.

Simply not true.

I had a similar experience at a Yorkshire Bank branch. I put my card in, entered my pin, the machine crashed, rebooted and kept my card.

I went into the bank, explained my dilemma and was told that they could not return the card and that the card would have been shredded.

Again not true.

I was in the branch with my wife who worked for another bank and explained that they were not telling the truth.

I refused to leave and every time a customer came in I soke in a very loud voice and demanded my card. YB refused to cooperate. I repeated my behaviour, even called my bank on speakerphone and had them verify infront of customers and bank staff that there wasn't a block on my card or that there was any reason for my card being withheld.

Eventually, YB capitulated and gave me my card back, somewhat shadedfacedly.

I do not like being lied to. Bank staff thing customers are morons, and as commented above, if a customer of another bank you are treated like a second class citizen.

Banks have created a advsarial consumer relationship (Martin's words) and must be taken to task when they fail to provide an adequate service or deliberately lie to deceive a customer.

Needless to say I wrote a letter of complaint to YB and got an apology from the Regional Manager.