Urgent help needed RE: barclaycard closure with no explanation

Dylansmummy

Hi

My sister had a capital one account. Never any problems with it what so ever, paid full balance off every month and it worked well.

She was then accepted for a 0% barclaycard and decided to go with them because she thought they were a better provider. Everything was going fine, she had notified capital one she was closing her account and planned on doing a balance transfer for her last months spends, recieved her barclaycard, added her partner who has an excellent credit rating as an additional card holder and started spending (she put two McDonald's payments both for under £10 on it).

Then out of nowhere literally about 10 days after opening her account the card was declined. She rang up barclaycard thinking she hadn't activated it or something, then they told her "We have closed your account, our checks on new customers are done in a two fold process, we do initial checks so we can get the account open and card sent out ASAP and then subsequent checks which showed you do not meet our current lending criteria.."

So obviously our questions were what checks are these? What has my account been closed for? To which they said "these checks are company confidential and we do not access neither do we release this information". WHAT?!!

So basically my sister has closed her capital one account down, now has Barclays on her credit file, along with multiple searches they have done (10 in total) and no explanation what so ever as to why this has happened. Nobody will give us any info.

Please has anyone got advice where to turn next to get this looked into?

BugsyBrowne

This is nothing uncommon with barclaycard, theirs a thread on here floating about with members who have been in the same position.

Afraid that's it you can't do anything about it.

Dylansmummy

What an absolute joke.

reclusive46

BugsyBrowne wrote: »

This is nothing uncommon with barclaycard, theirs a thread on here floating about with members who have been in the same position.

Afraid that's it you can't do anything about it.

Agreed. I've read this a lot.

YorkshireBoy

Dylansmummy wrote: »

So basically my sister has closed her capital one account down, now has Barclays on her credit file, along with multiple searches they have done (10 in total) and no explanation what so ever as to why this has happened. Nobody will give us any info.

Please has anyone got advice where to turn next to get this looked into?

Raise a formal complaint, and then refuse any offer they make. Let it go to the FOS after 8 weeks. Hopefully if everyone this has happened to does the same the FOS will come down hard on Barclaycard...and so they should!

chanz4

They have not done anything wrong, although not ideal they have every right to withdraw credit

dalesrider

Dylansmummy wrote: »

then they told her "We have closed your account, our checks on new customers are done in a two fold process, we do initial checks so we can get the account open and card sent out ASAP and then subsequent checks which showed you do not meet our current lending criteria.."

Please has anyone got advice where to turn next to get this looked into?

While they do have the right to do this.

Do they advise this process in anyway when you apply? If they don't it could be a good test to let it go to FOS. Although they may simply change their mind, and reverse the decline decision to avoid that.

Seems very poor customer service. Far better to say they take a bit longer to set up a account, than rush it through and then shut it down...
Never mind the increased cost to them.

giblet10

Hmmm...an old Barclaycard trick...I'm not sure what information they can't get at the time they issue the card that then appears ten days later..but it's a common reason they give - you are not the first and you won't be the last..

Illegal or a FOS issue? Well, my gut instinct is probably not as any credit provider can simply provide and take away facilities at will and not be accountable to anyone..

Appalling customer service? Yes, without question.

garynuman

she thought they were a better provider.

Hate to say it but that's the mistake!:( This forum is littered with similar threads.

Gaz

RichL74

Sorry, while it doesn't help you, will they be chasing her for the £10 balance that she put on the card? Make sure they dont offer to send the boys round so to speak for that paltry amount.

ALIBOBSY

I would definately complain and push it to FOS is necessary. Certainly they should only have put one hard search on her credit file. If they performed more than one during a short period (not illegal nor unreasonable) they should remove all but the one authorised for the original search.

Ali x