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Proof of ID and address (Tesco Bank)
DragonQ
Posts: 2,198 Forumite
I applied for a Tesco Bank savings account a couple of weeks ago and, despite the fact that I already have two current accounts with them and a credit card from at least a year ago, they said I'd have to prove my identity and address. Why? If they were happy to give me all these other accounts without needing any additional information, why have they now changed their minds?
The really annoying thing is that they require originals or certified copies only, and printed items don't count. They also cannot have abbreviations (e.g. they must state my full name), which means I have precisely zero items that meet all of their criteria for proof of address. In this age of online billing, why do organizations continue to insist that printed or emailed bills aren't valid? It's absurd, especially considering they blatantly wouldn't be able to tell half the time whether a bill or statement was printed or not.
The really annoying thing is that they require originals or certified copies only, and printed items don't count. They also cannot have abbreviations (e.g. they must state my full name), which means I have precisely zero items that meet all of their criteria for proof of address. In this age of online billing, why do organizations continue to insist that printed or emailed bills aren't valid? It's absurd, especially considering they blatantly wouldn't be able to tell half the time whether a bill or statement was printed or not.
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Why? If they were happy to give me all these other accounts without needing any additional information, why have they now changed their minds?
It requires a new anti-check. What they had before may have expired. What they did before may not meet current requirements. Maybe your circumstances have changed and you now fail an electronic check.The really annoying thing is that they require originals or certified copies only, and printed items don't count.
Pretty logical. You could just photoshop it otherwise.In this age of online billing, why do organizations continue to insist that printed or emailed bills aren't valid? It's absurd, especially considering they blatantly wouldn't be able to tell half the time whether a bill or statement was printed or not.
Printed bills are fine as long as you use the proper bill (pdf the utility companies provide) and not a printout of a webpage. Emails are not bills and could be from a Nigerian Prince for all they know.I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.0 -
I'd be in the same boat. I never receive any bills/statements addressed to me using my full name. It seems unreasonable for them not to accept something addressed with your initials and surname for proof of address, especially if you have a second item that shows your full name for proof of identity.They also cannot have abbreviations (e.g. they must state my full name), which means I have precisely zero items that meet all of their criteria for proof of address.0 -
My most recent current account was opened about a week before I applied for the savings account, so I doubt it.It requires a new anti-check. What they had before may have expired. What they did before may not meet current requirements. Maybe your circumstances have changed and you now fail an electronic check.
You can photoshop it anyway, as long as you have a colour scanner and printer...Pretty logical. You could just photoshop it otherwise.
Not according to Tesco Bank.Printed bills are fine as long as you use the proper bill (pdf the utility companies provide).
I know, it's stupid. I sent them a certified copy of my driving licence (with my full name) and the only paper bill I had (which only had my first initial and surname), but that wasn't good enough for them. :mad:I'd be in the same boat. I never receive any bills/statements addressed to me using my full name. It seems unreasonable for them not to accept something addressed with your initials and surname for proof of address, especially if you have a second item that shows your full name for proof of identity.0 -
I'd go in with a formal complaint if I were you. You've provided them with sufficient documentation, which they've refused to accept on a technicality. These documents would be acceptable to other organisations, so they aren't treating you fairly.I know, it's stupid. I sent them a certified copy of my driving licence (with my full name) and the only paper bill I had (which only had my first initial and surname), but that wasn't good enough for them. :mad:
Edit: Perhaps also ask them to address their response with your full name, so you can use it as proof of address.
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Nice try... but simply being able to receive a piece of paper posted to an address is typically not sufficient proof you live there. Many financial services businesses won't take letters or mobile phone bills etc, only fixed line utilities like telephone, gas, electric, council tax.Edit: Perhaps also ask them to address their response with your full name, so you can use it as proof of address.
If you're receiving gas or electricity or registered for council tax at the property, it's highly likely you live at or are long-term associated with the address, and so the organisation can tie you to the property for their ID check and say you pass.
Whereas if you just receive a letter in the post addressed there, you might be a neighbor who goes round to nick selected items of mail off the doorstep, or a friend of the real residents who wants to conceal his identity and picks up mail from time to time as if it were a PO Box service, or maybe you have paid for Royal Mail to auto forward all mail for Mr Masonic to his new address in Iran or Myanmar. :cool:
So generally, something like a mobile phone bill where a service is never delivered to a fixed address and you can just pay them online and don't care where any paperwork is mailed, is not a 'proof of address' for many banks. You could have a hundred people using one mailbox for their mobile phone bill or credit card statement or various application forms or clubcard statements or junk mail.
Whereas if gas is being supplied to the building in your name, or you're the person registered there for council tax, it's pretty unlikely that 99 other people are also allegedly receiving gas supply and paying council tax there.
So, real original utility bills are lower risk for the bank, and ultimately whether you pass the test or not comes down to policies and procedures around risk (and someone making a judgement call about whether to accept you as a customer if you don't pass the test but they still want your business). These are different for every institution so the line 'would be acceptable to other organisations' rarely works.0 -
That was supposed to be a joke. Aside from the things you point out, Tesco Bank would not be able to accept any document issued by themselves.bowlhead99 wrote: »Nice try... but simply being able to receive a piece of paper posted to an address is typically not sufficient proof you live there. Many financial services businesses won't take letters or mobile phone bills etc, only fixed line utilities like telephone, gas, electric, council tax.
<snip>
That aside, I hope you can agree that if I, as "Mr Fred Arthur Masonic", having already submitted a driving license with my full name as proof of identity, cannot then submit a council tax bill addressed to Mr Fred Masonic, or a utility bill addressed to Mr F A Masonic, that is taking it too far.0 -
I applied for a Tesco Bank savings account a couple of weeks ago and, despite the fact that I already have two current accounts with them and a credit card from at least a year ago, they said I'd have to prove my identity and address.
Telephone them and you might get the same CS agent I got. I had an identical situation. I had an old Tesco internet saver with £15 odd in it. I opened online a new current account and received the same proof/certify as you. Surprised at the need to prove I was 'me' when I had an existing account, I phoned them. CS muttered something about a 'glitch' in the system - upshot was I had to make the same (as online) application over the phone, hold while credit checked, BUT the bumph that then arrived just needed the signature form - none of the I.D./bills/certified nonsense.
So try the telephone route.0 -
I used a bank statement from Tesco Bank savings account as proof od address when applying for an ISA and it was accepted.0
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The only paper bill I had was my council tax bill, which they rejected because it didn't have my full first name...bowlhead99 wrote: »If you're receiving gas or electricity or registered for council tax at the property, it's highly likely you live at or are long-term associated with the address, and so the organisation can tie you to the property for their ID check and say you pass.
Yeah I might disable paperless billing for my Tesco current accounts and use those, just to make a point.I used a bank statement from Tesco Bank savings account as proof od address when applying for an ISA and it was accepted.0
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