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Barclays "Consistent borrowing fees" letter recieved.
vacheron
Posts: 2,662 Forumite
Just a heads up to anyone who gets one of these.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xczdchuxz72zzhl/barclays%20messup.jpg?dl=0
I've just spent 20 minutes on hold after receiving this out of the blue only to be told it's another Barcleys c**k up and that "loads of these have been sent out in error".
Just posting in the hope that it will save someone else from wasting their time calling them to question it too!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xczdchuxz72zzhl/barclays%20messup.jpg?dl=0
I've just spent 20 minutes on hold after receiving this out of the blue only to be told it's another Barcleys c**k up and that "loads of these have been sent out in error".
Just posting in the hope that it will save someone else from wasting their time calling them to question it too!
• The rich buy assets.
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.
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Comments
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very useful to know even if one is not currently 'borrowing' from Barclays.
One of the most frequent customer complaints is that banks don't tell them about what products and services are available. Yet when they try to, so many people turn it into a complaint or a whinge.The questions that get the best answers are the questions that give most detail....0 -
very useful to know even if one is not currently 'borrowing' from Barclays.
One of the most frequent customer complaints is that banks don't tell them about what products and services are available. Yet when they try to, so many people turn it into a complaint or a whinge.
I've no problem being informed of their general services on offer, however when they specifically state in the letter that you are a "persistent offender" and I get a call at work from the other half (who also recieved an identical letter) asking me what we have done to deserve such attention, I then have it on my mind for the rest of the work day and have to spend 20 minutes on the phone when I get home only to discover the whole thing is entirely incorrect then I think a small whinge is justified.
It also makes me wonder what other internal Barclays systems may also have me marked as a financial mismanager!• The rich buy assets.
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.0 -
I've no problem being informed of their general services on offer, however when they specifically state in the letter that you are a "persistent offender" and I get a call at work from the other half (who also recieved an identical letter) asking me what we have done to deserve such attention, I then have it on my mind for the rest of the work day and have to spend 20 minutes on the phone when I get home only to discover the whole thing is entirely incorrect then I think a small whinge is justified.
It also makes me wonder what other internal Barclays systems may also have me marked as a financial mismanager!
It's just a mistake, and a very small one at that. Look on the bright side though - you must have a very trouble free life to allow room to stress over this.0 -
they specifically state in the letter that you are a "persistent offender"
They don't specifically state that you are persistent offender! They've used neither of the words you've quoted.
They refer to "consistent borrowing fees." If that was what they meant to say, it's not a problem. One would expect their fees to be consistent.
If they meant to say, as you've inferred, that you are constantly paying borrowing fees, when in fact you aren't, then your small whinge is entirely justified.
Is this a case of a bank employee's poor use of English? - or a spell-checker's inappropriate substitution?0 -
If they meant to say, as you've inferred, that you are constantly paying borrowing fees, when in fact you aren't, then your small whinge is entirely justified.
The letter says "...we've noticed that you are paying consistent borrowing fees with your account..." and then goes on to offer you help "if you're finding it hard to manage your money at the moment".
I would say that to just about anyone this means they are telling you you are paying fees, most likely overdraft fees.
Whilst nobody to whom this doesn't actually apply will suffer any financial loss from receiving this misleading letter, it is incredibly worrying that Barclays are sending personalised letters with totally incorrect information. If they cannot even figure out which ones of their customers are not using overdrafts, and are not "finding it hard to manage their money at the moment", you wonder what else they cannot figure out. I think a very strongly worded complaint is justified but don't expect any financial compensation as you have not lost any money.
Mind you, the best course of action would be to just switch your Barclays account elsewhere, such as TSB who pay you interest. Or switch to one of the banks that pay you for switching.0 -
Apologies for the confusion, I paraphrased both the reason for them sending me the letter and my imprudent behaviour it implied. Putting it in quotes probably wasn't the best idea.
"Consistent" did mean I was constantly paying fees which they confirmed when I called and is the only meaning which makes sense when read in the context of the letter.
Whenever I get something like this I always go to MSE forums first to see if someone else has had the same problem. When I didn't see any mention I thought I'd post just to save any other MSE members the trouble of calling, especially as Barclays told me it was a widespread error.• The rich buy assets.
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.0 -
Apologies for the confusion, I paraphrased both the reason for them sending me the letter and my imprudent behaviour it implied. Putting it in quotes probably wasn't the best idea.
"Consistent" did mean I was constantly paying fees which they confirmed when I called and is the only meaning which makes sense when read in the context of the letter.
Whenever I get something like this I always go to MSE forums first to see if someone else has had the same problem. When I didn't see any mention I thought I'd post just to save any other MSE members the trouble of calling, especially as Barclays told me it was a widespread error.
So the letter is correct then, since you have said from this quote that you are or were constantly paying fees?Time is a path from the past to the future and back again. The present is the crossroads of both. :cool:0 -
dr_adidas01 wrote: »So the letter is correct then, since you have said from this quote that you are or were constantly paying fees?
I guess you're referring to the wording in the second paragraph. This was explaining that their use of the word 'consistent' was used to imply that I was constantly paying fees as opposed to the other definition which Vortigern suggested earlier. To reiterate, I have never paid a single penny in borrowing fees in my life.
It looks like they've sent out apologies by text to all affected now though as both my wife and I recieved one simultaneously today.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w9xfusej6kkioj6/Photo%2010-10-2014%2017%2030%2028.png?dl=0• The rich buy assets.
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.0 -
Archi_Bald wrote: »The letter says "...we've noticed that you are paying consistent borrowing fees with your account..." and then goes on to offer you help "if you're finding it hard to manage your money at the moment".
I would say that to just about anyone this means they are telling you you are paying fees, most likely overdraft fees.
Whilst nobody to whom this doesn't actually apply will suffer any financial loss from receiving this misleading letter, it is incredibly worrying that Barclays are sending personalised letters with totally incorrect information. If they cannot even figure out which ones of their customers are not using overdrafts, and are not "finding it hard to manage their money at the moment", you wonder what else they cannot figure out. I think a very strongly worded complaint is justified but don't expect any financial compensation as you have not lost any money.
Mind you, the best course of action would be to just switch your Barclays account elsewhere, such as TSB who pay you interest. Or switch to one of the banks that pay you for switching.
Thanks for appreciating the reason for my concern. I never even considered compensation or even formally complaining. I just wanted to warn others on MSE who may have been similarly concerned not to worry.
The reason for my original annoyance is that this was yet another example of incompetence from Barclays I have experienced, (many of which I've discussed on here previously).
This isn't my main account. It's used only for holding my fully offset mortgage which sadly is the best available for my requirements. I also have a Barclays Premier account which they gave me for what that's worth (i.e. Nothing) I have a Santander 123 account for my actual banking. • The rich buy assets.
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.0
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