Can I reclaim Barclays Additions fees if I no longer have an account with them?

Flying_Lotus

Hi,

I had a Barclays additions account from around late 1990's to 2006. I was being charged around £7.50, possible more. I was mis-sold this account and I remember the Barclays employee asking if I wanted to upgrade to this account and that there is no charge, it's free!

Am I able to reclaim the charges even though I don't have this account anymore? I am no longer a Barclays customer and I don't have any of the statements or account info.

dianetheartist

I think you can try,,Ive just had my reply back saying it was too long ago...we ere miss-sold the account in Aug 2001 and kept it until 2006.. they are saying I should have applied before and needed to complain before sept 2009..I didnt even know you could do anything about it until not long ago--all I knew about was PPI's not bank accounts.. Im going to the Financial Ombudsman..fingers crossed, so I expect you will get the same reply.. good luck

dunstonh

The banks are active in using timebars with packaged accounts.

The timebars are 6 years from the start date or three years from being reasonably aware of an issue (whichever give the longer period). Closure or a move off a packaged bank account can be used to trigger the 3 year clock.

The FOS cannot investigate complaints if the timebar is valid. However, it does check the timebar is being made correctly.

dianetheartist

So you dont think there is any point in going to Ombudsman? I do have every bank statement ..

[Deleted User]

dianetheartist wrote: »

So you dont think there is any point in going to Ombudsman? I do have every bank statement ..

The Ombudsman cannot overturn a properly applied time-bar. Having every statement is irrelevant to this and (apparently) not realising you could complain is not a valid excuse for leaving it too long. Remember that you can complain about anything which you are not happy about, but it is prudent to do so at the time rather than years later.

dunstonh

dianetheartist wrote: »

So you dont think there is any point in going to Ombudsman? I do have every bank statement ..

It is impossible for us to pre-judge any complaint made as we dont have access to the documentation. Plus, the banks can be a bit inconsistent in their approach as can the ombudsman.

Having bank statements is not the issue. The issue is that you have 3 years to complain from being reasonably aware of an issue. Closure of an account more than 3 years ago has been successfully used by a bank before. In some cases, the FOS may overrule the timebar if they think it is not being applied fairly.