Been Blackmailed By Barclays - Advice Please

JustJinny

Post editted to remove signs of emotions/feelings, due to moderator request, for fear of people leaving harsh comments that they feel I wouldn't be able to cope with.

Mods - please can you leave the post up, (or move it, if its in the wrong forum), in case anyone has any advice, or in case anyone else has been through it, and what happened with them, or if it's happened to someone else in future, and they are looking for help on the matter!
 
Thanks! 
=================

Any urgent advice on what I should do is gratefully received!  ........

xxxxxxxxxxx

Today - I have just realised how much, I have been very successfully Blackmailed... (Legal definition: "Blackmail involves a threat to do something that would cause a person to suffer embarrassment or financial loss, unless that person meets certain demands.")... by a Call Handler who works for the Collections Department at Barclays Bank PLC.

After 3 (very xxxxxx and VERY confusing!), hours and 8 minutes on the phone to him specifically - (I was actually on the phone for 3 hours and 39/40 minutes with Barclays in total - the previous Scottish call answerer was really lovely!) ... This call handler - openly Blackmailed me - and has now left me in quite a bit of financial trouble, xxxxx xxxxx, xxxxx, and I'm having massive xxxxxxxxxx! - over him ending an Overdraft Agreement on my current Account, today - even though I didn't want to.... it wasn't actually due to end for another few days!

He talked me into such a twist, I was literally xxxxxxx, twice during the call, and throughout the Call I was repeatedly questioning him, and telling him that I didn't understand, and I xxxxxxxx when he said, early on in the Call, that I would no longer have an Overdraft at all after the Agreement end date, that he apparently plucked out of thin Air, and my Account would also be closed, and that this would happen a few days, before the date on the End of Agreement letter too.   I asked to speak to someone else - to which he said I couldn't, and he would shut my Account completely if I didn't make decisions with him now - I was so very confused by what he was saying, that I genuinely worried for my Account! He basically FORCED me to deal with him.

In that call, he refused to allow me to speak to a Supervisor, or Manager, or anyone else - saying they would say exactly what he was saying - and refused to give me his full name (saying he didn't have to give me anything).  He insisted that a Legal Document that was giving a date of Termination for the Overdraft Agreement, was incorrect, and my Account WOULD be closed a few days BEFORE the date printed on the letter, and my Account WOULD be passed to debt collectors, unless I cleared my Overdraft immediately, with him, today!, or immediately Terminate my Agreement, leaving me open to several days charges!

He said my Account would close, and then literally Blackmailed me to end the Agreement earlier than I wanted, by offering me money to end the Agreement now, and clear the Overdraft today - where I have no means to clear it today - as I explained repeatedly!... And I was so upset and confused by him, I didn't think of the problems in doing that until hours later when I needed to order my Meds, and can't because I need to pay for them - and I was so torn at the time too, because the money offered was a HUGE amount for me - I xxxxxx over that too - but he didn't care - he said I should take my time (this was well over 3 hours in!) to get over my drama, and that I HAD to make a decision on the phone with him there and then, or lose everything!

In return for doing that - he promised me, that they would cover any Overdraft Charges for the remaining 4 days of the Agreement - but I'd have to phone in for those Charges to be refunded... except now I'm thinking about it - it's actually 8 days left on my Agreement (or would have been had he not have closed it!), AND it doesn't cover that - because the amount he said that would cover, is only on the current amount - meaning I'd be responsible for any additional charges for the remaining days - even though it should still be covered by the Agreement, that HE has now cancelled early after Blackmailing me, and confusing me!

So now, basically - what his pressured Blackmail has done - means I have no funds - or access to funds - until 2 days AFTER the Termination Notice, in November! ... And should the Account be re-activated, I will now also be liable for any additional Overdraft Charges, outside the current balance, before the previous Agreement date end - which will not be refunded as he only said a maximum amount would be refunded (£3.40p)!

This is dreadful, as I need that access to buy some necessary things before then - then clear the balance on the 1st November  - which is what I said repeatedly, I'd do - but now I can't do, because of what he's done! .....

I feel xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx, xxxxx, xxxxx, and xxxxx! I actually was so confused and xxxxxx, I xxxxx on the phone to him, for some time! I even tried to lighten the mood - at one point and said "I'm finding this all very confusing, and I don't know how you do this Banking Business every day" He replied "I don't either - and I'm hoping not to be doing it for too much longer!".....

He Blackmailed me (I'm ashamed to admit) for £25 for "the xxxxxx and inconvenience" he said....  and said I have to phone back in December to ask for the £3.40p OverDraft Charge back, that Barclays would give me as a goodwill gesture, in December, because historically - until the Death of my Mother, my Account has been immaculate!   He said if I don't agree to his terms there and then, I won't get the Overdraft Charges paid, and no £25 for the distress either!!!! .... Literally - this is what he said!  ......To someone like me - who £25 is a windfall, literally - and was xxxxxx, and confused and pressured... and is broke only because I am paying for my Mother's Funeral, after she was starved and Dehydrated to death in Nursing Home..... he NEVER should have made such pressures and blackmails!

He raised a complaint at my request, and read back to me what he wrote which obviously missed some vital parts! - and because I, in a state of confusion said yes to the pressure, without having enough time or breathing space to actually think it through - he told me that he'd closed the complaint too!!!

So now - I have a VERY xxxxxxxx night ahead of me - while I wait for the phone lines to re-open, and go through it all again, and see if I can get them to reactivate my Agreement, and put it back to how it was for the remaining 8 days, so I don't incur additional charges, when I buy food to see me anl my elderly Dad, through a few days.

Barclays can have their Blackmail money back!  The £25 is also an insult in Hindsight.... especially with the Call Charges for nearly 4 hours of phone call to them!!!  The Cost of the Call will be just under (or a fraction over) £20.00p!!! ...... I attach the photo of my phone, taken about 2 minutes before he finally let me go! .... You can clearly see the call time amount, and the phone number! I have blocked out the only part of his name he gave me.

I am sooooo upset about this. I can't believe that this has happened to me, when I am struggling as it is! ... And the more I think about it - the more upset I am about it. I was confused and exhausted, and blinded, by his Blackmail figure he offered me, if I agreed with him - not realising until later, that it barely covers the cost of the Call, that should in no way have been so long, and so traumatic!!!!....  and in no way, should have left me in dire financial straits!

I feel so utterly xxxxxxx - but I was so xxxxx, and confused, and tired (I have M.E.), and I literally just wanted to get off the phone with him, without fearing for my Account! But he also tried to pro-long the Call at the end, as he said he "only had 16 minutes of his Shift left", and that he'd "missed his Break, for this call, so he will take his break now, and end early"... when I kept trying to get end it and get away. He also then extended the call a few minutes, telling me that I need to learn to manage my money better (there is nothing frivolous on my Account!), and he even said that maybe I could "manage my money better in future, with less medication and food", and "if I just really tried, he was sure I could do that, and manage my money better going forwards!"

This was quite possibly one of the worst Telephone Experiences (I can't call it Customer Service!) I've ever had (apart from the first guy - he was truly lovely! - but had to pass the call to the Collections Department, sadly).... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ........ 

I just can't believe I fell for this man's blackmail! xxxxxxxxxx

[Deleted User]

You haven't been blackmailed.

They appear to be withdrawing your overdraft, which they can do at any time and then closing your account, which they can also do.

And from what you say, rather than blackmailing you, they've actually given you money.

If finances are an issue, seek help on the DFW board.

eskbanker

JustJinny said:

Today - I have just realised how much, I have been very successfully Blackmailed... (Legal definition: "Blackmail involves a threat to do something that would cause a person to suffer embarrassment or financial loss, unless that person meets certain demands.")... by a Call Handler who works for the Collections Department at Barclays Bank PLC.

That's an extraordinarily lengthy post, the salient facts of which could probably be condensed into a fraction of that, but just to pick up on your assertion that it's blackmail, the actual legal definition in the UK is given in section 21 of the Theft Act 1968:

21 Blackmail.

(1) A person is guilty of blackmail if, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, he makes any unwarranted demand with menaces; and for this purpose a demand with menaces is unwarranted unless the person making it does so in the belief—

(a) that he has reasonable grounds for making the demand; and

(b) that the use of the menaces is a proper means of reinforcing the demand.

(2) The nature of the act or omission demanded is immaterial, and it is also immaterial whether the menaces relate to action to be taken by the person making the demand.

(3) A person guilty of blackmail shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.

Collections departments aren't renowned for sympathy, if you owe institutions money, but that doesn't excuse aggression or rudeness, so you might wish to secure a copy of the call recording by making a Subject Access Request, and use that as the basis of a formal complaint.  However, that won't extend your access to overdraft facilities or reinstate an account that they've decided to close, but could soften the blow financially if the call was as unprofessional as you recall it being.

MovingForwards

This section:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/debt-free-wannabe

Is where you need to be getting guidance.

Zanderman

OP, your post is far too long, and your insistence on the term blackmail is utterly inappropriate.

You obviously have a problem with your overdraft, and the operative on the phone didn't help. 

But posting about it the way you have done doesn't help either (and is still chockful of emotion).

Edit it down to, say, 5 sentences (covering why you rang, what was said, what the outcome is) and post it again and see what people make of it then. 

No-one here can help with the man on the phone, only you can deal with that by complaining (concisely, and with no words in capitals and no emotion) to the bank in writing. 

EssexHebridean

As others have said - the DFW board sounds like the right place for you. Overdrafts are what we tend to refer to as "dangerous" debt because they can, as you have discovered, be withdrawn with no notice at all. 

In my signature below you can see a link for one of the SOA (Statement of Affairs) calculators we point people to - get that filled out and post into a new thread in DFW and we can take a look at your situation and see what we can do to help. 

In the meantime, try not to panic, there's rarely a situation that can't be sorted out. You might also want to make headway in getting yourself a basic bank account opened somewhere new - this should be with an organisation where you do not have debt - Nationwide are a good bet for many folk if you don't have any accounts with them already.  You need to urgently take steps to ensure that any income is paid into that new account, NOT the old Barclays one.

eskbanker

JustJinny said:

Post editted to remove signs of emotions/feelings, due to moderator request

[...]

I feel xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx, xxxxx, xxxxx, and xxxxx!

I don't really think that this is what a moderator would have meant by removing signs of emotions and feelings!  I suspect that the request was more to do with eliminating sentences like that entirely, and sticking to facts pertinent to the conversation and its outcome, although perhaps we should be grateful that it doesn't go down the route of 'I told him that Barclays are a bunch of xxxxxxx xxxxxxx and to shove his offer up his xxxx'....

Brie

I suggest when you have caught your breath and regained a bit of energy that you ring them up and complain about how you were treated.

Try to talk to them calmly and should someone want to put you on hold state that you can wait only 5 minutes max.

Should the call drag on tell them you want them to call you back so you don't have to pay for the call.

Tell them that you are ill (no need to go into details) and that you are a vulnerable customer and need their assistance.

Make a note of the date and time of the call as well as the full name of the person(s) you talk to.

Tell them that the call today distressed you immensely and want the situation reviewed/dealt with by someone who is used to dealing with vulnerable customers.

fyi - it would be against company policy for someone to not give their full name and if requested they should pass you to a manager or at least a senior clerk in their area.  If no one was available they should state that and advise when a suitable individual could call you back.

Edi81

 Gave up reading this. 

Can you please condense down into the pertinent points. 

Value of overdraft, how long it’s been outstanding. 

As others have said you will be best served on Debt free wannabe. 

eskbanker

Brie said:

Tell them that you are ill (no need to go into details) and that you are a vulnerable customer and need their assistance.

[...]

Tell them that the call today distressed you immensely and want the situation reviewed/dealt with by someone who is used to dealing with vulnerable customers.

I could be wrong but was under the impression that OP just wanted to be treated with respect, courtesy and empathy, rather than expecting special treatment as such, although no doubt they'd have welcomed the option to continue with the overdraft.

Having said that, the FCA are using a pretty broad definition of vulnerability (so much so that a survey identified "53% of adults displaying a characteristic of vulnerability") in their guidance to banks obliging them to treat vulnerable customers fairly: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/guidance-firms-fair-treatment-vulnerable-customers

Our view of vulnerability is as a spectrum of risk. All customers are at risk of becoming vulnerable, but this risk is increased by having characteristics of vulnerability. These could be poor health, such as cognitive impairment, life events such as new caring responsibilities, low resilience to cope with financial or emotional shocks and low capability, such as poor literacy or numeracy skills.

Brie

eskbanker said:

Brie said:

Tell them that you are ill (no need to go into details) and that you are a vulnerable customer and need their assistance.

[...]

Tell them that the call today distressed you immensely and want the situation reviewed/dealt with by someone who is used to dealing with vulnerable customers.

I could be wrong but was under the impression that OP just wanted to be treated with respect, courtesy and empathy, rather than expecting special treatment as such, although no doubt they'd have welcomed the option to continue with the overdraft.

Yes - but in their post they said they told the Barclays person didn't understand repeatedly.  They mentioned having to pay for a funeral.  All of these are indications that someone may not be "in a good place" and are therefore vulnerable.  Net result is that the chap should be hauled over the coals for being pushy and ignoring these kind of remarks.  

Ultimately it is unlikely to get the overdraft back but people need to take responsibility for their bad behaviour and learn to be nicer.  The worst thing would be that this behaviour is repeated over and over.