Paying Barclaycard

Grumpy_chap

EarthBoy said:

Is writing a cheque, putting it in an envelope, sticking a stamp on it and walking to the post box really easier than just ringing First Direct?

Yes.

MallyGirl said:

I really recommend raising a complaint with FD so that you get proper help with setting up online banking. Cheques are being phased out across the board - I haven't used one in years and haven't been sent a cheque book for any of my bank accounts for a long time. I used to use one cheque a month for the window cleaner but even they take online payments now.
If FD had told me they sent me a card and it didn't arrive I would be back on the phone asking where it was, not just letting it lie. It gives access to your account - with the PIN that has presumably also got lost in the post.

Yep, I've done that before and after a few weeks you get a letter saying "we're sorry we did not meet your expectations on this occasion" then they allegedly re-send the card and online stuff and it never gets here.

Been through the loop several times in the 15 years since joining FD.  I don't have the appetite to start the loop again as that will just mean another set of stuff allegedly sent to not arrive.

With regard to the concerns about lost in the post, at least I suppose it is certain the previous versions of card and stuff really haven't been sent and don't exist as if they were in the wrong hands, they'd have been used well before now.  We receive statements and cheque books, so it does not seem plausible that the online details would be the only stuff not to reach us.

brianposter

My sister had this situation with her car insurance.

It eventually turned out that the address used for correspondence came from a different computer file to that which they read back to her over the phone, and that the address in the second file was the London address without the postcode so that the letters were delivered to the correct address but with a different postcode.

NoodleDoodleMan

https://www1.firstdirect.com/legals/listening/complaints-form/

lr1277

brianposter said:

My sister had this situation with her car insurance.

It eventually turned out that the address used for correspondence came from a different computer file to that which they read back to her over the phone, and that the address in the second file was the London address without the postcode so that the letters were delivered to the correct address but with a different postcode.

I am not sure if I have posted this anecdote elsewhere on this forum. Brianposter's post reminded me that I had the opposite experience,  in a way.

I lived in a town in Essex with not a common street name.

I received letters 2-3 times that were not for me, but had my house number and street name. But every other part of the address was not mine!

So the recipient was not me.

The house number and street name were correct.

The town, county and postcode were presumably right for the correct addressee, but not my address.

One letter was destined  for a place in Hertfordshre with my street name.

Another letter was destined for a place in Lancashire with my street name.

What was the postman doing? I thnk I had lived at that address for 5 years by that point and the postman had not clocked the recipient, town and postcode were not at my house nor in Essex.

Also one of the letters was from DWP. So the letter had made its way all the way from Newcastle to my place, but not its intended destination, which if memory serves was the address in Hertfordshire.

I did not know my neighbours well enough to ask them if they had had the same problem. Oh well.

So it is possible, if certain letters/cards are coming from a different FD/3rd party office, their sorting office is sending the correspondence to entirely the wrong address.So it is possible that recipient is just binning the letters, as is the advice on these forums when posters say they are getting letters for previous occupants of their property.

Just some possibilities.

Jami74

Grumpy_chap 

I have suggested to Mrs G-C that we move everything over to Barclays and shown her how simple the online banking is, but she prefers to stick with FD.  So, it is cash over the counter and cheque payments, which does at least mean we keep control of payments.

Do the statements, bank cards and cheque books for Mrs G-C arrive in the post okay?

Is there any reason why you cannot have a personal account with Barclays, and she keep her personal account with First Direct? I would be very curious/concerned where my bank cards have been going for 15 years.

You keep mentioning about keeping control by using cheques. Just for my own ignorance, please can you explain more about this? I think the last cheque I wrote was in 1993 and I'm wondering what sort of control I may have given up by paying bills by direct debit, faster payments etc rather than using cheques.

penners324

Interest to know where new cheque books get sent...

Grumpy_chap

lr1277 said:

I lived in a town in Essex with not a common street name.

I received letters 2-3 times that were not for me, but had my house number and street name. But every other part of the address was not mine!

So the recipient was not me.

The house number and street name were correct.

The town, county and postcode were presumably right for the correct addressee, but not my address.

So it is possible, if certain letters/cards are coming from a different FD/3rd party office, their sorting office is sending the correspondence to entirely the wrong address.So it is possible that recipient is just binning the letters, as is the advice on these forums when posters say they are getting letters for previous occupants of their property.

Just some possibilities.

Maybe we should look out for the thread "Every few years, Mr G-C opens an FD account using my address - should I be worried?"

Jami74 said:

Do the statements, bank cards and cheque books for Mrs G-C arrive in the post okay?

Mrs G-C receives her cheque book and statements in the same way as I do, without any issues.
She does not have a card or online.

Jami74 said:

Is there any reason why you cannot have a personal account with Barclays, and she keep her personal account with First Direct? 

We only have joint accounts.

penners324 said:

Interest to know where new cheque books get sent...

Grumpy_chap said:

FD have my home as my home address - where I receive statements and cheque books.

NoodleDoodleMan

This will provide the official correct postal address.

https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode

Give FD the details in writing.

Grumpy_chap

NoodleDoodleMan said:

This will provide the official correct postal address.

https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode

Give FD the details in writing.

Thank you.  I know my address and FD have that, and statements and cheque books and offers all arrive here OK.  Hence why I conclude FD simply don't send the cards / online registrations that they claim to have within the service offering.

NoodleDoodleMan

Therefore you need to raise a formal complaint with FD to initiate an investigation.

See my 7:51 pm of 14th Dec.