Halifax messed up

samopn

I'm really annoyed at Halifax.

I've had a current account with them for 30 odd years.

Out of the blue I got an email from them telling me that my new debit card should have arrived, and I could start using it straight away. Strange because my existing card is valid till 2029.

The new card didn't arrive, so after a week I contacted and reported it missing.

I was out today and my debit card just stopped working - it had been cancelled without any warning. Luckily I have a Starling account that I use as a "charge account" and there was enough money in it to get me home, otherwise I'd have been stranded.

Halifax support tell it'll take 5 to 7 working days to get a new card. That's no good to anyone.

Humph.....

j.p

I'm annoyed at Halifax for other reasons…

etienneg

No bank is perfect. From time to time things will go wrong for some reason. In this case it's Halifax, but over the years I have read similar stories about several other banks. This won't be the last.

Having said this, there are two approaches to the issue. Firstly, you could get "really annoyed", have a moan on a forum, move your banking elsewhere and find (sooner or later) that the new bank is no better. Or, secondly, you could accept that things will go wrong sometime (once in 30 years?) and plan to be prepared with proper backup systems.

It's always strongly suggested on here that you should have a backup account (and card), which you have. But that's no good if it might not have enough money in it to get you home! Or you could carry a bit of cash for emergencies. Or you could have a credit card (or two) - even if that's not your preferred payment method - which avoids having money sitting in an account "just in case".

The point is that there are many ways to prevent a minor inconvenience from turning into a disaster by taking responsibility yourself rather than just blaming someone else (in this case a bank).

Jemma01

Halifax was the savings account I had put my 320k house deposit in over the years. When I came to pay my solicitor, they sent the money no problem, and decided to issue me a bank card that I did not ask for and would have strongly objected to (I didn't want another way a thief can access it), but apparently it was a policy that I can't access funds without a card!! They had my actual passport and my actual driver's license, I was there in person. Eventually, after teeth pulling I got my money without the card for the 2nd/3rd payments.

flaneurs_lobster

FWIW the Lloyds Banking Group are moving from Mastercard to Visa as their card provider, means replacing 10 million cards (and the associated account amendments) so perhaps it's not surprising that the occasional !!!!!!-up happens.

You are using Starling so should be OK with app banking, could you not have simply transferred some funds (instantly) from your Halifax account to Starling?

wmb194

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81932802#Comment_81932802

Which brands? Or is it credit cards? My Lloyds bank debit cards have always been Visa - originally Visa Delta.

EarthBoy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81932836#Comment_81932836

All brands in the Lloyds Banking Group already issue Visa debit cards. It's the MasterCard credit cards which are being replaced with Visa ones.