Nationwide have lost my file

coolio_2

I tried to add an additional card holder onto my Nationwide CC A/c. This was done before, without a hitch. However, this time I have been asked to fill out a new application form for my details because they have lost my original documents when I first opened the account and cannot conirm my signature. I assume my previous authorisation has also been lost as that could verify my signature.

I read in the paper about documents being dumped in dumpsters by banks, and now it seems this could be the case here too. So angry especially as my original application form would have a lot of personal details on it. :mad:

Surely mishandling of my details in this manner is against the DPA? Does anyone know the best course to get this sorted? Should I go through the Nationaiwde complaints procedure, and then ultimately FO is not pleased, or should I just complain under the DPA?

jonesMUFCforever

You're !!!!ed off because Nationwide have 'lost' your file - which could mean anything and unless you can prove you have incurred a loss then you are wasting Nationwide's and your own time!
As far as I can see you have no shred of evidence to prove that your 'file' has been dumped.

coolio_2

They have mishandled my confidential details. They have admitted they have lost it. This is of concern to me. I don't think that is unreasonable whatsoever.

Steve1981

coolio wrote: »

They have mishandled my confidential details. They have admitted they have lost it. This is of concern to me. I don't think that is unreasonable whatsoever.

Then activate your right from the DPA - contact them with a letter and also inform them over the phone that you will be doing it, send them a cheque for the value of £10 and ask that they provide you with copies of ALL information that they store on you - this way you will see what they have or haven't lost and will be able to take things from there

jonesMUFCforever

Under the current money laundering guidelines a bank is supposed to 'know their customer'. If you had completed an application years ago it is probably out of date now - and as you wanted to add someone as an additional cardholder (again!) they have every right to ask you for updated details.

The file 'lost' could simply mean that it has been deleted/shredded as been so many years old.
What you are contemplating doing is crazy UNLESS you can show that you have suffered a loss as a result of this.

Please inform us in what way they have mishandled your confidential information?
I don't believe that you can.

YorkshireBoy

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Under the current money laundering guidelines a bank is supposed to 'know their customer'. If you had completed an application years ago it is probably out of date now - and as you wanted to add someone as an additional cardholder (again!) they have every right to ask you for updated details.

I've had a joint current account with Yorkshire Bank for nearly 30 years.

Last year when I called in to open a sole current account, I was asked to provide a specimen signature for the old account for exactly the AML reasons you quote.

What are the chances they could find an original signature/application form for that account? I have to assume that they've securely destroyed it, don't I? I'm certainly not losing any sleep over the possibility that they may not have.

I read in the paper about documents being dumped in dumpsters by banks, and now it seems this could be the case here

You're going to make a formal complaint, and potentially involve the FOS, IC, et al, on supposition?

HeadInSand_2

coolio wrote: »

I tried to add an additional card holder onto my Nationwide CC A/c. This was done before, without a hitch. However, this time I have been asked to fill out a new application form for my details because they have lost my original documents when I first opened the account and cannot conirm my signature. I assume my previous authorisation has also been lost as that could verify my signature.

I read in the paper about documents being dumped in dumpsters by banks, and now it seems this could be the case here too. So angry especially as my original application form would have a lot of personal details on it. :mad:

Surely mishandling of my details in this manner is against the DPA? Does anyone know the best course to get this sorted? Should I go through the Nationaiwde complaints procedure, and then ultimately FO is not pleased, or should I just complain under the DPA?

Talk about tenuous links to compensation! I assume this...I read this...this could be...
HEY! Wait a minute!! Nationwide is a financial institution, my bank is also a financial institution, I heard that your bank might've once binned something that they shouldn't have and that you assume something about something and also read something, that means that I assume that Barclays HAVE ALSO PROBABLY PUBLISHED MY PERSONAL DETAILS ON TO GOOGLE'S FRONT PAGE OR SOMETHING! (PROBABLY) I'm so angry! :mad::mad::mad::mad: How can they do this to me?? I'm going to visit the Financial Ombudsman on Monday and demand that Barclays be closed down and £1m be paid to me in compensation.

Mikeyorks

coolio wrote: »

Surely mishandling of my details in this manner is against the DPA?

You're assuming the loss? It may have legitimately been destroyed as the DPA require organisations not to hold data longer than required. And once the account is established the original base documents may have been regarded as superfluous.

Also bear in mind the DPA primarily covers electronic data ..... it only applies to paper held 'in a complex filing system'.

Are you sure you qualify under any of the criteria? As you're making lots of assumptions.

bigturnip

I'm not sure why everyone is ganging up on the OP, the bank said they 'lost' them and the OP has never mentioned the time since the form was submitted, yet people are drawing wild conclusions that the OP has been with the bank for decades and that the bank are within their rights to lose items. If they have been destroyed then this should be recorded and the fact the bank has specifically used the word 'lost' means that they haven't been destroyed (at least not on purpose).

As to what you can do, the best thing is probably just take your custom elsewhere and if you want write a letter stating why you felt it necessary to leave. They may have told you in branch or over the phone that the form has been lost, but I doubt you'll ever get them to put it in writing and I doubt you will get very far persuing them over not adhering to the DPA.

turbobob

Any sizeable financial company is likely to have millions of files, possibly over a variety of systems (paper, microfilm, scanned images etc). Possibly they've migrated from paper to image. The chances of at least a small number of them being lost or mis-filed or whatever are pretty high considering the numbers involved. That is not to say that they are putting customer files into your standard rubbish bags and leaving them out for the binman.... That would of course be a systematic failing and a serious breach of the DPA, and pretty unlikely. More likely that they are there, but not where they are supposed to be..

What can you do? You can complain about it and take your business elsewhere, or provide a new signature as they are requesting. There's really not much else.

NickX

turbobob wrote: »

That is not to say that they are putting customer files into your standard rubbish bags and leaving them out for the binman.... That would of course be a systematic failing and a serious breach of the DPA, and pretty unlikely. More likely that they are there, but not where they are supposed to be..

Well BBC Watchdog exposed several banks doing exactly this - leaving personal information in bin bags lying on the street at the back of the branch.

In this case the banks has admitted to losing the file - this is not good enough and I think the OP is perfectly within his rights to demand an investigation.