Barclays Tax Haven ISA Nightmare - Not a good start! : - (

scottp_2

Me and my GF had a nightmare at Barclays. We went in with our Passports (this was all she told me to bring when I booked my appointment) and asked to speak to the adviser I was booked in with. She was clearly on the phone to her friend and completely ignored us. I told the adviser that I was just going to move my car as the ticket was due to run out, but I would leave my ID for her to copy. I got back about 10 mins later after moving the car, so about 5 mins after my scheduled appointment time, and she was STILL on the phone. When she had finally finished (probably sorting out where she was going that night, it was a Saturday), she sat us down to go through the application for, but went off for 10 minutes to copy our ID!
I heard her talking to a manager, and she came running back asking how old my GF was. If she had worked out from the passport I gave her, she would have seen she was 16. The girl then said that my GF had to be 18 to open the ISA, to which I politely told her that the minimum age for a cash ISA is 16.
The adviser then asked why we were opening an ISA if my GF wasn’t a tax payer. IF she had bothered to ask first, she would have found out she actually is!
Anyhow, we filled out all the paperwork (after she had scribbled stuff out all over the place) and she asked me where my two cheques were. What cheques I asked? I had read the small print on the internet several thousand times and asked quite a few times whilst booking the appointment if I needed anything else. I told her that I was to pay into the account from HSBC by Standing Order. She said that was not possible and that I would need a cheque to pay into the account to open it. I hadn’t got my cheque book with me so I said I would call in the next working day (today to sort it out).

When I got in today, I had a cheque payable to me for £10 (just wanted to get it open, I am paying the rest by standing order, which I KNOW can be done) and another for my GF. When I gave them to her, she said that mine would be fine (as it was coming from my account at RBS) but my GF’s needed to come from her account (she has no cheque book). So in the end I had to go into the RBS next door (where I used to work) and get a bankers draft for £10, if I hadn’t known everyone in the branch, this would have cost me a further £10 too!
Anyway, I took the draft and she said that would be fine and to wait a few weeks for the paperwork to come through. I am not holding my breath!

Another issue, I wanted to open a joint account with my GF, she is 16 I am 18. I contacted a Barclays call centre and the guy on the phone said it would not be a problem. Upon arriving at the branch we were told this was not at all possible! So I take it no one has joint finances at Barclays then!

Rant over anyway, is everything I was told correct? Or have I been told a load of bull?

Thanks!

Megalomaniac

Regarding the ISA, all seems in order. They need a cheque as another level of ID. Just seems you had a bad experience. I'm not sure about the Barclays Joint Account... why not open one with RBS next door?

scottp_2

We have sorted the RBS account out now instead. I didn't really want to put her on there as it means removing my £4000 overdraft, but I don't use it so its not a mojor issue.

Thanks!