Barclays Tax Haven ISA: Have you opened one?

Liney_2

MrAnalogy wrote: »

Not a happy bunny! My wife and I received our cheques and applications back this morning - for the second time!!!!!!

I have a formal complaint in already (made last week), and like others should hear after the 24th June (according to Customer Services, who at least confirmed that my compalint reference number existed).

However, I have no confidence whatsoever that if I send our applications back again (as advised by the branch where we applied on the 10th April) the result will be any different.

My reasoning is this - I am a current account holder (for 30+ years), but my wife is not - but we both got the same letter asking us to take in valid identification and address verification. My wife took this in at the time of application - I did not - having been an account holder for 3 decades or so they did not ask for it. Therefore what problem with the application could apply to us both?

Customer services say they can do nothing until the complaint has been processed, so does anybody here have any suggestions as to the best course of action please?

(sorry - this seems to have turned into a "vent", but this seemed the appropriate thread to post in (again!))

Best regards

I had a very similar problem I have a current acct and a mortgage with these guys and their system still said I had invalid ID despite taking ID in on 3 seperate occasions - I received £50 by menas of an apology by complaining and ultimately decided that I would no longer persue the matter and decided they could stick thier ISA you know where. I refused to take ID to the branch for a 4th time!

However I wanted to open another current acct today to offset against my mortgage and called Barclays up and guess what I had the same problem -insufficient ID - I stormed down to my branch with Passport etc and told the lady (nicely) that i just don't understand how they could be so imcompetent what more do you want, my fingerprints, mug shot etc. On screen it listed all the forms of ID I had produced in the past she told me you have shown us sufficient ID in the past yet still the computer said no. She had to go back to basics, wipe everything off from previous visits and re-input it all again. So a technical error I guess but very frustrating for me and Barclays are £50 poorer and on the verge of losing a customer because of it.

Probably worth going into a branch and seeing if they can look at your ID details on screen if you want to continue with your ISA application.

Good luck

erhardy

I have opened Tax Haven ISA at Barclays the interest might be good but access to it is hard work you can’t add funds to it online you have to do it at the branch the nearest branch open on Saturday is about 25 miles away. Or you have to phone up that is not free as you have to hold on for a long time.
I wished I had not opened one.

MrAnalogy

In reply to Liney:-

Thank you for sharing your similar experience with me/us - does not resolve it but at least there is hope that it is just not my wife and I that Barclays hates!

In fact we have already organised going into the branch again tomorrow, armed with driving licence and Council tax bill (as well as the cheques and application forms) so that they can all be sent off together to the ISA Centre.

A suggestion was made by the branch advisor's line manager that the original application be scrapped and a fresh one created. Call me suspicious but I was not keen on a new application being made nearly two months after the first one, as I had a nasty feeling that getting full interest back-dated to the 10th April could become even more "problematic".

To be fair the people in branch have tried to help, but the full responsibility for the overall unholy mess must lie with the ISA Centre and those people who set it up. I sincerely hope that this whole debacle will receive a large amount of press coverage in the coming weeks ... ooops - sorry - must stop there - becoming a vent again!

Best Regards

kingmonkey

How often do Barclays send statements?

cadguy

kingmonkey wrote: »

How often do Barclays send statements?

yearly by default, by you can change to monthy if you ask them.

trilby_2

It's now been a week since I filled in a form to transfer money from my current to ISA account in branch and still no sign of it happening...

Has anyone tried "making a payment" from their current account to their ISA account via online banking - that is, starting as if you were going to pay someone else, but then putting in the sort code/account number of your own ISA account?

harbinger13

Newbie question.
I opened an account with Barclays - donno how long it will take but that is ok.

I was told the interest rate of 6.25 is till the next tax year beginning - meaning till April 5 2009 and not one year from opening date till Jun 4 2009. Is that accurate? As the advert says its one year from opening.

TomsMom

harbinger13 wrote: »

Newbie question.
I opened an account with Barclays - donno how long it will take but that is ok.

I was told the interest rate of 6.25 is till the next tax year beginning - meaning till April 5 2009 and not one year from opening date till Jun 4 2009. Is that accurate? As the advert says its one year from opening.

The interest rate of 6.25% is the AER on the monthly interest Tax Haven ISA and it is variable so it's not 6.25% until April 5 2009, it's just that rate until there is another change of interest rate. The gross rate is 6.08%. It includes a bonus paid for 12 months from the date of opening.

From their website:

"Rates are variable. These rates include an introductory bonus of 1% gross. The bonus will be paid for 12 months from the date you open your account, after which time the rates will reduce accordingly. We may withdraw the availability of the Tax Haven ISA or the bonus offer at any time without notice. This is a cash ISA. Transfers from other ISAs are not permitted."

You may have gathered from this thread that a lot of Barclays staff don't seem to know as much as their customers. You can always check information on their website which will probably be more accurate and up to date than asking branch staff.

notisis

Trilby, I tried making payment from usual current account to ISA and it wouldn't let me. I rang the ISA tel no and got through straight away. Transfer was arranged straight away and they set my standing order up. I checked a few days later and yes my money had transferred same day and the standing order has started. It looks like I can change the standing order online as well by looking at my list of payments from my current account.

Fingers crossed posting here won't suddenly make everything go awry!

BigL_2

Wow, glad to see that I am not alone. Briefly, I have been a Barclays customer since Martins Bank days and my own company has its account in the same branch. My wife and I went into the branch the Saturday before the end of financial year (March 29th) with the objective of opening a Tax Haven ISA each for 2007/8. We hung around for an hour as many other people were doing the same. I had transferred the full amount for maximum ISAs to the joint current account. The Barclays lady filled in all the details on her computer and all was well. Some days later we both received a letter from Barclays saying that they had tried to take the money from the account but there were insufficient funds there. We actually have a feeder account in my wife's name that tops up the current account and draws down at the end of the day leaving a minimum there. So, obviously by that time, the funds had gone back to the other account. The letters stated that as it was after April 5th it was too late to open accounts for 2007/8. We both got on the phone to complain and each received the official letters back followed by ones a month later saying that we would hear in a further month. Surprise surprise, my wife received another letter a couple of weeks later stating that the account had after all been opened. She went on line and saw the new ISA account with the full £3000 (no interest) AND the money had been taken from the feeder account (which we did not believe could be used for anything other than topping up the current account). All well and good, then on Monday, I received a phone call from a Customer Services person about my application. She said that she was sorry but it was now too late to open a 2007/8 account as the Inland Revenue had only offered a specific time period for Barclays to correct their mistakes. I asked when that was and she said a couple of weeks ago. So, why didn't they contact me before then? Anyway, I asked her about compensation and she offered an ex-gratia payment of £195 as a gesture of goodwill (equivalent to 20% of the interest I would have earned on the £3000 over a five year period). She asked whether I had received a letter to this effect (no) but one arrived today confirming our conversation and the offer.

Does this sound like a reasonable offer given that I could have received tax free money for many years? I have 8 weeks to accept the offer or go to the Banking Ombudsman.