Barclays Tax Haven ISA: Have you opened one?

babsx

A new slant on things!!!!!!

Forget your interest, how about this option?| I opened my Barclays ISA online with £50 - then received approval on the 4th April 2008 ...So on 5th April I rushed into a local branch and transfered £2950 for tax yr 07/08 and the result? No promblems I was told...it would be transfered. ...Except it wasn't transfered until mid April 2008 so for the next tax year. In other words i've lost my entire ISA allowance for the last tax year and by now i cannot open another isa with a new provider...various letters letters & calls later I'm left sleepless and arguing at 4pm in bed in Wilmslow without any any answer...

money_money_money_money

Applied for a Barclays ISA on the 11th April 08, online as a current Barclays customer...still the ISA is not open!...despite numerous letters, telephone calls...they`re a complete shower!

I`m definitely changing my current account when it has all be sorted...sorry if it gets sorted!

obsessed_saver

Applied in branch 25th June, received account opening notifcation today (with sort code and account number). Money was taken from my current account today as well.

I've just been told that I can't get online banking with Barclays without a current account with them, is this true? So I can't check my Tax Haven ISA balance online?

Also, can I just make futher deposits just by doing an online transfer from my Bank of Scotland account to the sort code and account number of provided in the letter?

Lokolo

obsessed_saver wrote: »

Applied in branch 25th June, received account opening notifcation today (with sort code and account number). Money was taken from my current account today as well.

I've just been told that I can't get online banking with Barclays without a current account with them, is this true? So I can't check my Tax Haven ISA balance online?

Also, can I just make futher deposits just by doing an online transfer from my Bank of Scotland account to the sort code and account number of provided in the letter?

Yes you need a Barclays current account as well, which I don't either hm so at the moment I don't know how much is in my ISA (I know how much I have deopsited though).

And no idea about further deposits. If you go in store they say you have to transfer from Barclays current account (ha so problem there?), but I was thinking about sending a cheque to the Glasgow office, not sure if it'll work though. I plan to get into a branch and ask how I can deposit some money, when I have some.

tiptoe_mouse

And even if you have a current account with them, and online banking, you can't transfer funds to the ISA online. This seems plain daft to me. I'm wondering whether to use the "pay someone else" option, as if it's an external account, and just put the sortcode and account number of my ISA in. What do people reckon?

tiptoe

Rob_07

If you have a current account somewhere other than Barclays then a payment can be made into the ISA using the sort code and account number of the ISA, this saves you ringing the expensive savings and investments phone line, and the ISA will accept fast payments as i have discovered. With my Tax Haven ISA last year i would always ring the expensive savings and investments phone line, however this year i transfer money from my Barclays current account to HSBC (Using fast payments) and then immediately transfer the money into my ISA - I'm a student so can't afford to pay the full £3600 in at once! So transfers can be made into the ISA from other banks, if you ask Barclays staff they will tell you that this is not possible, however i can confirm from personal experience that this does work!

Hope this helps
Rob

Lokolo

Rob_07 wrote: »

If you have a current account somewhere other than Barclays then a payment can be made into the ISA using the sort code and account number of the ISA, this saves you ringing the expensive savings and investments phone line, and the ISA will accept fast payments as i have discovered. With my Tax Haven ISA last year i would always ring the expensive savings and investments phone line, however this year i transfer money from my Barclays current account to HSBC (Using fast payments) and then immediately transfer the money into my ISA - I'm a student so can't afford to pay the full £3600 in at once! So transfers can be made into the ISA from other banks, if you ask Barclays staff they will tell you that this is not possible, however i can confirm from personal experience that this does work!

Hope this helps
Rob

How did you do it? Just using Pay a family, friend option when in HSBC bit?

Rob_07

Lokolo wrote: »

How did you do it? Just using Pay a family, friend option when in HSBC bit?

Yes, thats how i did it and it should go through as a fast payment so no loss of interest waiting for a bacs payment to clear

This will work with all other banks, just use the pay a bill or someone facility in online banking and remember if you ask a member of barclays staff if this can be done they will say No as they can't monitor if you have breached your annual limit but as i have proven it is 100% possible! - A nice way of escaping call charges or a visit to a barclays branch or the wait for a cheque to clear!

sjoe

Has anyone actually received a satisfactory response to any complaints that they have raised with Barclay's over the ISA?

I have two complaints open and both have reached the point where I am now allowed to report the matter to the ombudsman. I've had letters from Barclay's telling me that I can do this but they hope I won't.

I'm holding out for interest from the date account paperwork was submitted to be added to the account (for compounding reasons) as well as backdated interest for the period when I was unable to transfer from my current account.

deep_pockets

deep_pockets wrote: »

well barclays letter arrived today(1 day later than promised) same as lokola they expect me to NOW wait up to the 03rd july. i dont think so it does not take 2 months to investigate a complaint even if your customer services is as crap as BARCLAYS!!

needless to say the letter is in the post as promised to the banking ombudsman

HAD TO LAUGH ,JUST RECEIVED 05TH JULY A LETTER FROM BARCLAYS , SAYING "CURRENTLY NOT IN A POSITION TO PROVIDE ME WITH A FULL RESPONSE TO MY COMPLAINT".THAT I NOW HAVE THE OPTION TO ASK FINANCIAL OMBUDSMAN TO REVIEW MY COMPLAINT!

WELL ITS JUST AS WELL I GUESSED THAT RESPONSE AND HAVE ALREADY DONE SO, BARCLAYS CUSTOMER SERVICE IS CRAP.