Thread: Barclaycard try bluffing requests away - be warned

I sent a request to Barclaycard last week, requesting my last six years data. Received a letter today that I had to send a £10 cheque for all records after June 2004 - which is fine.

HOWEVER, they also said that if I want any records for data before this date, then all copies have to be pulled from thir archive and these cost £3.00 each. i.e. £3 x 12 months x 4 years x two credit cards (VISA and MC) = £288.

What's more, they say that any request for such data is automatically debited to the cards and the balance settled in the usual manner.

This was obviously done to try and put people off.

So, I phoned up the Information Commissioner's Office and asked them if this was allowed. A phone call back later said "absolutely not" and they were interested in seeing the letter so that they could reprimand Barclaycard for sending out such a letter. They confirmed that the maximum fee payable would be £10 for all data held by one data registrar, no matters how many accounts.

I phoned B'card up again and spoke to them, and some snot-nosed thought-she-knew-it-all argued like hell stating that I was wrong. When I asked if she then thought that the DCO was wrong, she laughingly said "probably, we know what we're allowed to charge". I then politely asked her for her name, so that I could quote her in any complaint letter, and she put the phone down.

Phoned Customer Complaints back up and they were horrified by her action, and admitted that the maximum charge is £10, and that they could not charge additional £3 fees for each sheet.

So, be warned, it seems that they know they can't win in Court, so are trying to make it as difficult as hell to find out the info. By doing this, they are trying to put people off by trying to make it more expensive to find out the data than the claim might be worth.

Remember, £10.00 is the limit they can charge.

In the meantime, I note that Lloyds TSB have just refunded £57.00 to my account under an entry of SERVICE RECOVERY - would have preferred the right description, e.g. REFUND OF UNLAWFUL CHARGES - still I suppose we can't have everything.

Now they've capitulated on that one, I'll ask for the other £120+ back.

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Will scan now and send - personal details will, obviously, be smudged.

I think that the content of this letter is unlawful, as does the ICO.

Enjoy!