Hello Caggers

Any help surrounding a SAR with Lloyds and HSBC.

I've been going backwards and forwards with Lloyds for nearly 4 months," no record of my account in their system,please supply full account no." Raised a SAR and finally they find me in their system but are requesting certified only documentation as proof of name and address. I must add I live overseas so any correspondence is a really drawn out process, it appears to take 5 weeks for a letter to get to Australia from Lloyds. Do the banks normally stipulate certified paperwork only? It feels like the bank are putting up as many barriers as possible. Having the same problem with HSBC who haven't even acknowledged my SAR.

So far as HSBC goes, how they cached your cheque?

It's not at all unreasonable for the banks to want to be satisfied as to your identity. However, you can be sure that the banks realise that when they receive an SAR, they realise it means trouble. Don't expect them to be helpful. Lloyds are serial breaches of data protection rules.

Did they already have your Australian address on file? Have they previously sent you correspondence to that address?

Please could you post up the letter from Lloyds – redacted – saying that there is no record of the account. Put it up in PDF format

Hi BankFodder no I don't think HSBC have cashed the cheque, Lloyds and HSBC only had my new address when I contacted them earlier in the year regarding PPI, Lloyds have corresponded 4 times to this address since then and HSBC once.

In respect of HSBC, if I were you I would start again. This means make an application under the new GDPR regime. It is free and the deadline is 30 days. If I were you I would pre-empt their request for your ID by sending them ID which they can't dispute and which includes an address. – Maybe copies of two pieces of evidence. I suppose there is probably an HSBC in Australia so you could even arrange for the data to be collected at that branch if it is not too far away from you. Of course one of the problems is that the request you have sent to HSBC presumably has not been sent by any kind of tracked delivery so you have no evidence that your request was received by them.

I think you had better start realising the character of the people you are dealing with and start being more cautious about this kind of thing. If you had sent a request by some kind of tracked delivery then you could already be starting a complaint about their non-compliance.

In terms of Lloyds, I suppose you may as well supply them with the ID that they are asking for but I have to say that if they have already been corresponding with you concerning PPI and yet they choose this opportunity to raise obstacles as to who you are, then it is clearly a pretext, in my view.

On the other hand, as you have applied under the old regime they have a 40 day deadline. I think even with the Lloyds request you may as well start again and make the request under GDPR. I would suggest that you call them. In principle we are obliged to accept requests for data over the phone and/or by email. Discuss your data request with them. Find out what they need. Get an email address for the request so that you can send it off and know that it has been received. If you can make the request over the phone then get a reference number.

Most importantly, before you start using the phone read our customer services guide and implement the advice there. Get everything recorded. Pay special attention to what our customer services guide says about controlling the conversation and making sure that they recorder screen note that accurately reflects what you have discussed.

Phone Lloyds on the following number 0345 0707124 - this should be the number of the SAR department.

Finally, don't forget that apart from being dishonest and reluctant, you are also dealing with the new SAR regime and I have found that by and large the staff are poorly trained and try to fob the customers off with pat answers when they don't really understand what the correct reply should be.

By the way, for the second time, please will you post up the letter from Lloyds in PDF format which says that there is no evidence of your account.

Thanks BankFodder

I asked a relative to hand deliver the SAR in branch and obtain a receipt so should be able to support my claim. Will upload the letter once I'm in front of a scanner, I stand to be corrected the letter stated " we haven't been able to find any information in your name with details given, please provide a full account number as we cannot locate from four digits provided"

OK - in that case don't bother to post it

I made a SAR request and had to include t following

Financial statement from my last UK address

Financial statement from current address

Uk Utility/Council tax bill

Data page from passport

ID/government document from current residence

Took 14 days to arrive e from date of posting

HTH

Thanks for the info BankFodder and Queens_king much appreciated, Which governing body would be concerned if I'm not able to successfully get the SAR?TIA.

The ICO.

At the same time I would begin a complaint to the FOS about their failure to comply with their statutory obligations. Get both complaints running simultaneously. In fact if you want to move then, call them now and begin your formal complaint on the telephone. Do this in addition to the SAR request.

What of course will be funny, will be that they will have no difficulty in sending you the final response – which of course is an example of personal data – without any of the so-called verification checks. Furthermore, the FOS will have no difficulty corresponding with you. It's simply when the banks think that there is trouble brewing for them that they make it tough.

I've been speaking with Npower recently. They are exactly the same.

I like that idea getting the complaints running simultaneously with FOS and ICO, will post any updates as they occur.

Many Thanks

Well I think the idea is to start causing trouble. Take control and make complaints in every way possible. Every time they write to you, take the opportunity to point out that they are writing to you including personal data but without all the nonsense. Having their cake and eat it