Openplan Current a/c with the Woolwich 'downgraded' my account .

[papadak]

Hi all, love this website and forum .... has helped me so much thus far ...

 

Here's the next issue:

 

I have an Openplan Current a/c with the Woolwich. I have operated this a/c for many years now without ever having any problems. I utilise all the facilities including Internet Banking. As i've said i've never had an issue with anything ... direct debits and overdrafts all within limits. So I went online (as I do 2 or 3 times a week) to find I could no get access to my account. I call up Customer Service only to find out that my account has been 'downgraded' to a Classic Account but WITHOUT Internet facilities. I am asked for an explanation here and was advised that 'this was not right and I should write in and complain'. Is this an admission of guilt I thought? I was then told that because my wife has an account with Barclays this is all linked and you can no longer have your original account ... HELLO i thought am i missing something here ... I them said to the CS person "what about customer confidentiality and data protection?" ... to which the response was ... "oh sorry". The long and short of it is they are not prepared to reinstate my account and that I should write in ....

 

Can i please have some tips/advice please before i write in ... Many thanks

[JulesTools]

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[papadak]

Any tips or help available here please??

[Bigmac versus]

In short you need clarification from the bank in writing as to why they have done this and then decide which action if any to take, can be for many reasons such as not enough money coming through the account within each month, until they tell you we are all guessing, cant figure out this link though with your wife.

[papadak]

Barclays now 'own' The Woolwich (for their mortgage business) and wthout any hesitation the Customer service told me about my wife's accounts with Barclays ... most strange when it was my account that was being addressed. I have never had an issue with the Woolwich (had the a/c for years!)until this situation came up ... I want to go about things in the right way though, so far as re-dress is concerned or re-instatment of account, if that's possible?

[Aztec123]

wthout any hesitation the Customer service told me about my wife's accounts with Barclays

 

If you have separate, individual (not joint) accounts, this definitely sounds like a breach of the Data Protection Act to me. In addition, the fact that they penalised/downgraded you because of your wife's account may quite possibly be contrary to the Banking Code. It may be worth your while contacting the offices of the Data Commissioner and the Finanacial Services Ombudsman, to see where you stand and whether you have grounds for making a formal complaint to either or both of them.