Changing under 18 bank account details

[loulou11]

Hi

 

I am not sure if this is in the right area but here goes. Please be gentle as I am new to the site.

 

I have been having a problem with Barclays bank & my teenage son's account for a few years now. Having moved to another part of the country we have tried in vain to change the address he has on his account however because he does not pay any utility bills & has no other bills addressed to him, they will not change his details as he has no proof of the new address. Apparently this is down to new legislation around terrorism etc.

 

At first they told me to go to branch were the account was opened however when I told them it was a 150 miles away I was met with a blank look. We have got to the point where he doesn't use that account however they will be issuing a new card this month & we need to stand up to them now because this is getting ridiculous. Having found this site I was hoping someone might have an idea of what to do.

 

We have got a detailed letter from his school however the jobsworth at our local bank says this is not good enough. We have also asked for statements & any correspondance to be stopped but never had any confirmation this has happened presumably because letters are still being sent to our old address. His new nhs card registered at our current address doesn't cut it either.

 

These rules appear ridiculous or perhaps its me not thinking of a logical solution. So if you do have any suggestions I would be really grateful

 

We do not bank with Barclays & never will based on their handling of this problem. We want to close his account & receive written notification that it is closed however it appears an impossible task.

[Movingon]

Barclays are notorious for this. All you (your Son) can do is write them a letter to their Data Protection Officer stating that they are failing in their legal duty to process accurate information because they are placing obstacles which it is impossible to surmount in your way. Notify him of the new address and state that unless they amend their records accordingly that you will be making a formal complaint to the Information Comissioner's Office. It is absolutely no use calling the helpline as they are not qualified to handle unusual requests of this nature.

 

Anti-terrorist legislation has NOTHING to do with this.

 

I would if I were you be prepared to remove all funds from the account, make sure that all payments are cancelled, send back the cheque book and cards, write to them stating that the account is closed, and leave it at that. Open him an account with a bank which has customer service built in like Smile or First Direct. They're not great, but they're light years better than Barclays.

[loulou11]

Hi thankyou for reassuring me we are not alone in this problem.

 

Looking at the 2 options you mention I think removing all funds & closing the account by way of a letter is the best one for my son. He's lost faith in them & he's not even 18 yet!

 

Thankyou for that, I will write the letter tonight & organise him to withdraw the funds on Saturday. Ensuring that we open a new account with another bank before I post it off.

 

Thanks again, it really its appreciated

[Movingon]

When I say Barclays are notorious I mean for horrific customer service. My Wife and I underwent a Pagan handfasting instead of a legal wedding as that was what was important to us. During the ceremony she signed a change of name deed (advice sought - the deed was legally binding) to take on my Surname. EVERYONE who she had dealings with accepted copies of this document as proof of her name change and amended their records accordingly. Except Barclays - who first of all demanded the document we provided, then demanded that the Change of Name was witnessed by a solicitor, and then even refused to accept THAT as documentary proof. Mahala went bloody ballistic at them asking them how many MORE hoops they wanted her to jump through before they would accept this document (which had already been accepted by DVLA, her employer, the passport office... you name it!). They finally (reluctantly) accepted it... but the amount of fuss it took was unbelievable.

[demon_x_slash]

I'd call that bloody discrimination! Just 'cos the change wasn't recorded on a Marriage Certificate...what document do Muslims get, or Hindus, or Bhuddists, or JW's, when they get hitched? Would their documents not be proof enough for Barclays, simply because they weren't Christian or secular-civil?! I would have closed my account with them for that, and made sure they and the Financial Ombudsman knew why. on yours and Mahala's behalf, mate.

[Movingon]

I'd call that bloody discrimination! Just 'cos the change wasn't recorded on a Marriage Certificate...what document do Muslims get, or Hindus, or Bhuddists, or JW's, when they get hitched? Would their documents not be proof enough for Barclays, simply because they weren't Christian or secular-civil?! I would have closed my account with them for that, and made sure they and the Financial Ombudsman knew why. on yours and Mahala's behalf, mate.

 

Well, as it happens, ALL faiths apart from Christian denominations MUST get their marriages done in a registry office to be lawful here in the UK. It sucks, it's Christian biassed, and it shows no respect to other faiths... but that's the Law of the Land. We did ours a year later, Mahala Stonelaughter marries Tom Stonelaughter LOL. There was me, Mahala, my Brother and his girlfriend there; VERY hung over. We went to Morrisons Caf afterwards for a big fry-up breakfast (reception? LOL).

 

Barclays have long since lost our custom... they are the absolute worst I have come across... although NatWest came a close second, that was in 1982!!

[demon_x_slash]

LOL they didn't ask if you were originally from Norfolk, did they? I'm currently trying to persuade OH to claim back from Barclays, and then we'll get rid of them for good.

[barracad]

Why does OH need persuading???

[demon_x_slash]

He's lazy, and I'm certainly not doing the work for him