TM

Tina Mason

United Kingdom

Reviews

Review of Cerebrum


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

High pressure sales technique to get you to sign up.

They lure you in with a reasonably challenging IQ test, and some feedback during it as to how your progress compares with others. Naturally, when you get to the end, you're curious to see the results, but they won't tell you diddly squat without payment details up-front. Yes, it's only 99p - initially. But I'm sure it will not stop at 99p, but will be an ongoing payment scam that's very hard to cancel. I'm not giving them payment details. I DO expect to have to pay for detailed analysis, but NOT for a brief snapshot based on a quick online test. I know what my IQ was 40 years ago. I don't know if it still is, but I'm smart enough not to give enduring payment authority for some piece of clickbait I've no intention of subscribing to. They also use high-pressure sales techniques that should be a red flag, telling you your "results" will only be available for a few minutes, and displaying a countdown. This is all to increase pressure on you to pay-up, without properly thinking about it.

January 26, 2025
Unprompted review

Reply from Cerebrum

Dear Tina Mason, We’ve sent a request via TrustPilot to identify you in our system. Once you provide your details, we’ll promptly process your refund within a few hours, as it has already been approved. Here's your reference number TINAMASON312294 as it will allow us to quickly identify your account and ensure this is handled promptly.

Thank you! Cerebrum IQ Team

Review of MyHeritage


Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Charged £229 without reminder for "auto-renewal"

I think the research tools themselves are quite good. BUT, like many here, I've got caught by their pernicious "auto-renewal" feature. I'd completely forgotten I even had an active subscription, let alone that it was about to renew. No courtesy reminder, so the first I knew was notification of "successful" billing of £229, which has come out of my current account at this most expensive time of year, when we're all paying for Christmas, the weather is cold, and heating bills have risen! MyHeritage may be a nice-to-have, but definitely isn't something I'd have chosen to prioritize at this time of year, and at such a price! I requested a refund as soon as it happened on 3rd January, but didn't find it easy. On my tablet, the "Contact Us" feature let me explain all the details, but then wouldn't submit. On my phone, it did let me submit, yet would not let me explain my reasons. I have received an acknowledgement of my "refund inquiry" saying that it could take 7 business days to respond - of course no sign of any ACTUAL refund. I'm sure they hope many who fall into the trap will shrug and decide to keep it anyway, because it's paid now, and too much hassle to challenge. But £229 you hadn't intended is an awful lot.

UPDATE: It is sorted out now - thanks Kobi! But it's a pity customer inadvertence is being exploited to bill people for unwanted subscriptions in the first place, and that we need to air our grievance on Trustpilot to get a prompt refund without attempts to dissuade us.

January 3, 2025
Unprompted review

Reply from MyHeritage

Dear Tina,

Thank you for your feedback.

We understand that you had a negative experience. I understand that you did not want to subscribe, and we would like to make things right.

Please contact us at vipcare@myheritage.com so we can assist you further. Kindly include a link to this review as a reference.

Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
Samuel
MyHeritage Customer Care

Review of Patients Animahealth


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Focus on getting patients off the queue by doing as near nothing as possible

My local surgery has recently switched to this (from AskMyGP). It's similar, yet worse. It's not available outside surgery hours, even though it's fully automated, so you should be able to leave a message for action during business hours. But they don't want patients to be able to do that, do they? So I had to wait until first thing Monday morning to log my very simple question about whether I need to suspend supplements before getting a vitamin level checked. This should be a 30s answer for someone - probably a pharmacist, not necessarily a doctor. I had to fill in everything but the kitchen sink, including my alcohol consumption, even though this has NO bearing on the matter at hand. My "request" was closed within an hour of submission, which I initially thought was excellent, until I saw the reason for closure was they'd 'invited' me to make a GP appointment about it. Not only does it not require ten minutes of a GP's time for such basic info and advice, but the earliest appointment offered was ten days away! I declined, citing reason of "Other" as the only other options were: "No suitable appointment was offered" or "I no longer have the problem". Later, when I looked at the record, I saw my reason of "Other" had been recorded as "Unable to attend", which was not my reason at all, but because the appointment was (a) stupid and (b) too long to wait. Clearly though, the system is rigged to ensure any sub-optimal outcome like the patient giving up without an answer is recorded as the PATIENT being awkward. I suppose it's not entirely the fault of the system, as it's only as good as those who use it, but it's obviously being (ab)used to make the stats look good by closing requests in minutes, without applying even a grain of commonsense to the patient's actual question. I have to agree with other reviewers that it's just a barrier to stop you accessing help at all, even when that help should have been easy for anyone with a bit of initiative, and didn't need a doctor's appointment at all.

November 25, 2024
Unprompted review

Review of O2


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible!

I received a txt from O2 advising that my very old 3G SIM was no longer going to be supported, and I needed to upgrade to a new one. It had a number to call from the device in question, which I did.

I spent about 40 minutes on the phone and spoke to three different people, but it's still not sorted out.

Initially, I seemed to be put through to "Business", who couldn't help because it's meant to be residential. But O2 sent me the txt with the number to call and they KNOW what type of plan I'm on, so how did I end up calling the wrong department?

So I was transferred to Residential, who didn't seem to know that they are ending support for anything, and that customers have been told they need a new SIM. They wanted the exact wording of the txt THEY sent, which of course I couldn't now go back and refer to, because I was using the phone to talk to them!

They took my name, and wasted time searching for it on the system, when it obviously wouldn't be there, because it's PAYG, not contract. Again, why didn't they already know that? O2 KNOWS what service they provide to which number, so why isn't that info automatically available to CS agents, so they don't go down the rabbit hole of searching for contract details that won't be there?

So I was transferred a second time, to someone who could supposedly deal with PAYG.

That person was extremely hard to understand, due to strong foreign accent and extremely noisy background.

They txted me a security code TO THE PHONE I WAS USING, to be able to proceed, but on my vintage phone, you can't open txts whilst on a call (I'm not certain you can on all modern ones either), so I couldn't read the security code without terminating the call.

I explained this.

"Oh, you're calling from the number?"

"YES! That's what the instructions said!"

He said he could take me through some "very easy" security questions instead.

First question: "What is your credit balance on this phone?"

I knew roughly, but not exactly, but no, it had to be exact.

"You didn't check?"

"No, why would I? I didn't know I was going to be asked this!"

Obviously, the same problem as with the security code; I couldn't interrogate the balance on the phone I was already using TO TALK TO HIM, so couldn't clear security, and had to end the call with nothing resolved whatsoever.

All this from contact THEY initiated, and should already have had all the details of.

November 2, 2024
Unprompted review

Review of Cahoot


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Password reset is BY POST

This is my second review after it took nearly three weeks to even get the account open. Luckily, I only put a small sum in it as a test, and not my entire savings! Today I made my first attempt at paying someone from the money that is in there. Well, I have made some mistake and got locked out. I hoped it would just be temporary, and I'd be able to log in again later, but no, once you've been locked out, you've got to start again with the POSTAL login process that already took weeks in the first place! I made sure I had all the details to hand for an online reset. I got to the end, but it asked me to confirm my address to put the reset details IN THE POST! The login is ridiculously cumbersome, and almost designed to trick you into making mistakes and getting locked out. Then you've got to begin all over again BY POST. This faff is not worth the interest that may be due to me after a whole year. If I charged my time at the minimum wage, it has already cost more than I stand to receive.

October 14, 2024
Unprompted review

Review of Cahoot


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Waiting for security letters to use the account

I was attracted by the market-leading interest rate. But like everybody else, I'm having trouble opening and using the account. I opened the account online on 3rd September, and got an email confirming my success. But I couldn't just go ahead and use it. I was supposed to receive two separate letters within seven days, with my temporary password and security number, allowing me to get started. Today is the seventh day, and the postie has been and gone. Not even one of the two letters has arrived. Meanwhile, the money I wanted to transfer is languishing in a non-interest bearing account, losing money for every day of delay. I thought it would be earning for me by now!

Update: Now 16 calendar days since opening the account online, but I still can't use it. I phoned them on Saturday about the security letters not coming. They had to cancel everything and start the process again, telling me to disregard the original letters if they DID still turn up - which of course, they did on Monday - 13 days after requesting. I'm now waiting for the replacement letters, which they said should take 3-4 working days, suggesting it would be treated with some urgency. It's now the fourth working day, and of course, no letters yet. I daren't phone up and complain again, because we'll start all over again! I don't know at this point whether it's Cahoot, or Royal Mail, or a combination of the pair of them. Royal Mail clearly can't get the security letters to me within the expected timescales, assuming Cahoot ARE sending them promptly, so why are they relying on a method that literally doesn't deliver?

September 10, 2024
Unprompted review

Review of esure


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Can't even take out a new policy

Can't even take out a new policy! I got a very competitive home insurance quote from them through Compare the Market, which I wanted to accept! However, I was not able to accurately record the ownership status of my home, which is shared ownership. I phoned the customer service number, but after choosing that it was concerning a new policy, got a recorded message effectively saying they don't deal with that, and was disconnected with no opportunity to raise my query. I looked on their help page for other means of contact, and found the email address for Sales. Put it all in an email, and got an immediate bounce-back saying they can't respond to queries at this email address. Well WHERE, then? Do they want my custom or not? The irony is that I'm fairly sure I've been insured with them in the past, but can't remember if I just shut up about the shared ownership thing, or how I sorted it. I'm just trying to be completely honest and not end up with a policy that might be declared void because I didn't tell them.

Update: Well, I see Esure have replied, but "Need Help" only gets me talking to a stupid bot, NOT one of their "specialists". The bot says it will only be able to provide very limited help (no surprise there!) unless I log in. But of course, I can't log in. I don't have an account because I haven't purchased the insurance yet! This is a PRE-sales enquiry, to make sure I register the correct details.

September 5, 2024
Unprompted review

Reply from esure

Thank you for your review Tina, we appreciate your feedback on this as it helps us learn where improvements are required. You can chat with one of our Customer Specialists online who will assist with queries you have regarding cover, by clicking 'Need Help' on our website. Thank You.

Review of Nokia


Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Wish I'd checked here first

I've had a long tradition of owning Nokias, so thought it should be safe to stick with the brand. I paid over £170 for a new G42, but it doesn't come with any charger. I expected I would be able to charge it from my laptop, from USB ports on mains plugs I have in my home, or even from a little emergency radio that has a phone-charging port. But the supplied cable isn't compatible with any of these. I'm guessing the available ports I have are all USB 2 or 3 but it wants USB C. I'm really disappointed I can't get it up and running out-of-the-box, and now need to spend more money on a compatible charger. Also I'm not super happy with how large and heavy the phone is, but that one's on me, as the specs do say - I just didn't really imagine it like it is. I'm considering returning it, as I am starting to form a negative impression, despite not even having been able to try it yet. They promise a 30-day returns window for peace of mind, but there is NO info on the website about how you initiate this. I mailed customer support, who replied in broken English that the info is all in the order confirmation email. No it isn't! I can see what I bought, the date, and what I paid, but nothing at all about how to return it. Viewing the order on my account page on the website isn't any better. They claim there is a returns link there, but there isn't, and nothing in the FAQ. Buyer's regret is mounting.

October 25, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Equiniti Shareview


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Can't edit dividend mandate (again) and Contact Us leads nowhere!

It's only just over a year since I last reviewed, and I'm back again, with a near identical problem. Once again, I cannot change my dividend mandate online, to get dividends paid direct to my bank account. What has happened this time is that my holding in Melrose Industries was cancelled and reissued as new shares in Melrose plus some in Dowlais, following a corporate demerger. Although my personal details and dividend preferences haven't changed at all - only the structure of my holding - seemingly none of the details have been carried over to the newly issued shares, which resulted in my latest Melrose dividend arriving as a cheque, in spite of my previous election to receive it to my bank account. Furthermore my new holdings in Melrose and Dowlais show as "locked" in my Shareview portfolio, meaning I cannot opt to get future dividends paid direct to my bank account, even though the recent dividend confirmation encouraged me to do this! The "Contact us" link at the bottom of the website in fact does not lead to a contact page at all, but just to the generic support page, where you are invited to search the Support library for your problem. If I hit "Contact us", I expect to be presented with some options for getting in touch - phone, email, webchat etc. They clearly don't want me to find that information.

October 23, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Sotel GmbH


Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Good price and prompt service

Bought some hard-to-find iRobot Scooba liquid that has been discontinued by the manufacturer. It was pricey, but still cheaper than the major online marketplaces. Dispatch was very prompt, and delivery from Germany didn't take long.

October 23, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Haute Florist


Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic flowers, but delivery tracking useless

The flowers themselves were delivered on my mother's birthday as requested, and were reportedly "great" - more impressive than some I've sent her before from other suppliers. In her own words, she "can't fault them" and would use Haute herself in future, which is high praise indeed, as she has very exacting standards.

That said, I've had to knock off a star, because the paid-for tracking was poor to non-existent. I never got any dispatch confirmation or any SMS updates. The courier is Royal Mail, who I don't think even offer this, so I had to keep checking their website. I was relieved to see the status had changed to "Due for delivery today" by around mid-morning, and the flowers had been handed over to a local delivery partner named "True". BUT the status never changed to "delivered", causing unnecessary anxiety that Mum's flowers must be stuck in a van or warehouse somewhere, and would reach her late and worse for wear. I only found out from Mum herself that they did get delivered, but Royal Mail never updated the status. The point of paid tracking is for added peace of mind that your gift did get there on time. It did, but I was left in the dark.

The flowers are definitely worth it, but the paid tracking was useless.

October 2, 2023
Unprompted review

Reply from Haute Florist

Hello Tina,

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and share your experience with us. We are so pleased to hear that your mother enjoyed her birthday flowers and it is great to hear she would use our service too!

I am incredibly sorry for any stress or frustration caused by the lack of delivery updates. I do completely understand this and I will raise it with our Dispatch Manager.

Review of Policy Expert


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Auto-renewal at 33% more! (revised following this review)

Not happy that home & contents has gone up so much (from £126.53 to £168.74 - over one third more despite no claims in decades) OR that payment has been collected by six a.m. four days ahead of the ACTUAL renewal date.

I don't know for sure whether I can do better elsewhere, but did think I had a few days still to check. Given that it's 30-degree heat and I'm not well, I'll probably have to let it go this time, but I'm conscious that's exactly what they rely on.

I had thought Policy Expert were one of the good guys, who don't automatically put it up by a ton every time renewal rolls round. Seems they have reverted to the same shady tactics as everybody else, by having it auto-renew for a lot more.

I feel exploited, and it doesn't feel good.

Update: I am pleased to report that I have received a call from Henry at Policy Expert, who was able to offer me a "loyalty discount". Whilst this is more than welcome, and saves me having to weigh up whether to cancel in the next 14 days, it's a pity it has taken a negative public review to achieve this. I would like to think I was ALWAYS getting the best price they can offer, and not only after I've had a moan.

September 7, 2023
Unprompted review

Reply from Policy Expert

Hello Tina,

Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review.

You may experience a rise in premiums when it's time to renew your policy, even if your application details haven't changed. The insurance industry is always evolving, so it's a good idea to explore different options to make sure you're getting the best price and coverage for your needs.

We believe in giving our customers plenty of time to review their policy details before renewal. That's why we send out a renewal invite 30 days before your policy renews. This way, you have plenty of time to reach out to us if you have any questions, want to opt-out, or discuss your renewal.

The renewal invite also confirms that we will automatically renew your policy 3-5 days before the renewal date to ensure payment is successful and that you're not left without cover.

Our renewals team has tried to reach you to discuss your options, but unfortunately, you were unavailable. If you'd like to discuss things further, please feel free to get in touch at homereviews@policyexpert.co.uk.

Thanks, Nisha

Review of NS&I


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Locked out of account - no way to reset

I've been locked out of my account after allegedly repeatedly failing one of the security questions. This is most likely because my first employer was known by a number of different names, and I couldn't remember which precise version of it I gave when I first registered. Each time I was given the opportunity to re-try, they served me with the same problem question, instead of giving me the opportunity to answer a different question. I tried all the versions of the name I thought it might be, but was ultimately locked out. They are going to put a new password IN THE POST! This is ludicrous, as I need to cash in bonds urgently to pay the bills. I don't have a source of income, and just withdraw what I need from NS&I each month.

Update: they were very helpful on the phone and have got me back online without having to wait for snail mail. The bot that initially answers the phone is pretty insufferable, and only able to reiterate the most basic self-help steps you will have already tried. Also the first real person I spoke to seemingly couldn't deal with anything, and put me back in the queue! That said, if you persevere and get to the right person, they are friendly and helpful. If you are in my position of being locked out of your account, have recent credit card and bank statements handy, as they use a credit reference agency to verify identity, and you may be quizzed about these. They WILL wait if you need to go off and find something, but it's much easier if you have it ready. I was quizzed about my main credit card - who it's with, what the credit limit is, what the balance was on the most recent statement. If you have the statement in front of you, you can read it straight off, without trying to remember.

August 30, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Opinion Outpost


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Blocked and robbed of earnings - unable to fulfil ID requirement

I've been a member for years, and accrued regular, if small rewards.

I was a "Diamond" member, which was an honour conferred only recently, that gives you a 15% boost on points earned each week.

Last week my earnings including this points boost set a new personal record. Still only between £10 and £15, so hardly a fortune, but an usually lucrative week by normal standards.

Suddenly, having cashed-out £10 of the points I earnt, and accrued enough for the next £5 (now the smallest permitted payout) I discovered ALL my surveys were screening-out at or near completion - the part where you've done the whole lot, and it thanks you and says: "Just a few more questions for classification purposes".

Also I could not redeem the £5-worth of points still trapped on the account, as that came up with an error code.

It now appears I can no longer log back in, as they want verification in the form of GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ID - which isn't mandatory in the UK.

I don't have a driving licence or passport, which is not really surprising of someone who stays at home doing lots of surveys! If I was an international jetsetter, or driving all over the place, I'd be unlikely to be on Opinion Outpost taking surveys for pennies!

So, it was good while it lasted, but it looks like it's over AND I was cheated out of the last £5 I ever earnt with them. Swindlers!

Highly suspicious this was right after my record-breaking streak! I suspect my only offence was "earning too much", so I've been booted out.

The ID requirement is also discriminatory, because those who are long-term sick or disabled are among those least likely to have ID.

Really shocking. Avoid, unless you want to get kicked in the teeth without warning and lose money!

June 14, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of M&S Credit Card


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Card repeatedly declined, no CS evenings, can't log in to tell anyone

Can no longer use the card to pay online at Morrisons. It has been declined without explanation the last THREE times, forcing me to shop elsewhere, or pay with Barclaycard instead. I can't get to the bottom of this fiasco. Support staff at Morrisons and the bank are both as ignorant as each other, and both as adamant it is the other lot's fault! Tonight it happened again, at 2 mins past 8. The bank's phone lines close at - you guessed it - 8. Tried to use online chat which is staffed only by a bot which cannot help at all, says "Thanks for chatting anyway, I'm always here for you", or some such nauseating drivel, before closing down the conversation. So I tried to log in with the M&S Pass, in the hope I could secure message a human being. But I hadn't used it in about two years, and either I've forgotten how, or it has failed. So now I have two problems: Why is my grocery order consistently declined, and how do I log back in? Honestly, it's not worth the aggravation.

June 13, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Barclays


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Three months and counting - still no deposit slips

This pathetic shower still have not managed to resolve my official complaint in over five weeks. All I have received from them are two worthless letters stating they are still investigating, and promising a date by which I will receive an update. These dates then pass without further communication. All I am asking is for some deposit slips, which I need to pay in cheques at the post office. I have been trying since February, I complained officially in April, and tomorrow it will be June. Seemingly it is not possible, but I don't have an official explanation of why, or how on earth it could take this long to fix. They haven't done away with deposit slips - they are still needed. They just haven't been able to provide any.

May 31, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Etsy


Rated 3 out of 5 stars

"Handmade" items might not be

To be fair, there ARE some lovely things. I have been lucky with the majority of my purchases, and been very pleased. However, you do need eyes wide open when shopping, as Etsy don't seem to do anything to verify sellers' claims, so I am increasingly finding cheap, mass-produced Chinese tat passed-off as handmade designer items at ten times the price you'd pay on AliExpress, or even Amazon. Always do a Google search, and preferably a Google image search, before ordering anything, as you'll probably find the same product all over the Internet at a fraction of the price, even using the identical photos. OK, I understand it is POSSIBLE Chinese factories are ripping-off and mass-producing original designs by Etsy sellers. This also happens. But sometimes you can find three or four identical "handmade" items even from different Etsy sellers, at a variety of price points - the highest they think you'll swallow. An item selling for pennies on AliExpress can show up on Etsy for anything from £10 to £40 - a complete con! Basically, these are Christmas-cracker quality. And sometimes, there's a place for that - you just want something fun, not to last forever. But what you DON'T want is is to pay ten times over the odds in the belief you're getting a one-of-a-kind designer item. Until recently, I would have given Etsy five stars, but the more I've looked into this, the more disillusioned I've become. My suspicions were first aroused when I saw a chain-store item I'd had for a few years on Etsy as "handmade" (NOT vintage). Later I ordered a "traditional" Ukrainian shawl that took weeks to come (yes, I know they're in a war), only to find I could have purchased it for half the price at Amazon, and got it next day.

May 21, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Morrisons Supermarkets


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Order cancelled at last minute citing payment issues (recurring problem)

I'm reviewing again, because I've just had a repetition of the issue first seen a couple of months ago, where my card is rejected and entire order cancelled, the night before delivery! I'm disabled and don't own a car, so can't go shopping for groceries. I never got to the bottom of what the problem was, with Morrisons and M&S Bank each blaming the other. But I believed it was resolved, because I deleted and re-entered all the card details, and got ONE trouble-free order. I've ordered again, trusting everything was sorted now, but the whole lot's been cancelled again. When they cancel it, you're not offered the chance to try a different payment method. You can restore the cancelled items to your basket and place a new order with a different card, but you lose both your reserved slot and any items that have gone "unavailable" in between your first and second attempt. So I've managed to secure an order, but NOT at the time I had chosen, and not of everything I wanted.

May 16, 2023
Unprompted review

Review of Barclays Partner Finance


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Goods never received, 0% finance not transferable to alternatives

I was offered interest-free credit on a Samsung tablet at Amazon, which seemed great. I applied and was accepted with only a small amount of hassle (I could not do the electronic signature to the Ts & Cs and had to phone for help). The order of the tablet was cancelled by Amazon on the morning it was supposed to be delivered, citing "non-availability of stock". I naturally decided to try again, but there was no tablet at a similar competitive price to the order that was cancelled, neither was I offered free finance anymore. Apparently offers are "one time only", and count as "used", even if your order was never fulfilled through no fault of your own. Several days later, I did see the tablet re-offered, again with free finance, albeit at a considerably higher price than first time. As I was really keen on it, I decided to accept the hit on price, and order again, as I was going to get a year to pay for it. Again the order was cancelled on the morning it was supposed to come! I understood at the time of applying for finance that it was 0% for a year. That was of course of no benefit to me on orders that weren't fulfilled and I didn't have to pay for. But what I hadn't appreciated was that each offer only applies to the specific purchase. I HAVEN'T got a year's interest-free credit to buy whatever other things I might like within my credit limit. When I browse higher-value items at Amazon today, I MIGHT be offered 0% finance (extremely rare), I might be offered finance at a fee (more common) or I might be offered no finance at all (the norm). It's completely arbitrary whether the item you're considering comes with a finance offer, or what that offer is! I don't know why I have this stupid agreement, when the only times I've ever tried to use it, the purchase never turned up, and it doesn't apply automatically to alternatives. I do find something a bit scammy about it, both with Amazon accepting orders for high-value items they fail to supply, and Barclays offering 0% finance without making clear it's only for that specific transaction, and won't necessarily be offered or honoured in respect of anything else, even if it's not your fault your qualifying order failed!

November 22, 2022
Unprompted review

Review of Barclays


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

All run by buggy computer programs, no commonsense allowed!

I have been with them about 40 years. They have gone from friendly and helpful and staffed by actual human beings who knew you and could help, to a total faceless, impersonal, automated bureaucracy.

Nobody gives a damn, or has any commonsense or initiative. Everything is dictated by "The System", and what "The System" won't do can't be done, even if it's "The System" that is wrong!

I discovered this when I made a routine request for deposit slips - needed to deposit cheques via the post office now there is no longer any local branch - and found they never arrive because "Computer says no."

The reason? My account is in my initials and surname only - exactly the way Barclays set it up when they opened it for me 40 years ago, and how it has always been.

Suddenly, "The System" cannot cope with an account name in this format - which THEY chose, not me - because it it doesn't recognize it as a proper account name. So no deposit slips for me, and I'm absolutely dreading what happens when I need to be issued a new chequebook or bank card, as presumably the ACTUAL account name they assigned me won't be recognized then either, so I won't be able to have them.

I have tried four times now; twice through online banking, and twice on the telephone. From online banking, the request just goes into a black hole from which nothing ever emerges. I get a polite email acknowledging request of the deposit slips, but they never arrive.

I thought I was doing better by phone. The first time, after a rather ominous wait, during which the agent consulted her supervisor, I was assured all was well, and that my deposit slips would now be on the way.

A couple of days later, I received the expected parcel, only to find it did not contain deposit slips, but just the envelopes you place them in - of which the post office keeps a ready supply anyway - each marked with: "Have you remembered to include your deposit slip?" (the thing I haven't got).

So I called again, and spoke to a very nice lady, who explained about the problem with the initials, and said that was probably why the previous attempts had failed. She couldn't override it, but said she was going to raise some sort of exception report to get it sorted. That same afternoon, I got a nice email thanking me for my call, and claiming the deposit slips were now ordered.

But still nothing came!

As it's useless speaking to them on the phone, secure messaging in online banking doesn't work, and they don't publish any customer service email address, I've now lodged an official complaint through Resolver.co.uk - a self-help site that facilitates contact with companies who don't publish an email address.

According to statistics on that site, Barclays do recognize them, and 64% of complainants got a resolution. I am not yet in the lucky 64%, and haven't had any response in a week. I wrote to them again. So that is a total of six contacts with Barclays since February, and I still don't have the deposit slips.

They are worse than useless, because "useless" wouldn't cost so much time and effort trying to sort out - you'd just bin it and get on with your life. Unfortunately I can't in this case, because I do still need a solution.

May 3, 2023
Unprompted review