Nat West Complaint

[EXC]

On Thursday October 11 I attempted to make an online purchase with my debit card. During the transaction Nat West's payment function told me that I would be sent a text with a verification number to input for which I had to execute within 8 minutes. As I don't have any mobile coverage in my area, it would have required me to drive 3 miles to retrieve the text, return and type in the number which would have taken me beyond 8 minutes.

There was an alternative option which asked me to call a number to verify the purchase. I was not told who or why I was calling. It turned out to be the Nat West fraud team who asked me countless questions all of which I answered correctly until I was asked what purchases I had made with my card in the last 48 hours. Not being able to accurately answer the question without checking I asked to be able to look through my wallet to find the relevant receipts but was told not to bother and go to a branch with ID. I then used my Lloyds card to complete the purchase.

Fast forward to Sunday I realised that unbeknown to me (because nobody at Nat West had the courtesy to tell me) my account had been blocked ever since.

During the 3 hours I spent making endless calls to your telephone banking, customer services and fraud team departments I was put through an enhanced security verification process for which I failed because I couldn't remember what frequency and amounts my television license payments were. Of course I could have answered the question had I been able to access the information from my online account - which Nat West had blocked.

I was rudely hung up on by all 3 departments including your 'customer services manager' (sic) Sian.

I was repeatedly told that the only way my account could be unblocked was for me to take photo ID into my local branch. Notwithstanding my local branch closed in June, I made it repeatedly clear that I did not have any free time next week in which to drive to another town to visit a branch.

In the meantime direct debits & payments to & from my account will be bouncing like a rubber ball leaving me with more issues to resolve as each day passes.

In short Nat West are placing the burden and inconvenience on me to resolve an issue that was entirely of their own making.

This experience has been excruciatingly frustrating and continues to be so. The abject refusal of Nat West to assist its customer with what is a problem that is solely their fault is a disgrace.

I have published this complaint on my consumer law website here https://legalbeagles.info/forums/for...west-complaint and fully intend to publish your response.

[2222]

What happens next? I'm betting on a letter saying how sorry they are that you were not able to answer the bank's security questions, but they have a duty to protect against fraud. Plus offering you £20 for the inconvenience, but still requiring you to travel to a bank branch with ID.

[EXC]

Well I went into a branch first thing with ID and I must admit they did a pretty good job of convincing me that they had unblocked my account and that all was tickety boo, until I got home to find that they hadn't, it wasn't and it still isn't.

What happens next? I'm betting on a letter saying how sorry they are that you were not able to answer the bank's security questions, but they have a duty to protect against fraud. Plus offering you £20 for the inconvenience, but still requiring you to travel to a bank branch with ID.

They do have a duty to protect against fraud but they also have a duty to provide something resembling a service, which so far they have demonstrated they are not capable of.

I'm not interested in monetory compensation, I want blood.

[EXC]

...so after another phone marathon I'm told that my branch verified my ID with the wrong department and that I'll have to go back to the branch and go through the ID process again...in the hope that the branch then verifies it with the right branch...

[Amethyst]

Useless. Was the ID process just presenting with passport etc ? Surely the staff member that saw you this morning can just send that to whatever the right dept is ?

Maybe see if they can make verification codes to come through your landline in future as well.

[EXC]

The process was showing my passport and driving license and then them calling the fraud dept saying they've verified my ID, they didn't take copies. I did suggest that the right dept called the woman in the branch but no dice. The system is so rigid that logic doesn't get a look in.

Yep when I was talking to the fraud dept from the branch this morning they removed my mobile number from my account so that any future verification codes were automatically e-mailed to me instead. Not that it worked of course as when I just called the fraud dept they said they'd need to text me with a code to verify me before they could even deal with me.

The irony is that this all started with me trying to buy an iPhone from GffGaff (yes Sharon, you heard that right, I'm finally joining the 21st century, or at least trying to) with a 3 SIM which does in theory cover my area.

[Amethyst]

Banks don't seem capable of logic - this time once they say it's unblocked I'd just go next door and buy some sweeties on your card to check before going home... lol

Cant you go direct to Three or do GiffGaff do better deals ?

I was anti iPhone for too long but they just work and I only need laptop/pc now for drafting docs.

Mines on Virgin which is ideal as the credit for the phone purchase is entirely separate from the data/airtime contract.

[EXC]

I bought the phone outright from GiffGaff (I got the SE so it fits in my pocket - only £199, you would have been proud of me lol) and got a SIM only deal with Smarty that uses the 3 network. It's a month to month contract at 10 quid a month, 4 gbs and free texts & calls. Whatever data you don't use rolls over to the next month and importantly for me very good data rates for South Africa. Also it does tethering so I can use my iPad from it.

[Amethyst]

Nothing wrong with the SE - that's what Jules and daughter have Other daughter has an 8 or something insanely massive ( Daddy pays for her contract lol) - think mine is a 6s - no idea the difference other than it's a bit bigger than Jules' lol ... once you get it all set up and figured out you'll wonder why you didn't move to the capitalist overpriced dark side years ago

get a gorilla glass screen protector for it - Mary's broken her screen three times and dropped it down the toilet twice so far ... bloody uni students !

[EXC]

... once you get it all set up and figured out you'll wonder why you didn't move to the capitalist overpriced dark side years ago

Don't, the guilt is killing me but the rest of the family all communicate on WhatsApp so I feel like I've got no choice.

get a gorilla glass screen protector for it - Mary's broken her screen three times and dropped it down the toilet twice so far ... bloody uni students !

I'm going to pass on the glass for the time being for various reasons and go with a case with a flap. It's not just students, my sis is always dropping her's down the loo and she's got the plus size, about the size of a TV! How do women manage to do that? EDIT rhetorical question, I don't need the details.

[2222]

Well I went into a branch first thing with ID and I must admit they did a pretty good job of convincing me that they had unblocked my account and that all was tickety boo, until I got home to find that they hadn't, it wasn't and it still isn't.



They do have a duty to protect against fraud but they also have a duty to provide something resembling a service, which so far they have demonstrated they are not capable of.

I'm not interested in monetory compensation, I want blood.

You need the blood bank?

My commiserations. Getting any sense out of them. Well, I've never managed.

[EXC]

Response to my complaint:

Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent experience. I’m sorry that you’re unhappy with the service we’ve provided.

My Investigation


My understanding of your complaint is that you are unhappy:


• That message given to you of an alternative to text verification did not confirm you would be calling the fraud team
• You were asked to visit your branch to confirm your identity
• With the overall service received including not being told your account and online banking had been blocked, your calls being terminated, the block not being removed when you visited the branch for the first time despite being assured this had happened, needing to visit the branch a second time and being on the phone for 3 hours dealing with this issue


I have looked into the above issues and found the following:


• On 11 October 2018 you did not answer the identification questions correctly and were asked to visit your branch with photographic identification
• On 14 October 2018 you called and were referred to the branch again
• Your online banking service was blocked at this point
• On 15 October 2018 you visited the branch and confirmed your identification
• You contacted us again on that date and were advised the branch had spoken to the incorrect department and you needed to take this action again
• On 16 October 2018, you again visited the branch, your identification was confirmed and your online banking access was reinstated


My Response


Please accept my apologies for the upset and inconvenience you have experienced as a result of the recent contact with us.


I understand that when you were attempting your online purchase you received a notification and as you could not receive the text, the alternative offered you a number to call but did not confirm that this would be to the Fraud Team. I am sorry that it was not made clear who you would be contacting and although our correct process was followed, I have arranged for feedback of your comments to the passed to the relevant area. If a review of this contact method is undertaken these will be taken into account.

I can confirm that it is the responsibility of each member of staff to act on any suspicions of fraud and if a call is received where the member of staff does not believe it is a genuine request or believes that it may not be the genuine customer contacting the bank a Fraud Suspicion Report is raised and restrictions are applied to the Online Banking to prevent potential fraudulent activity on your account. We take the security of our customers accounts extremely seriously and whilst I fully sympathise that this matter caused you inconvenience, the action taken was correct in line with our prevention strategies to protect our customers.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the level of service you have been provided with. Care should have been shown in all contact with you to offer you polite, professional and efficient service in all instances. It is clear from you comments about your experience over the phone and in branch, and in particular that promised actions to unblock your account were not taken, that you have not received the level of service you have every right to expect. I am truly sorry this has been your experience and as such, I have arranged for your account to be credited with £175 by way of an apology. I hope this is received in the spirit it is intended.

Please rest assured that managers regularly listen to telephone calls as part of our continual quality control measures so any poor service will be picked up and dealt with internally. I have arranged for feedback to be provided to the members of staff you had dealings with, both on the phone and in the branch. Whilst I appreciate this will not make up for your experience, it will ensure we are able to improve our services in the future.

You have confirmed that you were on the phone to us for 3 hours dealing with this issue and to reimburse you for the cost of the calls I have applied a further credit of £16.20 to your account. We calculate call costs at 9p per minute and the credit is for three hours. If you find that your call costs exceed this sum, please let me have a copy of your itemised telephone bill and I will be happy to review this for you.

Within the course of dealing with this issue, I understand you had to visit your local branch in Aylesbury on 2 occasions with a distance of 12 miles each journey. To go some way towards the cost of the mileage you incurred I have applied an additional credit of £21.60 to your account which is calculated in line with Financial Ombudsman Service guidance.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to address your concerns. I can see that you are a longstanding customer of the bank and I hope that, despite this setback, you will allow us to continue to be of service for many more years to come.

You don’t need to take any further action now; I do hope that my response has met your expectations but please let me know using my contact details below if you have any questions or if you feel that there is anything that I may not have considered.

Although I hope it won’t be necessary, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge – but you must do so within six months of the date of this email. If you do not refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman will not have our permission to consider your complaint and so will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances (for example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of exceptional circumstances). I have enclosed the attachment to a leaflet providing further details of the FOS www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/consumer-leaflet.htm. Further information is available on their website www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

If there is anything further that you would like to bring to my attention that has not already been considered, if your costs have increased from what you made us aware of or if anything mentioned is incorrect, you can speak to me or a member of my team on 0800 161 5137 between 8 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Calls may be recorded.

Yours sincerely

Denise
Complaint Specialist

[2222]

Does that count as blood?

[Amethyst]

Bargain. I only got £50 from Hoist for cocking up my credit file for 2 months. tsk !

So you've got £175 sorry money, £21.60 petrol, £16.20 calls ... that seems quite fair to me. Not quite blood but fair...

[EXC]

Does that count as blood?

Not quite. I liked your joke about the blood bank though.