Tearing my hair out

[Mia]

During July my stepmum received an application form for a Barclaycard, addressed to my dad at her address. My dad has a) been dead for 4 years and b) never lived at her address. Me being me, and thinking I was being clever sent it back filled in with such details as his address as 6ft under, Billing Road Cemetery, Northampton, his email address as Rick@heavenorhell.com, his phone number as God Knows and ticked to say he was living with his parents. I did also attach a note to say he was decd and to ask how they had him registered at that address. A few weeks later the form came back, with a letter to say 'he hadn't signed it and the signature box highlighted". This incensed my stepmum, and she wrote to the address on the letter, and when she had heard nothing she tried to ring. She was put on hold for ages and finally ended up with the Fraud Dept who said it was obvious someone was trying to obtain a Barclaycard in my dads name, because of the way the form was completed.

She gave up in disgust and yesterday received a brand new application form for a Barclaycard again addressed to my dad at her address.

I am livid for her now, that they can be so incompetent. It is impossible to speak to anyone, so where do I go from here? Trading Standards? Any suggestions gratefully received.

[enaid]

Re: Tearing my hair out

Try emailing david.chan@barclaycard.co.uk, he is the MD at Barclaycard. It will probably be replied to by another, but so far people who have tried emailing the CEOs direct have had swift replies.

[Mia]

Re: Tearing my hair out

Thank you for that I will try that. I have also spoken to the Financial Ombudsman Dept and they are going to write to Barclaycard on her behalf.

[leclerc]

Re: Tearing my hair out

Thank you for that I will try that. I have also spoken to the Financial Ombudsman Dept and they are going to write to Barclaycard on her behalf.

To be honest with you, I would never have filled the form in because you have no idea how that information was got and the likelihood is that a marketing company has sent out the details with an erroneous address. A polite letter to Barclaycard would have been sufficient. Filling in the application sarcastically was not the best option in spite of your obvious upset. Not all marketing is sent directly from Barclaycard and may have been from one of their approved marketers which the application form would be able to identify as there would be a code on that form to denote where it originated from. The address Enaid has given will give you more on this and they will apologise, certainly for the second application being sent out which should never have happened especially after the phone call.

[Caspar]

Re: Tearing my hair out

I agree with Leclerc. Send the e-mail to the CEO, explain you did what you did as you were upset, and apologise. However, then stress the insensitivity and upset that both applications have caused and ask for his written assurance that your father's name is now removed from all their systems.

[Mia]

Re: Tearing my hair out

but she has written an official letter of complaint, why haven't they replied to that?

Plus how inept are they to send my form back for his signature, even though I had written across the top of it 'Decd and the date and asked how they obtained his address"

Sorry I would choke on an apology I have nothing to apologise for and luckily the Financial Ombudsman has taken it up on our behalf and are writing to Barclaycard to demand answers and an apology.

[leclerc]

Re: Tearing my hair out

but she has written an official letter of complaint, why haven't they replied to that?

Plus how inept are they to send my form back for his signature, even though I had written across the top of it 'Decd and the date and asked how they obtained his address"

Sorry I would choke on an apology I have nothing to apologise for and luckily the Financial Ombudsman has taken it up on our behalf and are writing to Barclaycard to demand answers and an apology.

You'll get the apology but why fill the form in when simply writing across the top "deceased" would have been better. If this was a humourous site then I'd be screaming with laughter about the application form but it's not.
The bank will apologise, not because it may want to, but because that is what bank's do when they receive a letter of complaint. It's expected. They will, however, state that the application form was filled in which you have stated you did. In hindsight, would you think that was the right thing to do?

Please don't get me wrong but writing to them in the first place would have been better and the application form would have been sent out in error which they will apologise for. I do not believe that you took the right approach by completing the application form.

If you want an apology, you'll get one anyway. Next time, use the filing system known to most of us as the bin to deal with any such mail.

[teaboy2]

Re: Tearing my hair out

I agree with lerclerc here, although i do see the homurous side to what you did the consquences could be quite severe i.e. fraud. Though i must also admit, that the question, if it were to go to court (which is very unlikely in anycase), the question would be, "would a reasonable person in receipt of the returned application have been capable of realising the error from the answer given in the form"? In otherwords its pretty dam obvious from the answers the OP provided when filling in the form that the person was deceased and buried 6ft under and so and so cemetary. So therefoe anyone with a brain cell would without doubt have realised the error. So really the bank is in the wrong here and their has clearly been a failure in there reviewing of applications. So it makes you wonder, whether such applications are throughly checked at all prior to any credit check if any is such credit check is actually carried out.

[Mia]

Re: Tearing my hair out

Thank you tea boy and I did also write across the top of the form that he was decd and asked how they got the address? That is what my stepmum wants an answer to 'how did they get the address when he had never lived there?" She was on the phone being put on hold and passed from pillar to post for 20 mins.

They totally ignored that, ignored the whole form and sent it back for a signature, and you think I should apologise?????? I think not. I would love them to take me to court.

[leclerc]

Re: Tearing my hair out

Thank you tea boy and I did also write across the top of the form that he was decd and asked how they got the address? That is what my stepmum wants an answer to 'how did they get the address when he had never lived there?" She was on the phone being put on hold and passed from pillar to post for 20 mins.

They totally ignored that, ignored the whole form and sent it back for a signature, and you think I should apologise?????? I think not. I would love them to take me to court.

I don't think any of us have stated that YOU should apologise but merely the manner in which you dealt with the issue initially was perhaps not as well as it could have been. Personally, filling in an application form was not the best course of action, however complaining to the bank with the form when clearly the person had passed away more than 4 years previously would have been a rational thing to do. However, having said that the actions of the bank when you verbally told them he had passed away was not very good, ie sending the form back out to you for a signature. That part is inexcusable(albeit the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing).

I suspect that the form was sent out by a marketing team authorised by the bank but not actually part of the bank itself using a list that was clearly out of date which I think is a breach of marketing guidelines for the outsourced firm. How they got the address? Outdated marketing list is the answer. Why they sent the form back for a signature? An error by them. Do you need to apologise? Nope, but in hindsight, there is probably a better way to approach the issue. Will they apologise to you? Yes absolutely. Would they offer compensation? hmmm, that is the only question I don't know about based on the facts given.

[enaid]

Re: Tearing my hair out

[QUOTE=leclerc;232559]I don't think any of us have stated that YOU should apologise

wrong sorry




I agree with Leclerc. Send the e-mail to the CEO, explain you did what you did as you were upset, and apologise.

[Mia]

Re: Tearing my hair out

I suspect that the form was sent out by a marketing team authorised by the bank but not actually part of the bank itself using a list that was clearly out of date which I think is a breach of marketing guidelines for the outsourced firm. How they got the address? Outdated marketing list is the answer.

An outdated mailing list is understandable, but he never lived there, that is what we want an explanation to.

My stepmum moved there, when my dad had been in a nursing home with dementia for a year, so he has never even stepped foot in her flat, he didn't know she had moved there in fact.

We don't want compensation, we want an explanation and an apology. She wrote her letter 4 weeks ago, how long does it take them to write an apology?

[leclerc]

Re: Tearing my hair out

An outdated mailing list is understandable, but he never lived there, that is what we want an explanation to.

My stepmum moved there, when my dad had been in a nursing home with dementia for a year, so he has never even stepped foot in her flat, he didn't know she had moved there in fact.

We don't want compensation, we want an explanation and an apology. She wrote her letter 4 weeks ago, how long does it take them to write an apology?

Now that is really really interesting. Were the nursing home bills sent to your mother's home(am digging at huge straws for the how they got the info)?

Was any bills sent to her for your dad?

Have you received an acknowledgement of receiving the letter from the bank?
If not then email the CEO(cos that gets em moving pretty sharpish )

[Mia]

Re: Tearing my hair out

I dont this so, because she didn't fund it. There should be no link with my dad at her address. Someone told me to look on 192.com under my dad's name and he is listed, and under any other occupiers it states all the residents of the care home.

No she hasn't received a thing, only another mail shot exactly the same as the first. I am not going to email the CEO now as I don't want to muddy the waters, as the financial ombudsman dept are writing on our behalf

[leclerc]

Re: Tearing my hair out

I dont this so, because she didn't fund it. There should be no link with my dad at her address. Someone told me to look on 192.com under my dad's name and he is listed, and under any other occupiers it states all the residents of the care home.

No she hasn't received a thing, only another mail shot exactly the same as the first. I am not going to email the CEO now as I don't want to muddy the waters, as the financial ombudsman dept are writing on our behalf

If the FOS are writing then you're back to square one since they are merely asking them to investigate and provide a final response. If they have not responded then they may not have received the mail because they would as a minimum respond with an acknowledgement of the complaint. The FOS will send it to the bank so effectively starting the process again as though you had not written to them.

On post 2 enaid has given David Chan's email address, there is nothing to stop you from emailing him and stating that the FOS are also writing to them for a response as you did not receive any response. If you decide to email which will take no more than 30 minutes of your time(depending on your typing speed), all you have to state is the chronology of what happened and your responses and the questions you need an answer to and the effect of receiving such post has had on you and your stepmum. When things are of this nature they do respond because it is a pretty bad story and one which the press MIGHT be interested in should it go that far.