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Slipperduke

The Camden Cad
Joined
Aug 24, 2004
Messages
4,333
Location
North London
Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my despair at the level of customer service in your Kentish Town branch. My wife and I, both Barclays account holders individually, have been attempting to open a joint account but, despite two trips to the branch, we have been unsuccessful. My wife is a designer and I am a journalist and, as you can imagine, it's never easy to schedule a point in the working day where we can both be in the same place at the same time.

On our first visit, a Friday afternoon, we waited half an hour only to be told that we needed to make an appointment in advance. This was inconvenient and annoying, but at least it was understandable. On our second visit however, that appointment was ignored. There will not be a third visit.

We had arrived at the branch on Monday at 1305 for our 1310 appointment. We introduced ourselves to a clerk and waited patiently to be seen. But 1310 came and went without the appearance of our advisor. When we asked the clerk if everything was alright we were informed that the advisor was 'out of the branch'. The clerk wasn't sure precisely where 'out of the branch' was, but she promised that we'd be seen soon. At 1320 the Branch Manager appeared and told us that the advisor had 'nipped out for a coffee'. Good luck to her, I thought. If the coffee here is as bad as the service, then I'd shop elsewhere as well. But then I remembered that I was the customer.

At 1325, with no new information forthcoming and having already waited for 20 minutes, we gave up and walked out. Five minutes later I received a phonecall from our advisor, presumably having finished with her coffee, asking if we would be able to return. Unfortunately, by this point, we were already heading back to work. Having been told on our first visit that the joint account discussions would take approximately 45 minutes, we knew that we couldn't afford any delays if we were to honour our afternoon appointments. We cut back on our lunch-break in order to keep those commitments, why couldn't your advisor keep hers?

My wife and I only married a week before Christmas. We needed that joint account set-up swiftly so that we could bank cheques addressed to 'Mr and Mrs Slipperduke' and then enjoy our honeymoon in style. We ended up not being able to set it up at all and so we travel to New York this week funded entirely by my personal overdraft.

If we can't trust Barclays to keep an appointment without scampering off down the road for a skinny latte then we see no reason to trust Barclays with our money. When we return from New York, we'll be looking into the services of other organisations. We'll also be thinking quite seriously about the future of own individual accounts.

Yours,

Slipperduke
 
DAMNIT!

That means I just sent a big picture of Keeley Hazel's boobs to Barclays!

I've got her video. Whats really annoying is I can't fast forward it, and the first few minutes are so rubbish...

Back on topic, I find Barclays ok.
 
A shame - as chadded says, I find Barclays pretty good, as banks go.

Still, you've every right to feel jolly cheesed off about your recent escapades.

Matt
 
My wife and I only married a week before Christmas. We needed that joint account set-up swiftly so that we could bank cheques addressed to 'Mr and Mrs Slipperduke' and then enjoy our honeymoon in style.

So you asked for money instead of gifts?

Shame, because you have missed out on a lot of interesting kitchen appliances and the couple that make pizzas/ice cream/fondues together stays together.
 
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So you asked for money instead of gifts?

Shame, because you have missed out on a lot of interesting kitchen appliances and the couple that make pizzas/ice cream/fondues together stays together.

Actually, we said on the invites that, as we weren't teenagers starting our lives out together, we weren't actually looking for any gifts. We were lying, obviously, but it's important to make the effort.
 
Actually, we said on the invites that, as we weren't teenagers starting our lives out together, we weren't actually looking for any gifts. We were lying, obviously, but it's important to make the effort.

Craftily worded, so as to not to exclude cash gifts. It shows that you are a wordsmith for your living.
 
Actually, we said on the invites that, as we weren't teenagers starting our lives out together, we weren't actually looking for any gifts. We were lying, obviously, but it's important to make the effort.

Nice try but you ran the risk of receiving F-all from those relatives who are just there for a free drink, have the cajones to take you literaly AND front it out through the reception and who are probably not interested in seeing offspring that may come along in the futue
 
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Very well written masterpiece Slipper. You have been greened. A journalist. That surprises me not. However if your wife has written that then she should be the journo and not you :)
 
Barclays have been an absolute nightmare every time I've had to deal with them, I could list a whole load of problems I've had over the last 12 months relating to my divorce and consequent changing of house deeds, mortgages and bank accounts. I only stay for the mortgage rate.

I could list a whole host of problems but their crowning glory was missing the same day payment that I'd requested and paid for that was for the final settlement of the divorce that had to arrive with my ex's solicitors before we attended court. The importance of this was rather clearly explained to them but when it came to it the money did not arrive and when I went to the branch I was told that someone had 'forgotten' to send the form over to the BACS payment team. I'm fairly sure I'll never be quite that shouty in a busy bank branch ever again. And still even then they tried to sell me a 'premier' account or whatever it is. Luckily the ex and I were still amicable and we got it sorted.

Both the original mortgage and the re-mortgage were a nightmare and like Slipper, they've twice failed to see me for arranged appointments. As soon as the base rate starts going up again I'll be looking to change.

Oh and they accused me of defaulting on my first 'new' mortgage payment in December as they failed to take the money from the new current account that they had forced me to set up to go with the mortgage, instead opting to collect from the now defunct joint current account they had shut down two month previously. My last two mortgage payments have had to be paid by cheque.

Grrr, now I'm effed off just thinking about these and all the other problems I've had.
 
Why just write a stiff english type letter that they couldnt give a monkeys chuff about,come on get real,this is screaming out for a facebook type campaign where you set up the bank of slipper and take on the big guns and yes you will win,that will teach them.
Look at the facts,stiff letter to simon cowell saying oi you no christmass number 1 would have done muff all,facebook group blah blah job done.
I hate banks and id bank with slipper bank,make it so.
 
The only reason i use them as it saves a trip to town if i ever need to do an "in-store" visit!
 
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