Bank Negligence

[Intya]

Remembered my debit/ATM card expires at the end of this month, and realised I haven't had the replacement through. Phoned Lloyds to find out they sent it out on the 25th... to an address I haven't lived at for nearly three years.

Never mind the fact my Lloyds credit card is registered to my current address, my bank statements come to the current address, and the statements for my joint account with the girlfriend come to the current address.

After reporting this new card stolen, neither of the people on the phone could tell me when these details suddenly went back to the old address, or if someone's playing silly beggars with my identity. So now have to waste my time going to my branch at the weekend to sort it out

If it turns out that I am a victim of theft because of their cockup, does anyone have any idea what rights I have to compensation etc? Has anyone experienced this before? I take all possible security measures with my details and bank stuff, it's a shame my bank can't.

[drummerjohn]

Originally Posted by Intya

If it turns out that I am a victim of theft because of their cockup, does anyone have any idea what rights I have to compensation etc? Has anyone experienced this before? I take all possible security measures with my details and bank stuff, it's a shame my bank can't.

If memory serves me right the card cannot be used until it the owner has phoned through to a freephone number to activate it thus making it unuseable.

[Toasty]

Originally Posted by drummerjohn

If memory serves me right the card cannot be used until it the owner has phoned through to a freephone number to activate it thus making it unuseable.

Yep, I had to do this recently and they used the activation call to try and sell me all manor of security policies

[Mr_Wistles]

Originally Posted by Toasty

Yep, I had to do this recently and they used the activation call to try and sell me all manor of security policies

I dont think this is the case for re-issue switch cards though.

[kBm]

You have to read the T&C to see if its your responsibility to ensure your details are kept upto date. Its all databases these days, so there is little human involvement in checking the smaller details!

Originally Posted by Russell_Piper

I dont think this is the case for re-issue switch cards though.

The card gets sent. You sign it.

The PIN get sent a few days later. Nice!

The HSBC have a great way of checking you details - they stop your card, forcing you to phone them. Madness

[mjn]

Barclaycard blocked my Visa.....but didn't phone or write to tell me, until i tried to use it online. I'm still waiting for a replacement 12 days later. I'm about to phone them, and tell them to keep her their card, and shove it up their ass.

[nogg]

Originally Posted by kBm

You have to read the T&C to see if its your responsibility to ensure your details are kept upto date. Its all databases these days, so there is little human involvement in checking the smaller details!



The card gets sent. You sign it.

The PIN get sent a few days later. Nice!

The HSBC have a great way of checking you details - they stop your card, forcing you to phone them. Madness

You don't get a new P.I.N. for re-issue cards. So that's not an issue.

[Intya]

Supposedly my branch will ring me today to explain what's happened. No call as yet though.

As far as I was aware my details WERE upto date. The statements for the account come here, my home insurance with them is here, yet they send the card out to a previous-previous address. Also found out that the joint account we hold has had the card sent to the old address as well, yet my partner's card turned up fine, again as do the statements. It's bizarre.

When I asked on the phone if this could be a sign of someone playing silly beggars with my details, the spod tried to sell me identity protection insurance. He really picked his moment, and while normally I try to be polite to call centre staff (being as I am one of them), he got an earful about that!

Was also nice of them not to let me know that they cancelled the card I was still using as well as the lost one, leaving me without cash until the weekend

[funkyspider]

You are assuming that all your data is stored on one database. This is clearly not the case and the data on the database which was used by the card issuer was incorrect.

It's hardly neglegance is it. Its just a simple data mistake. You said you did used to live at the address in question which was still active on one of their legacy systems. No point in getting all stressed about it.

The bank doesn't actually produce the cards, they will be done by a third party company which just receives a request to make a card and ship it out to the supplied address.

Large organistions like this very rarely have a single database for every area of their business because the IT systems have grown up over time rather than being written all together from scratch with one central data respository. Communications between old and newer systems often makes it easier to just build a new database from scratch and leave the legacy system running.

[mrtbag]

Originally Posted by funkyspider

It's hardly neglegance is it.

Yes it is, they've sent his card to an address he does not live at.

Originally Posted by funkyspider

Its just a simple data mistake.

They shouldn't make these mistakes. Simple or not.

Originally Posted by funkyspider

No point in getting all stressed about it.

So you wouldn't be stressed is somenody else had your card?

Originally Posted by funkyspider

The bank doesn't actually produce the cards, they will be done by a third party company which just receives a request to make a card and ship it out to the supplied address.

Another rubbish excuse.

When my father got Cancer, me and the wife got ourselves added to his mortgage whilst he was in hospital. The 3 year deal the mortgage was on lasted until about a 2 years after he died. We'd already shut down all his Halifax accounts and provided a death certificate etc as they requested. When we came to re-mortage, they kept righting to my dad to ask if it was OK to take his name off the mortgage? I kept complaining and provided further copies of the death certificate. They still wrote another 2 letters.

The more people turn a blind eye to this, the more careless the banks will be. They're quick enough to charge us for making mistakes, and for the above, I turned the tables. Went to the FSA and FOS. Ended up with a 4 figure settlement.

Let them have both barrels. That's what I say.

[Intya]

Not all on one database? Then whey when I've moved house the past two times, have Lloyds said "fill in this one form and all your accounts, credit cards, insurance and any other products you hold with us will be amended as well". It doesn't matter how many databases they're maintaing, if they can't keep simple details like this correct, they shouldn't offer that service and should be held to account for it. I agree wholeheartedly with mrtbag, you can guarantee that if I didn't do my bit in protecting my details, the bank would certainly try and pin any theft related blame on me.

I've asked the owner of the old address to speak to the tenants there and destory anything that's turned up in my name. At least if my bank account is suddenly emptied, I know exactly who to goto first.

Still waiting for that phone call...

[Intya]

Oh look. Didn't get a phone call from the branch all day. Someone's not going to have a very good Saturday in the office!