Product: Checking or savings account

My wife and I have had a savings account with Barclays Savings Bank ( online, with a postal address of XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ) since XXXX. We established the account the year I retired. The account was where we would try to save, from a modest pension, cash for our everyday needs. We wanted not to have to tap our IRA retirement funds until later in our retirements. Our savings in the account have varied over the years. 

Since late XXXX, however, we have been unable to access our account. I have, numerous times, contacted Barclays by phone, explained the problem, and was assured the problem would soon be solved. But now, nearly a month later, we still dont have access to our account. We cant even access our account to view monthly statements, let alone make transfers. 

This has been difficult for us. We have substantial bills due in XXXX, and we needed, unexpectedly, to purchase a new car this month due to an accident. We were depending on our cash reserves in the Barclays account to get us through this difficult stretch. Instead, we had to draw on our IRA funds. 

For an established customer to be unable to withdraw funds from his account is simply not acceptable. It speaks of a bank in trouble, which is disconcerting. 

Below, I provide a more detailed description of what happened to lead us to file this complaint. 


Details of interaction with Barclays Savings Bank My wife and I have, annually, substantial bills due in XXXX ( property tax, car insurance, homeowners insurance, winter fuel, and we usually start our yearly charitable donations then. ) And this year ( XXXX ), we needed, unexpectedly, to purchase a new car due to an accident. As noted above, we were depending on our cash reserves in the Barclays account to get us through this difficult stretch. 

But when I went online in XXXX to check our savings balance, I found I was unable to access the account using my usual log-in name and password. I thought it odd. I had never before had problems logging in. I thought there must have been some glitch in the Barclays computer system, and I would wait a day or two and try again. But I encountered the same problem when I tried several days later to log on. 

I called customer service at Barclays and was told they were combining their Barclays Savings and Barclays Credit Card databases and were having problems getting numerous accounts merged ( we have had a second Barclays account, a credit card account, since XXXX ). They said they hoped to have the problems solved shortly. They could not give a specific date, but the representative I spoke with suggested that if I hadnt heard back from them, I should periodically try accessing our online savings account, because it might be difficult for them to get back to everyone who reported a problem. I did as suggested, trying numerous times to log in to our account. But there was no change. The problem with not being able to access our savings account wasnt fixed. 

I called Barclays XXXX XXXX and asked to speak with a representative for an update on the account access problem. I was told problems continued with the merging of accounts. They said they also needed some additional information from me because my name was different on two different pieces of identification. I said that I use my middle name rather than my first name to identify myself. I have done this all my life, as I was given the same name as my father and I wanted to have a different name. This has, over the years, caused some problems. Sometimes the convention of first name, middle initial, last name is required, especially on government documents, and my name gets changed from [ XXXX XXXX XXXX  ] to [ XXXX XXXX. XXXX ]. Barclays asked that I provide them with a copy of my drivers license, which I did. I was told it would take a few more days to straighten things out. I explained we were getting a new car, and I wanted to set up monthly payments from our Barclays savings account to pay for the car. The representative with whom I was speaking said they could set up the payments for us, without our having to access the account. They asked for more documents, which I provided. I thought we were set. We had found a work-around while the database problem was being worked on. I was given a ticket number to reference if I needed to call again. Meanwhile, the monthly car payments would be set up. 

A few days later, however, I received an email, identified as coming from Barclays, saying they needed more information to set up the payments. Once they had that information, the payments could start. I balked ; I had already sent the information they had originally requested, and the new request was for not only both sides of my drivers license, but also for a recent monthly statement from my local bank. I was surprised, because Barclays has a policy that prohibits asking, in an email, for a customers Social Security number, bank account information, or credit card data. Barclays will never ask for that information through an email, it states. When I called and asked why they needed these documents, they backed off and said they could do the identity check they needed by making a nominal transfer to my home bank account, which would then be withdrawn and sent back to them. I agreed to the process. It occurred, successfully, and I thought we were set. 

We werent. Not only did I still have no online access to our savings account, I received no confirmation that the car payments had been set up. I called Barclays, and was put on hold for XXXX minutes while a representative looked up the ticket number I had given her. When she returned, she said that my case was still being addressed. No payments had been set up. I asked for a call-back from a superior. The representative said she would pass on my request, and she gave me a new ticket number for reference. 

Several days later ( XXXX XXXX ), I received an email from Barclays that they had been trying to reach me by phone, but unfortunately, we have not been successful. They gave me a new ticket number, asked that I call the Barclays Customer Care department, and someone there would help me. 

Again, I was suspicious about being contacted by email ; no message had been left on our phone saying Barclays had tried to call us. So I called Barclays on XXXX XXXX and was told they would notify us when necessary changes had been made and we could access our account. We never received any such notification. 

After checking ( through trying to log on to our savings account ) to make sure that we still hadnt been given access to our savings account -- we hadnt -- I made one more call to Barclays on Friday, XXXX XXXX, providing the latest ticket number and asking for an update. The representative said they had received documents from us and then asked how I wanted to have my name listed on the savings account. After having provided this information numerous times before, I said I wanted the name on the savings account to be what it has been. I asked if the access problem had been solved ; the representative said she had no new information about that. I said I was very disappointed with Barclays in not being able to guarantee something as basic as providing a customer with access to his savings. 

That is where things stand now. I continue going on line periodically and checking to see if I can log in to our savings account, but so far, no success. No bank should treat customers in the way weve been treated. We have had this account since XX/XX/XXXX. For an established customer to be unable to withdraw funds from his account is simply not acceptable. It speaks of a bank in trouble, which is very disconcerting.