Its because of data :censored: protection sir
Discussion
I'm utterly livid right now.
My girlfriend went into the bank for me at lunchtime to pay in a cheque. I'm nowhere near a branch, she's about 500 metres away so thats the way 90% of my checques get paid in.
She went in with my savings account card (rather than my current account card which I needed today) and as always, asked that it be paid into my current account.
The answer?
"We cant do that unless you tell us what the account number is"
Despite it appearing ON THE SCREEN when she inputs the other card.
Apparently, it has been deemed a violation of the data protection act to divulge the existence of an account if there if the full account details arent provided.
I know there is a
current account there, pay the damned cheque into it.
Why, whenever a company institutes a wierd policy change that inconveniences the customer, is this "for our own good, its that data protection act thing".
*Fuming quietly in the corner*
My girlfriend went into the bank for me at lunchtime to pay in a cheque. I'm nowhere near a branch, she's about 500 metres away so thats the way 90% of my checques get paid in.
She went in with my savings account card (rather than my current account card which I needed today) and as always, asked that it be paid into my current account.
The answer?
"We cant do that unless you tell us what the account number is"
Despite it appearing ON THE SCREEN when she inputs the other card.
Apparently, it has been deemed a violation of the data protection act to divulge the existence of an account if there if the full account details arent provided.
I know there is a
current account there, pay the damned cheque into it. Why, whenever a company institutes a wierd policy change that inconveniences the customer, is this "for our own good, its that data protection act thing".
*Fuming quietly in the corner*
Surely you always have to provide the account number to pay money in. I can imagine them getting sniffy about revealing the account number to somebody who didn't own the account, don't think I'd want them to reveal details of my account to anyone just because they happened to be holding one of my cards. Take the card, or a cheque, or a paying in slip, or write the account number down. It's not exactly the hardest thing in the world?
GreenV8S said:
Surely you always have to provide the account number to pay money in. I can imagine them getting sniffy about revealing the account number to somebody who didn't own the account, don't think I'd want them to reveal details of my account to anyone just because they happened to be holding one of my cards. Take the card, or a cheque, or a paying in slip, or write the account number down. It's not exactly the hardest thing in the world?
I dont think I've EVER had to supply the account number paying into a bank.
Whether paying cash into my sister's account last year after a phone call saying "send money now" (went into the branch, supplied her full name, address etc and they looked it up for me), paying cheques in for various people, or in this case my girlfriend paying cheques into my account for me which she's done for the last couple of years.
The DPA seems to be increasingly quoted by all manner of bodies and companies to justify why they supposedly can't do or tell you something, often entirely incorrectly.
I strongly suspect that the majority of them are entirely ignorant of what restrictions it actually imposes and just use it as a blanket excuse if they feel that they have to err on the side of caution.
I strongly suspect that the majority of them are entirely ignorant of what restrictions it actually imposes and just use it as a blanket excuse if they feel that they have to err on the side of caution.
The data protection act is in place to support privacy of our personal data and to ensure that it is not abused or used without our consent. Thats about it.
However, some companies utterly fail to train, educate or operate in ways which are within the law, but mindful of the DPA. These companies are stupid and deserve to loose customers as a result. You can comply with the law and still offer good service!!!! More often than not it is trumped-up busy bodies who didnt listen to the training correctly who then screw it all up.
The basic premise is that you need to provide identification of yourself and you can have access to your data. This maybe via several different means, but failure to remember your PIN or secret place is hardly a justification to offer bad customer service.... !
Its just a sign of a moron or a company who cannot provide a good service.
I used to have an ordinary HSBC account - constantly had issues over "data protection act". Recently swapped to their premier account. I now have a named person I talk to. He doesnt ask me for identification and I dont need a stupid PIN or answers to obscure questions. Strange that.... could it be that the "process" is crap...? Make your own mind up....
However, some companies utterly fail to train, educate or operate in ways which are within the law, but mindful of the DPA. These companies are stupid and deserve to loose customers as a result. You can comply with the law and still offer good service!!!! More often than not it is trumped-up busy bodies who didnt listen to the training correctly who then screw it all up.
The basic premise is that you need to provide identification of yourself and you can have access to your data. This maybe via several different means, but failure to remember your PIN or secret place is hardly a justification to offer bad customer service.... !
Its just a sign of a moron or a company who cannot provide a good service.
I used to have an ordinary HSBC account - constantly had issues over "data protection act". Recently swapped to their premier account. I now have a named person I talk to. He doesnt ask me for identification and I dont need a stupid PIN or answers to obscure questions. Strange that.... could it be that the "process" is crap...? Make your own mind up....
Slightly different story but I had a data protection problem when I received someone elses credit card statement. After sending back 2 statements I phoned up and informed them that they were sending somebody elses statement to my house, they were unable to assist as it would contravene the data protection act and weren't that concerned that I had somebody elses account details in my hands.
Data protection
Thought up by prize muppets.
The argument at the time was that it would stop people getting hold of your personal details. Yeah, right. Also it would stop junk mail. Laughable, I know. It would "protect us". Oh please, my sides will split if I laugh any harder.
About the only things this act has really done are to create massive inconvienience when dealing with a legitimate enquiry and, very important this, making a place for crooks to hide.
Please scrap this stupid act!
Thought up by prize muppets.
The argument at the time was that it would stop people getting hold of your personal details. Yeah, right. Also it would stop junk mail. Laughable, I know. It would "protect us". Oh please, my sides will split if I laugh any harder.
About the only things this act has really done are to create massive inconvienience when dealing with a legitimate enquiry and, very important this, making a place for crooks to hide.
Please scrap this stupid act!
Call me Mr. Thicky, but isn't the account number either on the card or the paying-in slip?
Or did you just send your g/f down to the bank with a cheque, a card for an account other than the one being paid into, and hope for the best?
When I ask someone else to pay in a cheque for me I always give them a paying-in slip to go with it, whether that be from the paying-in book or from the back of the chequebook. The counter staff at Lloyds have never queried this, neither have I ever been queried when I've done the same for my wife (which I have probably done 50+ times now)
>> Edited by JonRB on Thursday 22 December 15:16
Or did you just send your g/f down to the bank with a cheque, a card for an account other than the one being paid into, and hope for the best?
When I ask someone else to pay in a cheque for me I always give them a paying-in slip to go with it, whether that be from the paying-in book or from the back of the chequebook. The counter staff at Lloyds have never queried this, neither have I ever been queried when I've done the same for my wife (which I have probably done 50+ times now)
>> Edited by JonRB on Thursday 22 December 15:16
Maybe your bank is particularly helpful then. Whenever I pay a cheque/cash in I have to fill in a paying-in slip with the name, sort code and account number that the funds should go to. This goes for payments into my own account as well as to other peoples (in various branches of various banks). It seems quite sensible to me, and I thought it was universal.
GreenV8S said:Yep. That's what I was trying to say. I've never paid a cheque in without filling in a paying-in slip either beforehand or at the bank.
Maybe your bank is particularly helpful then. Whenever I pay a cheque/cash in I have to fill in a paying-in slip with the name, sort code and account number that the funds should go to. This goes for payments into my own account as well as to other peoples (in various branches of various banks). It seems quite sensible to me, and I thought it was universal.
We had a similar situation a few years ago when we were moving house. Popped into the Post Office to fill in Mail Redirection service forms. My daughter was two months old and as such recieved the occasional card from the hospital with check-up reminders on them.
P.O. bloke got all sniffy about the fact that I've signed the redirection form on her behalf and was adamant that she'd have to come in and sign the form herself.
I lifted her up in her carry seat and plonked her onto the counter.
"Where would you like her to sign?"
Jobsworth
P.O. bloke got all sniffy about the fact that I've signed the redirection form on her behalf and was adamant that she'd have to come in and sign the form herself.
I lifted her up in her carry seat and plonked her onto the counter.
"Where would you like her to sign?"
Jobsworth
Car finance companies are the worst for it, I'll have a customer at my desk who has outstanding finance on their PX. I HPI the car, find out the agreement number and finance co. telephone number to get a settlement firgure.
The finance company says "oh, I'm sorry, for data protection we can't give out that information over the telephone". I have the customer with me and pass the phone to the customer to have a word with them, confirm his identity etc. Nope, you'll have to write to us and it'll take 28 days.
I have to say the scrutter finance companies are the worst at this. The big players (Black Horse, GE Capital etc) are usually pretty good. Manufacturer's finance houses are hopeless if you aren't one of their dealers, ring Renault Financial Services if you're a Vauxhall dealer, or GMAC (Vauxhall's finance co.) if you're a Mitsubishi dealer and you'll get nowhere, even if the customer is sat at your desk.
The finance company says "oh, I'm sorry, for data protection we can't give out that information over the telephone". I have the customer with me and pass the phone to the customer to have a word with them, confirm his identity etc. Nope, you'll have to write to us and it'll take 28 days.
I have to say the scrutter finance companies are the worst at this. The big players (Black Horse, GE Capital etc) are usually pretty good. Manufacturer's finance houses are hopeless if you aren't one of their dealers, ring Renault Financial Services if you're a Vauxhall dealer, or GMAC (Vauxhall's finance co.) if you're a Mitsubishi dealer and you'll get nowhere, even if the customer is sat at your desk.
Class. 
When my wife bought a phone from Carphone Warehouse she got convinced into changing our landline from BT to their TalkTalk service (or whatever it's called) and as a result the account is in her name rather than joint names. I phoned them up recently to query something and they wouldn't talk to me as I wasn't the account holder. I'm her husband and the bill gets paid by Direct Debit from our joint account, FFS.
>> Edited by JonRB on Thursday 22 December 15:38
>> Edited by JonRB on Thursday 22 December 15:38
grass widow said:
A few years ago I took a cheque made out to my husband that was going into our joint account. When I got there they refused to put it in the account as it wasn't made out to me or both of us. So he had to go down at a later date and put it in himself.
That kind of makes sense. He may not have wanted that particular cheque to go into the joint a/c (where others have access to the funds).
leftie said:
My friend has just had her credit card bill: £158.00 to Amazon when she doesn't even have an account. She thinks it is her nephew but Barclaycard and Amazon won't tell her or confirm the lads address as the delivery address. Data protection act madam.
this one is easy - put a chargeback through.
if they can't be arsed to tell you about the charge then it must be fraudulent. they'll soon change their story when it looks like a chargeback is coming through.
>> Edited by tinman0 on Thursday 22 December 15:58
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