“Firstly there was the awful transfer from Barclays Stockbrokers to Barclays Smart Investor. I couldn't access the system for a week. Luckily there were no profits warnings, otherwise I could have lost a lot of money.
Now the system basically works but there are still niggling issues.
The good points:
* Barclays tend to get good prices on buys and sells
* the advertising is slick and glossy
* the jingles while you wait to talk to a customer service representative are quite catchy
The bad points
* the website often drops me off with no warning and then I need to log in again
* summary information is completely wrong. It says I have made a 300% profit this year. I wish
* lots of things that I can't buy. There are lots of great US and European shares that I would like to buy but Smart Investor only allows UK listed shares
* the price - charging a %age of the value of my holdings is just a rip off and much higher than some of the competition. I wouldn't mind paying more for a better service. But I'm not getting a better service
So why haven't I moved to another stockbroker? People trying to transfer out have been reporting a 3 month or more transfer time during which they have been unable to buy or sell. And the cost of being locked out of trading can be huge. So I have to wait until transferring out becomes easy and quick
Definitely not recommended”
“I pay a monthly fee for a package that includes use of Dragon Pass for Airport lounges. I was shocked when I tried to use the pass at Gatwick to be told that I could not use the lounge because it was too busy. However, I could pay £15 to be upgraded and would be allowed to enter. I subsequently spoke to 4 people I did not know and surprise, surprise, they had on different occasions had the same problem.
How can Barclays get away with charging a fee for something that customers cannot access.”
“Barclays App
The Barclays online app takes forever. So annoying. It takes at least 2 minutes to view your outstanding balance. Keeps on saying loading for a long time once you get through the first stage and then end up waiting a few more minutes just to get into seeing the balance.
How annoying? Better off banking elsewhere where you get quicker access on line .”
“I tried to transfer US dollars to a foreign business and just as the agent told me it was all OK the line went dead. I had no idea whether the urgent payment had gone through or not. So I called again and 40 minutes later all that I was told was that I should watch my account online for at 24 hours before making the payment again. I complained about this via the web and got an instant SMS reply that my complaint had been received and would be looked into. That was on June 1st. Today I received a letter informing me that the complaint would be rplied to by 26th July! Not exactly swift!!!”
“How can any company stay in the business with such ugly bugged and delayed website? As a user I got nothing but frustration every time I use their website. Nothing loads correctly. If you are lucky, you have to wait like 1 minute for each page to reload or refresh. Don't deal with them unless you got too much time to waste.”
“Seem to be blocking us at every turn. No dedicated team to deal with PoA issues. No help for the elderly who can’t do ‘www.com’, no understanding of their issues.
Long telephone wait and when you do get through the operative ‘can’t deal with the query’. Their digital teams leave at 3.30pm so never available to sort digital issues”
“Can't manage to switch accounts. When I ring up I'm on hold for 45 minutes before I even speak to someone. The last 3 times I did manage to speak to someone I was put on hold and after 10 minutes on hold the call was ended. I am now 10 minutes into the hold of my third call of the morning and haven't even had an attempt to solve the problem.
It got so bad last week I went into branch, the best they could do was email the switch team and I left with a promise that I would receive an email within 3 days. A week later and I still have no email. It's getting to point where I don't know how I'm going to do it? Barclays is absurd. Their systems are self defeating, and send you round in circles.”
“It has to be the worst bank in the UK. Mire complaints than then rest added together. Young customer service staff who have no idea how to speak to people, can be rather rude and disrespectful at times. Staff never stay long as one they realize how bad issues are in the bank the leave post haste. Terrible service, terrible bank.”
“If its ineptitude, "dishonesty" and a general all round feeling of disappointment you want...
This is the set of (B)ankers you want!
Try getting in touch on the telephone. Then think about what level of service, honesty and professionalism you want???
If its still these Muppets then just start shoveling your money out of the window!
You would be safer asking Karen from Maccy Ds to sort out your finances.”
“Absolutely appalling service, can never get through to anyone. I'm told they will call back but waiting for ages and no callback. Tried using the messaging service, there were circle keeps spinning round. Only sorry I can't give them zero stars.disgusted”
“Impossible to speak to anyone on the phone and the automated service just sends you in a loop. Incorrect wait times given and left on hold for huge amount of time. All this on behalf of my grandma who wouldn’t stand a chance with such a terrible service - completely aged out of the process. Awful.”
“I have been very distressed as I have seen money taken from my account on a regular basis. From barclays and from a third party. Barclays charged me interest by mistake and have not paid me back from the money they have taken out of my account. Which is classed as fraud. Can some please help me reclaim the money that was taken by these horrible and unreasonable people who do not value there customers.”
“Spent 20 minutes trying to get through after them saying will be in 5 minutes , then when I did get through was cut off after 2 minutes, terrible service, was it tea time or something , staff working from home i suppose don't deserve customers , get your act together .......”
“Shocking customer service experience to the degree that I made a complaint which was not only upheld but during the 'investigation' Barclays lied about facts of the conversation. Barclays are not concerned about treating their customers appallingly and care even less about the financial ombudsman becoming involved. Will be moving my money and closing my account asap”
“Crypto investments. I am absolutely disgusted in the hoops we are expected to jump through every time we send a payment to a crypto company. In my case Coinbase, a financially regulated company in the uk.
3 times now I have tried to transfer money to them and 3 times it was blocked. When calling the fraud prevention team. You then have to go through a series of frustrating ridiculous question which frankly are quite insulting. 20 of them!!
So treating your clients like idiots and doing your best at stopping client investing in crypto. Can not wait until banks are a thing of the past.”
“Barclays Mortgages "Home Assistance"?! You must be joking!!
The so called "Home Assistance" (HA) part of Barclays is genuinely and totally incorrectly named. Because it does exactly the opposite to "assisting" customers.
The Department is the most incompetent business group that I have dealt with in over 55 years of dealings with numerous UK and International businesses, and over 50 years of being in business myself. It is incomprehensibly poor in communicating, totally incapable of making any reasonable and common sense decisions and judgements, and has not got a clue when it comes to "customer service", never mind living up to its' name of "Home Assistance"!!. It is difficult to contact and communicate with, incapable of using even an iota of common sense and has no idea how to go about the very basic task of assessing a customer's financial situation and ability to pay. It is a wonder how Barclays stays in the mortgage business at all!
How's this for incompetence: Barclays reply to my proposal to pay off the remaining 10% or so of my mortgage: "We neither accept nor reject your proposal for the repayment of the remaining amount..."!!! What??!!
Plus: "We are not going to (not able to) propose an alternative solutions, but will instead begin legal proceedings to re-possess your house.."!!!
Why can Barclays not make a decision either way??!! Or propose an alternative solution of their own??!!
The Barclays Home Assistance customer service is utterly c**p.”
“Bye, bye Barclays. Barclays have been unable to send me a PIN sentry card now for 6 weeks. After the first request for a card & their confirmation email, nothing after 5 weeks. On the 2nd call, they said they'd send a new one but no confirmation email. After a week and another call, again they'd said they send it but still no confirmation email. 90 minutes wait on hold. Bye, bye Barclays.”
“Absolutely shocking services
They’ve taken 2 payments from my account when should of only been 1
They said they’d found the fault and would credit my account back which they haven’t , was in live chat who cut the chat .. shocking customer service ..
Trying to talk to someone horrendous, you talk to a dam robot
Shocking service avoid at all cost”
