Finally logged into Barclays Internet banking service once I’ve found my membership number. The fact that you need a membership number (&Surname) is very stupid Barclays.
So I found several transactions I didn’t recognise.
For example a “CRISPIN BENDING LE” from 9/9 (Tuesday) is something I have no clue about.
But later transactions from DOMINO‘S PIZZA (24.27GBP) and PERFECT PIZZA (18.88GBP) alarm me. Why? I don’t like pizza!
So did I mention Barclays Online Banking statement view is crap? It doesn’t tell me the:
* Details of the company (company number? cashier name?)
* Details of the business transaction (what I bought)
* Where the transaction happened
* When exactly the transaction happened
* If I used Chip&Pin or the order was made over the Internet/Phone without Chip&Pin aka “cardholder not present”
* A way to flag a suspicious transaction online
Emailing Barclays is weird. They want all your details filled out in a form. Ummm, I’m logged in and identified, why do I have to do this? In the past, I’ve sent about three emails / online feedback/complain forms to Barclays and received one very odd reply. I don’t see why Barclays doesn’t do some sort of “secure mail” service like I’ve seen several other banks do.
Anyway, I have to call them up on 08457555555. I have a couple of tricks:
* Don’t call on my mobile because it’s costs a small fortune
* I use Skype which is cheaper
* I key in ’**’ once authenticated on their telephone system to get to an operator ASAP.
Now I ask for more information about the transactions. After being on a hold for a few minutes I get extra information about these suspect pizza transactions. First place was a very excellent leather belt I bought at Camden Lock on the 6/9 (not 9/9) and the pizza places was one place I’ve never heard of and another in Leatherhead (never been to).
The operator then says he’ll cancel my card and send out a new one in 7–10 working days. Thank god I have a second current account for such situations. This card I have is only two weeks old and again incredulously the first transaction happened probably before I even received the new card.
The Barclays operative will also send out some fraud forms to fill in and I should get the money back within two weeks after returning the forms. What a crap process. I am getting a little tired of this. Can I have a Visa Chip&Pin card without those ridiculously insecure numbers imprinted on the card? Please? And generate one off (OTP) Visa numbers for Internet transactions?
17 minutes into the call, I got cut off as I only had 1.50GBP of credit on Skype. I hoped Barclays would call me on my mobile phone they have on record, though I think everything was done. Be good if Barclays was pro-active and had the slightest clue about security.
The operator mid-way in the call had the cheek to ask me if I had any cardholder insurance!? No Barclays this very much your fuck up. You and your partners VISA charge almost 2% for every card transaction so work-it-out you incompetent fools.
I am in a foul mood as I left my card in my pin sentry device and hence had to survive without any money today. Fantastic tiny marvels of technology aren’t they?
Sidenote: Why the HELL does Barclays require the last five digits of my card? They already have my membership number. Are they trying to prevent a brute force attack?
Why not make a physical token robust and small enough to fit on my existing key ring?
Most ATMs in the UK still use the barcode strip, so umm… where is the security benefit of the chip?
The new generation of chip & pin cards (just had my nationwide card replaced with no warning) might be more secure, but why… WHY do they require my signature on them?
And my name, card number, expiry date, sort code and account number. A name, sort code, account number and phony signature is a enough to start ripping money out my bank account with direct debit. It’s even easier if you copy down my card number, expiry data and daft CVV numbers. So all the usual risks are still present.
If you really care about security, get rid of that insecure legacy crap on your new cards.
One step forward and two steps back. To all those security experts employed by banks who make my life more difficult, fuck you.
The autonomy of a disaster. My camera slipped through my gloves on a cold day in Washington DC. The “Lifestyle Services Group” provides “gadget cover” if you have the account extra “Barclays First Additions” (6.50GBP extra a month).
- 24/2 Dropped my camera in Washington DC
- 25/2 Called LSG to report the incident
- 26/2 Form arrives from LSG that needs my signature and payment details for the 25GBP excess
- 27/2 Form sent
- 29/2 Called LSG for an update
- 5/3 Called again as I need a camera for travelling on the 13/3. Since they seem to be taking so long I order the the same camera from Amazon as a replacement. Of course I tell LSG I am buying a replacement beforehand, but they don’t want to hear of it.
- 5/3 I notice that 25GBP is taken from my account. Maybe something is happening?
- 5/3 When I get home from work I notice a letter (dated 3/3) with an address I should send my broken IXUS 950IS to
- 6/3 Posted camera according to instructions. Registered and priority…
- 7/3 Called to confirm they have the broken camera
- 11/3 replacement camera arrives
- 11/3 Called LSG, couldn’t get through
- 11/3 Come home to find a claim for like that from #3. WTF?
- 11/3 get a call at 5pm offering a cash settlement of what I paid for the camera in the first place.
So 17 days later, 25GBP excess + call costs + postage&packaging, several phone calls, some running around and a lot of trauma I get an Insurance claim through. Wow, a victory for the small guy.
Some notes:
- Is it just my impression that Insurance companies like LSG seem to go out their way to provide poor customer service to the point that you the customer just want to give up?
- I was actually also covered by Columbus travel insurance. I am not going to waste money on Columbus as I was unable to file a claim with them. After chasing up with them, they said they would send a form (via a third party) which never arrived.
- #6 My IXUS 950IS was actually more expensive that what I originally paid for it. So I think when LSG called up on #13 they were happy to pay the lesser price.
- I primarily took this insurance policy for my mobile. But can you imagine waiting at least 17 days to get a mobile phone replacement? I can’t!
- Why didn’t LSG take the payment details for the excess over the phone in #2?
- Why didn’t LSG tell me the address to ship my broken camera at stage #2? It took them 11 days to tell me. They could have just told me over the phone.
- Since I received the new camera in #11 and even though I told LSG repeatedly about that, I was surprised they never asked to take new serial number down. I had to call them up again to “register the details of my new camera”. Poor customer service.
- Why don’t Insurance companies use email?
- All this time… over what? a 180GBP camera? Insurance delays and what not. Is it really worth it?
Last August I lost my VISA debit card. So I ordered a new one.
It was a bit annoying, as I had to update Amazon, Ebuyer, Google Checkout with my new VISA debit card details…
Then yesterday I received another new VISA debit card. WTF? There was no explanation why with the card…
When I was abroad a friend of mine’s VISA card stopped working. Why? Because back in Europe his bank decided to send him a new VISA card. Now that’s very inconvenient. That card had to be somehow securely couriered to India (I think) fast. Quickly as he had no money otherwise!
So I rang up Barclays yesterday to find out why, and they said they sent me a new VISA debit card because their new PIN sentry requires it. WTF? The cards look identical! So cards made last August, even though they announced this “new secure” initiative back in at least April, aren’t valid? WTF? !!
Barclays helpdesk also informed my old VISA will stop working in four days. I wonder if a pre-order I made with the “old” card is going to fail? I think this PIN sentry roll out is going very badly. I still don’t know how this thing is supposed to work. Why don’t they demo (and TEST) it in their branches first??
Do I physically carry this device with me when I am abroad to do Internet banking for example ?!
I’m left in the dark…