UPDATE Spring 2024
Barclays is sending people some “NOSIA” letters – because Barclays failed to send you a Notice of Sums In Arrears letter and because of that it is refunding interest after the date the letter should have been sent.
The Response Form can be found here https://www.barclays.co.uk/help/remediation/orf/ – that is a genuine page. It says some people may need to send a picture of the first page of their bank account statement and photo id.
If you have any difficulty, eg you can’t complete the form and can’t get an answer from the helpline, then send a complaint to wandim.execcomplaints@barclays.com
UPDATE 2020
In mid-2020, Barclaycard started sending a letter to some customers saying where they may have had raised their credit limit too high.
See Barclaycard credit limit letters for details.
In 2018 Barclays started a major refund program to customers with overdrafts, loans or credit cards who had been charged interest when Barclays knew they were in financial difficulty.
The Arrears assistance review page on Barclays website says:
After a careful review, we found that from October 2013, we didn’t always provide the service we should have to some customers who were over their borrowing limit or behind in their loan or card payments.
We’re sorry and we want to make things right, so we’re returning interest and charges to those who might have been affected during this time.
What is the refund for?
The accounts affected include overdrafts, loans, Barclaycard accounts (including previous Egg card accounts) and Partner Finance accounts eg for car finance.
From what customers are being told when they ask, it seems Barclays now recognises that it did not properly assess customer circumstances when it knew they were in difficulties.
The Helpline says that Barclays has “been working collaboratively” with their regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, about these refunds. The FCA’s rules say:
CONC 7.3.4 A firm must treat customers in default or in arrears difficulties with forbearance and due consideration.
CONC 7.3.5 Examples of treating a customer with forbearance would include …
(1) considering suspending, reducing, waiving or cancelling any further interest or charges (for example, when a customer provides evidence of financial difficulties and is unable to meet repayments as they fall due or is only able to make token repayments
The most common reason customers are being given for the refund or write off is that they are getting back interest and extra charges that Barclays now feels it should not have been added.
How many people are getting these refunds?
Barclays hasn’t said how many people are going to be refunded. However the review was originally mentioned on their website homepage so it must be large!
The first refunds started going out in March 2018 – initially these were low numbers.
A lot more refunds letters have been sent out in November and December 2018 – these mostly relate to Barclaycard accounts. Here are a couple of examples from readers – you can see these and other comments at the bottom of this page:
I received a letter offering £75 as an inconvenience payment and advising they are closing the account and I do not need to make any further payments. The balance is approximately £7,500! I can’t quite believe it.
I have had the same letter. £75 inconvenience payment and closure of the account. I was unwell in 2013 and required a period of time in residential care. I had around 5k owing on a Barclaycard.
One person was told by customer services that they were sending out 35,000 refund letters a week.
That suggests to me that Barclays is probably refunding hundreds of thousands of people.
The refund is automatic
You don’t have to put in a complaint or a request for a refund. Barclays will be contacting the people affected directly.
If you have moved and changed your phone, or you don’t think Barclays ever had your mobile number, Barclays may have difficulty contacting you. You may want to call them on 0800 328 6932 and give your new contact information.
Worried this is a scam?
Many people may be worried that a text or letter saying your bank is going to give you money is a scam. And if you no longer have a Barclays account, you will be asked for your new bank details…
The refund program is genuine. There are lots of customers commenting below to say they have received these letters. Everyone who has checked so far has found their letter or text is real.
The letter should contain details of the official helpline number for these refunds – 0800 328 6932.
If there is a different telephone number on the letter Barclays sent, you can put it into this Barclay’s phone number verifier. But if you want to be sure, the best way is to call the official helpline number.
What happens to your credit record
This depends on what your account currently shows. If you aren’t sure, check it now, see the best ways to check your credit records.
If your account balance is being written off, the debt will be marked on your credit record as closed and partially settled, with a balance of zero:
- accounts where there is a default date drop off your credit record six years after that default date.
- if your account hasn’t been defaulted but is just in arrears, it will drop off six years after it is closed.
So records with a default date will disappear sooner and stop harming your credit score sooner. If there is no default date, you should think if you would prefer one to be added! See what should the default date be for a debt? If you would like a default added, I suggest you contact the refund helpline, say thanks for the write-off but you would also like a default date added when you got into difficulty.
Are you getting enough compensation?
This is hard to tell. It depends exactly what happened to you.
If you are being offered a standard £75 and Barclaycard caused you a lot of problems, you may want to say you should be offered more.
If you are told you are not on the list to get compensation, it is worth going back with a reasoned explanation about when they should have seen you were in trouble. For example, you may have complained about overdraft charges saying you couldn’t afford them.
It is worth talking to the helpline and saying if you think you should have a larger refund. Here is one example where reader has had success:
Told them I wished to challenge the charges pre 2013. They then transferred me to the complaints department that listen to my complaint, took my details and rang me back later that day for more info. A few days later they rang back to go through the story again. Went away for a hour and then rang back with a settlement offer.
Other things you may want to complain about include if you were offered a consolidation loan you couldn’t afford, or if you weren’t signposted to a place for free debt advice when you said you were in financial difficulty.
Originally published in March 2018, updated in December 2018
Complain if a creditor doesn’t freeze interest
Can you really offer just £1 to a debt?
Change bank account if you have problem debt
Owen says
Hi,
I’ve been trying to pay my Barclaycard debt off for years (I think it started back in the 90’s!). It’s now £1,434 but as I’m paying the minimum amount (about £40) I’m only decreasing it by about £4 a month.
Recently two Business Barclaycards I have had refunds, but not the personal one. I phoned the helpline regarding refunds, but the only explanation I had was that I would receive a letter if a refund was to be made.
Is there any way to find out if I am due a refund, or if there’s a way to pay the remainder without having to keep up with the interest?
I’m self employed and paying in one go isn’t possible at the moment
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The refunds have generally being going out to customers who told Barclaycard they had problems but were treated unsympathetically. It doesn’t sound as though this is you? If you can start paying a fixed about each month that is over the minimum, you will see the balance start to drop much faster. Could you set up a standing order for say £50 or £60?
jazzconfused says
Hi all. I am new here and after reading thru i am hoping for advise.
I bank with barclays since 2001 and barclaycard about 15 years. 2009 I was off sick from work for more than a year and i used my personal savings to pay for my expenditures and at the same time pay minimum amount for my barclay cc. the help i got from the council for few months were not even enough to cover my rent and monthly bills because they said technically i am still employed even though I was on long term sickness. since then up to the present i have a lot of overdraft fines ( even though they agreed 1K overdraft free since 2005) I also incur lots of monthly late fees with my barclaycc. sadly i never recovered financially.
i did consolidate my other cc to barclay cc and because i had a late payment they increased the interest rate. can’t remember if inform them about my situation. more than a year ago, i rang barclaycard asking if the interest can be lowered as i am struggling paying it off. they agreed to freeze the interest for 2 months. i rang after 2 months : no we cannot do anything about it.
also, 3 years ago i have to resign from work to look after my parents as they lived overseas. that took 6 months.
do you think i have a case?
how do i go forward?
thank you in advance. i would appreciate a step by step help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have they increased your credit limit during this period? If they did, you may be able to make a “affordability complaint” see https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/
Jazzconfused says
Hi sara.
I am not sure. Is there anyway to check this?
Also, as i Was rummaging thru my things i found a letter from CCP dated 2014 and from
Mbna dated 2013 but cannot remember if I got paid for it. What can i do about this?
Sorry my memory is so bad since i had mental breakdown.
Thelawnmowerman says
Have people had refunds into they’re bank without asking or filling out forms. With the reference on their app of ” Barclaycard refund”
Asking for a friend
darren nixon says
A “Friend of mine”…lol…. just had £2500 put into his account not knowing where or why ..Ref.. ” Barclaycard refund” phoned bank and bank said said enjoy it
Thelawnmowerman says
My friend very much likes the sound of that.
This was more than 3 times your friends amount . Half one day , other half the next day. No letters yet …
Thelawnmowerman says
So ive got to bottom of what happened. Yeah it wasnt my friend. Im sure you knew .
I got a letter from barclaycard telling me it was PPI,
I made a PPI enquiry with some PPI claims people, only an enquiry , 2 years ago . They asked for more info and,upon reading their term and conditions , didnt sign theyre form , as i thought i would end up owing them more money than i received, as there was a minimum fee . So nothing ever came of it
I had 2 cards a barclaycard and a Mastercard .
Letter came yesterday telling me that they initially told the claims people i wasnt misold , but upon reviewing it i was . They said they couldnt work out how much , so gave me an average …that average,will be well above what it should have been , i hardly used the cards! . they said theyve written to the claims people too , i dont figure i have any liabilty to them , as i never asked them to go any further , nor signed anything ..
.as i had 2 ammount refunded , i assume the other is the mastercard,
I no longer have that card , but I’m guessing I’ll get a letter from them too .
Can’t see the wood for the trees says
Hi Sara
I have had a Barclaycard since 2002. Over the years I have used it, paid it off, used it again, etc. In 2015, I suffered a nervous breakdown and asked if I could have help, reduced payments or frozen interest. I was told no, and although I discovered I had been paying ppi, they said that this wouldn’t cover me. At this point I chose to stop paying the ppi.
I managed to start working and got myself straight again and even paid in £2000 to clear some of the card. Unfortunately, my partner became seriously ill with a heart condition and was unable to work. I had to support us both on a very low income and began using the Barclaycard to subsidise my income. At this point, the credit limit increased to £6000. I contacted them, and they froze the interest and payments with 3 monthly reviews. We recently sold up and moved abroad for a better life but I am having sleepless nights worrying that they will send bailiffs to my parents house as this is my last recorded uk address. But 6 months on, I have heard nothing until I read this page. Do you think maybe I am due for a refund? I am currently awaiting a ppi claim via an agency.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well the only way to find out is to ask them. And if you tell them where you live, you know your parents won’t get bailiff visits – although that is pretty unlikely it is good to rule it out.
If you told them you were in difficulty, they should not hen have increased your credit limit.
You paid PPI for years, so that could be a big refund.
Sorry, lots of unknowns.
Can’t see the wood for the trees says
I am trying to manage all of my credit by contacting creditors myself. My partner is unaware of my level of debt and would be so shocked, which I really don’t want considering his poor health. If I give them my address here, I’m scared that all my debtors will catch up with me and come after the house. I suffer from depression and anxiety and all of this is making me ill. I contacted stepchange but they won’t help because I live outside the UK. I don’t know where to start! I do want to make affordable payments, I’m tired of worrying.
Jo R says
Hello,
In 2015 I entered into an arrangement with the collections team of Nationwide. An arrangement was made as they had asked me for full repayment of my £2500 overdraft.
I have now arrived home to a letter today telling me ‘we’re removing the daily fee you pay on your overdraft’. The letter was issued as the cancellation of the arrangement was going through. So for all those people that are in arrangements, that’s great as no more fees but I have just calculated and I paid around £700 in fees while in the agreement. I just feel they are now saying it’s not great to charge people when they are in difficulties but ignoring the fact they made people like my situation worse by charging fees previous to this.
Do you think it is worth complaining? (Apologies if I have posted in the incorrect place!)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think it is worth sending them a complaint and saying how much harder their added charges have made your life and asking then to refund the £700.
Jane B says
In January, I discovered that the default dates were recorded incorrectly. My first missed payment was March 2014 for two accounts. I missed a number of consecutive payments. Barclays did not enter into a payment arrangement with me. Yet the defaults were not recorded until August 2015.
I contacted them in January and asked them to correct it in line with ICO guidelines. They accepted it was incorrect and agreed to change it. All three credit reference agencies still show the wrong date of August 2015.
I also have a third account. The missed payment was November 2013 and the default date is recorded as July 2014. Again, no payment arrangement was agreed.
I contacted them again on 2 September. For the account with the default date on July, they are refusing to amend this.
For the other two, the complaint has been reopened but Partner Finance have not made any contact with me. I have emailed numerous times and emails have been sent to the complaint handler asking him to contact me. I spent over two hours on the phone today and can’t even get through to complaints.
In respect of the two with the dates of August 2015, given Barclays failed to correct them in February as agreed, is this a breach of DPA? Is this something for which I should be asking for compensation for and if so, what is reasonable?
It’s worth noting that if the default dates were recorded correctly, they would drop off my file on June – July 2020.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The August 15 dates – ask for compensation of 3100 per account for the hassle and poor customer service. Say the complaint goes to the finacial Ombudsman after 8 weeks if they do not resolve this.
The July 14 date – you could probably only get this pushed back a couple of months – up to you if you think its worth it.
Jane B says
£3,100 per account? Or was that a typo?
The only reason I mentioned the July date to them was because the other two had to be amended anyway. A couple of months makes not a lot of difference.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
whoops , 3100 should have been £100 !
HouseManager says
Hi first timer here !
I too received one of these letters last week . I defaulted on my Barclaycard account so it was bought by debt company then sold on to another -since this time I haven’t missed one payment
It states that the refund will come off my balance -do I have any rights to request this is paid direct to me due to financial hardship Barclaycard put me thru !
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you being threatened with eviction or you have priority debts you could ask for the refund to come direct to you, but normally No.
Jade says
I had some unexpected good news today. I took out a credit card with Barclaycard a few years ago, and maxed it out to £6,200. By October 2017, I was drowning in pay day loans, overdrafts, credit cards etc – and wrote to all my creditors, requested reduced payments etc. Barclays agreed to accept reduced payments and reduced my interest rate.
But today I received a letter in the post saying:
“Because of a problem when we first opened your account, we gave you different standard interest rates to the one you will have seen when you applied. We also got the duration of your promotional offers wrong. We’re sorry about this.”
It goes on to say that they have refunded me £1,673.69!
I am, of course, delighted! I mean, I feel like an idiot for never having checked, but at the time I was just busy bouncing from one debt to another and just assumed the interest they were charging was correct.
I wanted to share this news because I wonder if lots of people have been affected by this.
And I also wanted to ask if you thought there was any scope for me to take this further? I don’t want to push my luck – I now have about £2,200 left to pay off on this credit card so I feel like I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I am grateful for that. But do you think there’s an argument to be made that these incorrect rates pushed me into borrowing from payday loan companies etc?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t think you will get anywhere with that argument.
BUT have you looked at whether you could get any refunds from the payday loans? Read https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/ and think if any of your loans were “unaffordable” – you could only repay them if you borrowed again.
Jade says
Oh I have applied for refunds from payday loan companies already thanks to the advice on this website and the process on those is already under way. I was just trying my luck and wondering if I could complain to Barclays! But it doesn’t sound like I have much of a case there so I’ll just be grateful for the refund I have. Thanks for all your help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so you have, sorry I didn’t recognise you!
OHA says
I APPLIED FOR PPI BEFORE THE DEADLINE, GOT A TEXT MESSAGE FORM BARCLAYCARD THAT AM DUE A REFUND WITH NO CONTACT , THAT A LETTER HAS BEEN SENT OUT TO ME , UP TILL NOW OVER 3 WEEKS STILL NO LETTER
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Give them a ring and ask.
Nicola says
I had a barclaycard a few years ago with a number of other cards and store cards. After a change in circumstances and finally realising I was in financial difficulty, I sought advice from stepchange and started a dmp. stepchange were brilliant and advised me to contact all my creditors to advise them I had started a dmp. Every creditor was understanding and stopped the interest and charges. Every creditor stopped with the letters and calls apart from barclaycard. I mistakenly did the wrong thing by ignoring and blocking numbers but after 3 months of harassment whilst I was on my dmp and they were receiving payments from them, I checked my barclaycard balance and they had added over £1,000 in interest and charges onto my balance although I had explained my situation. I rang up and spoke to someone and pleaded with them to stop. I explained my situation again and after a long teary phonecall, the gentleman refunded a £12 late payment fee back onto my card and said he would stop the charges. I had never felt so low and worthless. To this day I am still paying back that money which I feel was wrongly added on. I have complained to barclaycard twice via phonecall and not received any compassion. I thought I would of received a letter but Nothing and when I call they don’t want to know and say that they were in the rights to still charge. Where do i stand because that has added another 1-2 years onto paying off my plan?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Read https://debtcamel.co.uk/creditor-wont-freeze-interest/. Barclaycard subscribes to the Standards of Lending Practice. I suggest you put in a written complaint to Barclaycard asking them to refund the interest they have added.
Mrs McD says
Hi Nicola
I have been in exactly the same position as you – I believe that Barclay’s refusal to stop interest added between 1 – 1.5 years to my DMP, I complained and just as they told you, they told me they “hadn’t done anything wrong” and showed zero compassion in respect of the difficult personal / health situation in my family that I had described to them and to which their decision had impacted negatively on me. I have escalated my complaint to the FOS – its been quite a few months now and I am still waiting for a decision. When I get that I will post here again so you can decided whether you feel its worth trying that too.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It does take a while to get a FOS decision. That’s why I suggest that people send complaints as soon as possible, not wait and see. I think Nicola has a good case, well worth asking the ombudsman to look at.
Rich says
Hi Guys
Sorry don’t know if this is the right place to post this.
I have received 3 county court business centre claim forms from Howard Cohen regarding 3 Barclay card credit cards. These total just over 17k I also have another 14k with other cards. I think pra group own those.
My question is should I defend these claims based on the fact that they didn’t serve me with a warning letter and also I would like to check they have the original signed credit agreement.
If they produce the agreement, how do I them proceed I would want to offer a token payment of £1.
Im self-employed with a low income and high outgoings. I want to go bankrupt to end all this as 30k would take me a lifetime to payback. I used to have a good job and was a home owner but lost it all in the last recession.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
My question is should I defend these claims based on the fact that they didn’t serve me with a warning letter
It is annoying, but you can’t defend on the basis that you never received warning letters. You could make a complaint to the creditor and say you will go to the Financial ombudsman, but you still need to defend the court cases of you will end up with CCJs.
and also I would like to check they have the original signed credit agreement. Please talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about how to enter a defence to the claims. You can also post on the Legal Beagles forum: https://legalbeagles.info/forums/forum/legal-forums/court-claims-and-issues
If they produce the agreement, how do I them proceed I would want to offer a token payment of £1. At this point it is usually to late to avoid a CCJ if they have the paperwork.
I want to go bankrupt to end all this as 30k would take me a lifetime to payback.
Your choice is to plan to go bankrupt now (or as soon as you can get the bankruptcy fees together)
OR
to defend these cases. If you can win these cases AND you ask PRA for the CCA agreements and they can’t produce them (see https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/getting-information/credit-agreement-advice.aspx for how to ask for the CCA agreements) then there may be no need to go bankrupt.
I suggest you talk to NAtional debtline about the court cases and your overall situation and whether bankruptcy is a sensible option for you.
Rich says
Thanks for the reply very helpful
Jules says
in short form as I seem unable to post much at all.
Barclays Account has been overdrawn by 8k for over 14 years,
In last decade there has been no activity on the account other than barclays adding interest, partner paying same to cover it, the account is within £100 of what it was overdrawn 10 years ago, balance o/d still 8k
Account has never gone into ‘unarranged’ territory.
Asked for help 8 years ago, simply put on phone to the woolwich who also wouldnt help (no record of this on barclays files, yet there is mention of similar in a sar.
Letters on file showing that a condition of the account o/d should be that it fluctuates in/out of o/d …also that it would receive annual reviews.
Wrote to the banks chief exec whose office responded saying ‘there is nothing the bank has done wrong, yes to reviews, yes to fluctuation but it’s not obligated to ensure it is the case..
Bank pointed to calling financial assistance team, my partner is disabled, both physically and mentally, they do not communicate well at all, I have only recently been able to get onto the account via third party mandate, which is why I was able to write to the bank on my partners behalf
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“Asked for help 8 years ago, simply put on phone to the woolwich who also wouldnt help (no record of this on barclays files, yet there is mention of similar in a sar.”
So Barclays suggested he talked to Woolwich about an unsecured loan? Or a secured one? What does the Barclays SAR say?
Jules says
The Sar does not show specific reference to the visit to the branch, there is simply a complaint reference number about 15 characters long mentioned in the sar that was around the same time.
At the visit the branch asked my partner a whole host of questions and then proceeded to make what we thought was an internal call but ended up being to the woolwich.
Yes that’s about the size of it re the woolwich and the possibility of an unsecured loan.
Chris Larder says
Hi – I was hoping for some advice.
I received a letter a few days ago stating that I will be receiving £4700 payment from Barclays. This is from an account I had over 10 years ago. During this time I was under all sorts of financial problems, a lot of which was from Barclays lending money to a student who clearly couldn’t handle his finances! When I received letters to pay back loans and credit card payments it put me through a lot of financial hardship, an enormous amount of stress and even a CCJ on the mortgage. In the end we took out an IVA, then later arranged pay-offs when we were able re-mortgaged. The exact details, accounts etc are hazy as it was so long ago, and I doubt I could give really specific facts.
My question, do you think I should challenge the £150 compensation (stress etc) or just be happy with the payment?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you grab what is offered!
Bob says
I had 5 barclaycards totaling around £25,000 which i paid off in full in September 2014, all 5 cards were over the limit, i alwalys missed payments every month, and incurred multple charges on top of charges, and interest, i entered into arrangements to pay on all but never stuck to it because i couldnt afford to. The only way i paid them off was i sold my property. I have not received any letter yet, Should i be eleigable for a refund from 2013-2014? I have called and asked but they said they can not tell me and the reveiw is ongoing with no clear end date.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did Barclaycard carry on adding interest when you were in the payments arrangements and when they failed?
Bob says
Yes they did
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK< then I suggest you send the a complaint now that they should not have added this interest as they knew you were in financial trouble, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/creditor-wont-freeze-interest/
Bob says
Should i not wait to see if i get a letter first as my accounts might not have been reveiwed yet?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So you wait a year and then haven’t received anything, you complain and get told all the events you are complaining about are over 6 years old so they can’t be considered… I would complain now!
viva says
hi
I had Barclay cars , and Barclays overdraft, I not get any refund, 2010 I got problem state STILL I pay by DMP
how to complain Barclays , I request to discount and f and f offer they ask me medical report, I as why I want to give them ??
they arrange the special team look after my problem ? I not get any refound why ??
viva
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have replied to your comment on the other page.
Danny M says
Hi Sarah, I’ve commented on the payday loan forum which is still ongoing, however my question is re Barclays. Had chronic gambling issues in early 2000’s resulting in big debts, sizeable loans etc when my credit rating was still good. My Barclays current account had a turnover some months in excess of £20K (mainly gambling outgoings, also some large in-branch cash deposits in excess of £1,500 some days). I had a £5K overdraft facility, and a Barclaycard also which was regularly maxed out. I contacted Barclays by phone and explained I would like a loan, essentially to clear debts and get my account finances back on an even keel. The very helpful girl I spoke to nodded, agreed this was a good idea, and came up with a solution called the Barclays ‘Select’ account, essentially a £10K credit account you could use as you please (probably not great financial advice for a heavy gambler with several daily withdrawals/deposits/phone gambling transactions clearly visible to Barclays staff?
My question is, do you feel I have an affordability complaint, as I believe the girl I spoke to was clearly on commission to push the Barclays ‘Select’ product onto unsuitable customers like myself? I’m still paying this account back on a DMP and owe £5K on it (Select acct opened in approx 2005)….
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When did the account go into the DMP? Did Barclays stop adding any interest or charges at that point?
Danny M says
2009. Yes all charges stopped, however, was this an example of irresponsible lending based on Barclays desire to sell expensive loan products to clients regardless of suitability, visible spending habits etc from a Barclays current account holder?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it probably was. But it may be quite difficult to prove this for so long ago. The Financial Ombudsman cannot look at cases from before April 2007.
Do you know how much interest was added to this account between 2005 and 2009?
Was this Select account set up as loan? or a current account overdraft? do you still have the paperwork relating to it?
And is it still with Barclays or has it been sold to a debt collector?
Danny M says
It was a separate account, effectively starting with a £10K balance, to be used however you want. I think I still have the paperwork, yes. And the account is still with Barclays, not sold on…
Helen W says
I have received a letter today from Barclaycard today stating that in 2017 I received incorrect notices from them regarding Hoist Financial UK Holdings and due to this they want to refund me almost £1,000. Has anyone come across this? Is it a scam?
Patricia says
Hi Helen Wright,I received one today 30th November am not sure too
Helen W says
I have called Barclaycard and it appears to be legitimate. They are sending me a cheque for the amount stated. Give them a call.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is the sensible thing to do if you are worried an email is a scam. Ring a lender or email using a number or address you get from the lender’s own website, not from the email you have received that you are worried about.
Patricia Kasolo says
Thanks will call them on Monday.
Patricia Kasolo says
I have called them and it’s genuine refund
Bal says
Hi Patricia
Just wondering have you received your cheque yet from Barclays
Helen Wright says
I haven’t received mine yet and I’ve called 4 times so far. They keep robbing me off and asking me to be patient. Was told today I need to wait another 1-2 weeks!! Very frustrating!
Bal says
Hi
Just an update I called them yesterday asked to be put through to the claims team I have been assured I will receive the cheque by the 4th feb
Kieran says
Hi sara
Im not sure if this regards me but i will have a try. Firstly I have had many payday loans and with the help of you I am getting success with my finances. My bank, Barclays, let me take a £5000 overdraft last March, which I def couldnt afford. within a month I had spent it all. My wages every month go into my account and by the first week, because of paying everything else off, my account is still in overdraft. Well to be honest, my account has never come out of overdraft from i took the overdraft in March 2018 (not once). does this apply to me. Am i eligible to tell Barclays I was mis sold an overdraft and its causing me financial difficulty. By the way the charges i pay every month is £93.
Kieran
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You didn’t have an overdrafts all and Barclays gave you 5000? At that time you had a lot of payday loans? Can I ask if you had other problems eg gambling? Or other high cost credit.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Also what are your other debts now? Do you still have any affordability complaints in progress?
Kieran says
Yes I have alot of gambling outgoings on my account. Even up to last month. Not serious gambling. between 500-600 each month going out of account. all on the statements for proof. At the minute i am paying back 3 pay day loans which will be cleared by March. Iis my case strong enough?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So you don’t think 500-600 a month is a serious gambling problem? Can I ask how much you earn a month?
Kieran says
I earn 2200 a month. Yes I know it is alot but not 1000s like others.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
With respect you are kidding yourself. It’s not the overdraft fees that are stopping you clearing the overdraft, it’s your gambling.
I suggest you get a debt management plan with StepChange and put the overdraft and the payday loans into it, get a bank account with a different bank and get some help to stop gambling. When you are clean for 6 months, then think about whether you can make an affordability complaint Barclays. If you do it now, any money you get back will be in the bookies pockets in a month or two.
Kieran says
Many thanks Sara
I think you are right. When it does come to the time. Is it better to ring Barclays or write a letter. Is it possible I could contact them and ask if they could freeze the charges. Thanks for all your help.
marlon says
Hi I’ve been waiting for a cheque for months, called numerous times and they’ve said I will receive 26.51, my account goes back to around 2004,is this correct? Seems like a very low refund
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What is your refund for? Do you owe them any money, so are they also clearing a balance you owe them?
marlon says
Hi Sara, thanks for your reply. The letter I received was for a pbp refund, also I don’t believe I owe them money, as my card was payed off in full, thanks anyway, I’ll find out soon hopefully
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In that case it sounds a lot too small unless you only had the payment break plan for a very short while. I suggest you ask them in writing how long you had the pbp for, how much you were charged for it and how they have calculated your refund.
marlon says
Thanks you, for your help, much appreciated. Thanks again
Ruby says
Hi.
I was in debt with Barclaycard to the tune of £12,000 in 2009. I have been on a DMP since then. The only debt left is my Barclaycard, but it was passed to the Praa Group.
It took a few years for Barclaycard to freeze the interest, and acknowledge that I was on a DMP.
Do you think I should contact them, or the Praa Group? I think I may have been treated unfairly at the time.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how much do you still owe? and is this still on your credit record?
Ruby says
£2500. And no, not on my credit record.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
then you have two options.
You can make a complaint to Barclaycard that they did not freeze interest. This may be difficult because it is so long ago, but you should be able to get proof from your DMP firm (is it StepChange?) that BC carried on adding interest. I don’t know if the Financial ombudsman would look at a complaint that is so old but you can try if BC say No. If you win, any refund will first be used to pay off the balance still owed to PRA.
A completely different rout is to ask PRA (not Barclaycard) to produce the CCA agreement for the debt. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/ask-cca-agreement-for-debt/. If they can’t, the debt is unenforceable and you can simply stop paying. For a debt that old, this is quite likely to work! But not certain.
Ruby says
Many thanks for your help. I’ll try the complaint route first.
Ruby says
I checked with another credit reference agency, and the debt is showing now with PRA.
When I called them to ask for a copy of my CCA, they advised that they will add a default to my account if I stop paying!
Barclaycard defaulted me in 2015…
Thanks in advance
Kev says
Hi,
in 2017 I was able to take out a £5000 overdraft, not all at once, but topped up from 0 to 5000 with the space of 6 weeks. I have been through a lot of financial difficulty between payday loans, gambling etc. My credit score is really low and I am trying to get my act together. Well i have. sice 2017 I have paid over 2300 in charges to Barclays. Would I be possible to complain to barclays?
few notes I would like answered if possible please:
1. If I complain to Barclays, can they ask to close my account down? (read that somewhere)
2. Who do i complain to? (email address etc)
3. Is there a template letter i could use.
If i get a response then thank you very much. All your work is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There is a template over here: https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/. make sure you mnetion they should have seen the gambling on your account and not increased your credit limit.
You can send it by secure message as you have an open account.
Moving to a new account may be a good idea for you, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/overdraft/
Kev says
Thank you sara,
As i am clear of all the gambling and havent gambled in a while. I am soon going to be applying for a mortgage as my credit record is improving each month. Is it okay to stay with Barclays? Can they close my account down because of my complaint?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A bank can close an account if it wants. I don’t know if they would. I haven’t seen anyone reporting this has happened.
Tinevimbo says
Hi. First timer here. My husband has and OD of £1000. Tried calling Barclays and ask them to freeze the charges as he had lost his job because I have been unwell for 3 years and he had to take care of our 3 daughter but they refused. He is currently on Universal Credit and they take at least £60/month for charges which leaves us unable to sustain our selves. Is there anything I can do to get a refund or get them to at least freeze the charges? They did refund us £157 for a loan account
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think the vital first thing is for you to move to a different bank so your benefit income is not eaten away by these charges. I suggest you open a basic bank account with a bank you don’t owe any money to (there is a list of these accounts here https://debtcamel.co.uk/bank-accounts-after-bankruptcy/ – you cant be refused because you have bad credit.) and move the UC, child benefit and any other income into that account.
Then your Barclays account is just a debt that needs to be repaid a bit a month. If you have other problem debts, talking to StepChange and getting a debt management plan set up could be a good move, see https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx
At the same time, I think you should put in a complaint to Barclays that they have been so unhelpful in not freezing the charges when you told them you were in difficuklty and ask for them to be refunded.
Elizabeth Glover says
Hello I have loans connected to Timeshare which the rep arranged over the phone with BPF and I ha e complained as they were missold as investment but just membership. One of the Timeshare has gone into Admin last year so in breach of contract as cant supply services. I’m struggling to find the correct template to complain as I just keep getting letters for over 6 months from Barclays saying they are dealing with complaint. I know the next step is Ombudsman but I need to make sure all 3 are included. I only pay £1 a month by arrangements as I cant afford them as retired.
Mark says
I have been charged overdraft fees of £50 to £70 a month over the last 5 years.My limit has been £1250 for about 10 years and my salary during the whole of my working life has been between £1000 to £1500.The reason I fall into the unarranged overdraft fees is because of gambling.Every month I deposit money into betting accounts even though I have direct debits to pay.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are you getting any help to stop gambling? Some ideas on here: https://debtcamel.co.uk/gambling/
Anon says
This is something I need to write to them about as although I had and still do have issues with a card , as far as I can tell they carried on with charges even when I was making token payments.
Last letter I had was a budget sheet from them and told to phone ( despite making it clear previously I cannot telephone ) so inwill send them a copy of the NDL one I sent to others along with a newer up to date DMHF (doctors) I’ve had.
I’d sent all the non priority creditors a seven page letter with substantial details on it asking for write off , reduction or a long term freeze a few months ago not many have replied.
I think all I need to do here is resend up to date (again -sigh-) paperworks and ask them to consider including me in this.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
These refunds are quite old now. I don’t think it’s a question of asking to be included in one.
I think you need a clear complaint. You were making token payments but they carried on with charges [add rough dates] which was not treating you fairly & they failed to take account of your vulnerability when they asked you to call them despite you explaining your mental health issues. You can say you heard they were reviewing some cases.
Anon says
Thank you Sara.
The sum is three figures (their card) and I do not bank with them never have. Iirc they were sent aDMHF months if not a year ago and I did token pay until I could not anymore.
It then went quiet for a few months I had sent then a budget sheet but no reply. It was only when I mass lettered all non priority creditors on Nov / Dec a few of them woke up. Some of the others were silent too.
Thought about DRO but would rather try to deal with what I can will also speak to NDL again once I have lettered this creditor and at least one other.
Was using Wonga to make token or min payments. Eventually I could not juggle them all.
I know what I need to do with this now Thank You!
Only one small extra point the one due the least by a big degree ( about 300 ) has always made the most noises with letters. Inc giving me diff post address on the phone last year compared to letter and trying to make me do it on phone too, saying they never got post etc. just them being difficult. I sent stuff to both addresses in the end.
The largest CC company over two cards has been quite quiet on the whole.
Dubs says
Hi. I’ve just had a derisory pbp decision from barclaycard, less than £30. They said they they’ve investigated the complaint, upheld it and have repaid me what I am due. This seems very low, and covers basics, with no mis selling premiums. This doesn’t sound right…
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you can send to FOS and ask them to look at your case if you feel it’s too low. I don’t have a feel for these cases.
Dubs says
Thanks Sara. Cheers
Danny says
I was accepted for a credit card with Barclaycard and they gave me a limit of 9200.
I was earning around 30k and I already had loans and credit of around 30k and was juggling my credit cards to repay. I’m now in a DMP but wondering if I have a case to complain. My DMP is 42k which is going to take 7 years to pay. This debt has mostly spiralled out of control in the space of 5 years, mostly in the last 2.5.
Regards
Sue says
I am wanting to contact Barclays about my overdraft which I have been paying back via a DMP since March 2010. Does anyone or Sara know an email address I can use to contact Barclays please?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have any account with them you can log in and send a secure message. Otherwise there is no email so far as I know. https://www.barclays.co.uk/help/making-a-complaint/how-do-i-make-a-complaint/
That is a very long while ago – what are you complaining about?
What else is in your DMP that is still carrying on?
Sue says
Thank you for your reply. I was hoping to ask Barclays to consider wiping off my debt. I have repaid £1080.03 since 2010 using a DMP & have just £658.00 left. I may be wasting my time but I tbought it worth a try! The other debts left on my DMP are two credit cards with Santander & an overdaft with Santander.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are all the credit card debts still with Santander or have they been sold to debt collectors?
Sue says
Hi Sara. The credit card debts have been sold to Wescot. I had a few payday loans on my DMP but these have been written off after I complained. I am so wanting to get myself back on track financially & am steadily repairing my awful credit score.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are the credit card debts still showing on your credit record? Are the old overdrafts?
Sue says
The overdrafts & credit cards have disappeared from my credit report. I am guessing that its because they are over 6 years old.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
good, if they hadn’t you would need to get that corrected.
Sue says
Thank you for all your help. I will contact Barclays via their complaints form.
Lee says
I thought it was all a bit strange as Barclays searched for me for over 6 months for a providian credit card I had around 2002!
Filled the questionnaire out and have answered some high level security questions!
Let’s see what happens!
Nigel Williams says
A friend has a Woolwich now Barclays mortgage that was taken out when Woolwich offered a secured Overdarft facility by way ofa ‘ RESERVE ‘ account.
Initially his limit was set at £26,000 and over the course of time he utilised borrowing on this. Unfortunately, no Direct Debit was ever set up to make a minimum payment and so Woolwich/Barclays just added the monthly interest on to the account. Eventually the account limit was reached but they just kept increasing the limit, still in the knowledge that they were not receiving any payments, instead just rolling up the interest and then increasing the limit. Eventually the limit was almost £40,000 but they let him exceed this…..not through purchases but by continuing to roll up the interest ….allowing him to progress further int debt of in excess of £50,000 ! This being allowed to continue at a time when due to financial difficulty he had missed payments on the main mortgage. Only when the situation was dire that they started to demand repayments, and now with the main mortgage ending next month he still has nearly £40,000 left on the Reserve account that they are demanding as being due NOW. He has tried to negotiae a repayment strategy that would repay this in 4yrs 6mths but all they will do is refer him to one of their mortgage advisers. Have they acted correctly ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That sounds complicated. Can I suggest he goes to his local Citizens Advice with the paperwork and asks if there is anything he can do.
Lee says
Hi,
I have been told my refund has been given to my IVA even though I had paid my last payment to them, I was told it’s a Contingent Asset! but I explained it was for 20 years ago and it had nothing to do with debt and was mis sold as a purchase.
Is this right???
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what was 20 years ago, your IVA or the debt the Barclays refund relates to?
Lee says
The credit card I had with providian was 20 years ago.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So that was before your IVA. Unfortunately the right to make a claim about this was an asset when you started your IVA – even though you were unaware you possessed it. So Barclays are right that the money should go to your IVA. Who was the IVA firm and when did it finish?
Lee says
I’ve spoken with Barclays, they are stopping the cheque as it was an incorrect sale of purchase as it’s not in the IVA terms and conditions and is not part of a windfall or PPI.
Aperture.
Timka says
I’d be grateful if I could get some advice on this. My BC credit card limit is £2600. Account opened in 2012 with initial lower limit (not sure what, still trying to clarify which was then increased couple of times. They also increased my interest rate from around 18% to 24% when I started missing some monthly payments (as a penalty, I remember it clearly, the letter said as you have missed x payments in the last year, we increase your interest rate or you have a choice to close your account. As cc was maxed out, I could not close it obviously). I asked for SAR to see all these increases and dates but they have not provided yet.
I submitted an affordability and irresponsible lending complaint and SAR reques to BC on 30/01/2020. They have come back to me with the following offer today:
“However, in light of your current circumstances I have credited your account with £1156.56 as a gesture of goodwill. This is broken down as follows:
• £492.00 for the over limit and late payment fees you have incurred since August 2015
• £664.56 for the interest you were charged on the £600.00 increase to your credit limit since August 2015”
also “when an interest rate is changed customers can opt to close their account to prevent their interest rate from being increased.” (to be continued)
Timka says
continuing…
then long blablabla how they are not guilty in anything and then “I appreciate that you have been struggling with this debt for some time. I can reduce your interest rate to 6.9% however we would need to close your account to do this.”
With regard to SAR, he said “I have submitted your GDPR data request as detailed in your secure message. Please note that the 30 day timescale was initiated when I submitted the request on 20 February” BUT I submitted it on 30/01/2020, can they actually self refer and then start counting from their date?
Any advice on whether it would be good to go forward to ombudsman or accept would be so much appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so you have a BC card with a balance of about £2500 and they have offered to refund £1156 and reduce your interest rate from 24% to 6.9% if you agree to close the account. Closing the account here means you can’t use the card any more, you just have the balance to pay off.
They have calculated the refund as the extra interest and charges since 2015 when they increased your credit limit fro £2000 to £2600.
That sounds like the sort of approach the Ombudsman might use.
What you can’t tell from this is that the Ombudsman might have said refund from 2014 when they increased your limit from £1600 to £2000 as well – I just made that up, it is possible there wasn’t an earlier credit limit increase or even if there was the ombudsman would say that was OK and the Barclaycard offer to refund from the later one looks fair.
So you don’t have all the information, but it doesn’t look like a bad from what I can see. And it could be a good one.
Do you think it feels fair? What is the minimum payment you are supposed to make at the moment?
What I can’t tell is if
Timka says
I currently pay around £70-80 a month and it is completely maxed out. All my other payments are normally up to date (even the higher cost high interest loans) but this card indeed has had missed payments often. Defo 6 months a year so the struggle is real.
What worries me is that they have now moved countdown for SAR from 30/01 to 20/01 although I submitted it on 30/01. They also say if my SAR request will be complicated, they will extend the response deadline further.
I can’t even tell now when interest increase happened and how many times my credit limit was increased and when. If I was to go to ombudsman, I would prefer to have this info to make my case. I can’t now. Need to wait for BC to give it to me. They refuse to tell me this on the phone.
Also statements for BC online take me back only 1 year and i opted out of paper ones ages ago. So I just have to rely on what they say. He does not mention previous credit limit increases but there defo was at least one I think.
Overall, I do not think it is a bad offer. I kind of hoped for more. Have had the card since 2012 and it has been a nightmare.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So with the reduced balance and lower interest rate, you can probably set up a standing order to repay £35 a month and you will be over the minimum and the balance will start dropping.
I don’t think it’s a bad offer. You may not get much better by going to the Ombudsman which can take a very long while.
Have you looked at your credit record? That may give you the amount borrowed before 2015 which may suggest what the credit limit was.
Timka says
Thank you, Sarah! That is a good idea! I will have a look at my credit report, did not even cross my mind. Really appreciate your help. X
Timka says
PS I also lean towards just accepting the offer. I think will save my nerves for other complaints which most likely will have to go further (like Sunny, 118118, Likely, Bamboo, Drafty). Thank youuu!
L greenwood says
I had a barclaycard and got into difficulties paying it back, they sent it to a debt collector without contacting me, not even asking me to try and sort it out, over 3 years every penny was paid back 100 pounds a month, which i struggled to live, i now have a letter offering me 75 pounds in error, surely they should be refunding me the debt, as i was in terrible hardship, but felt vwry threatened by the debt collector
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did Barclaycard freeze interest on your debt when they knew you were in difficulty? If you think you were badly treated, go back to them ans say you want to complain as £75 is inadequate for their poor behaviour and the mess it left you in.
L greenwood says
I dont remember about the interest, such a long time ago, 9 years, they transferred to a debt collector which stopped the interest, just to pay back the debt, which I did, but I could of come to an agreement with them, the letter states they transferred money from an account that was in credit, without asking me, or informing me I dont remember, and I dont really know what the letter is saying, all I know worried so much about my credit history I went into dire hardship paying back every penny the debt
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then reply saying how inadequate it seems given the hardship you were caused.
L greenwood says
Have had another letter but to another address, stating that letters sent to me, in 2017, about capquest didnt give the right information, and are offering 330 pounds, i didnt receive any letters in 2017, and they sent this letter to an address that I dont live at, but the letter they sent about the 75 pounds came here to my address, both from barclaycard, they transferred my debt to capquest, without any contact to myself, and after threatening letters, i went into a payback deal with them and paid every penny back, after 3 years, the debt was over 3000, it seems they are offering 10% of the debt, it is not stating exactly what they done wrong, but i went into terrible hardship paying it back at 100 a month
roy gostling says
I took out a mortgage in Aug 1997 with Barclays, and took out the life and critical illness policy at £26.57 per month. In 2007 I wanted to build an extension so borrowed again all through Barclays, I borrowed additional monies and had just under £150k of mortgage, they said I needed to up my life insurance and gave me a new quote of £105 per month. In January of this year I sold my house and moved, I switched to Principality, Going through my Insurances I cancelled the £105 policy? Purely by chance I noted that the £26.57 was still being taken from my bills account. I rang up to ask why this policy was still running to which they said they’d look into it. I then noted February’s payment never came out. I rang up Barclays to ask what had happened, they referred me to Reassure Ltd as the insurance was farmed out to them. I rang reassure and they said Barclays had cancelled it in Feb just before the payment was due. I messaged Barclays and they deny this, Reassure have not messaged me back either . From what I can see the. £26.57 should have been cancelled in 2007, a new policy for the full borrowed amount at £105 a month was set up in 2007 and both have been running side by side. My question is purely this, can I claim this back as two policies should not have been running side by side as Barclays should have cancelled the original when the second was taken which I believe supersedes the first. As the money was coming out of two different places I did note notice
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you ask them for a refund.
David Bird says
Back in 2003 I suffered an industrial accident which left me unable to work. I had taken out a Barclaycard in 2002. Insu8for loss of earnings paid for 1 year which left a small balance. Despite Barclaycard knowing I couldn’t work due to the injury they never reduced my credit limit so within months and not eating the card was soon at its limit again. I recently submitted a claim against them for unaffordable lending and inadequate checks etc. They rejected it saying can only go back 6 years and that charges applied are correct for that period but card was at its limit and not used since about 2010. Is there anyway I can claim against them that covers the fact they knew about injury and wasn’t working and that they did nothing to ease financial problems by keeping limit at it’s high amount thus making it likely I would experience further financial difficulties.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have never seen an affordability complaint succeed before 2007.
And I have never seen a claim against a card succeed because the card failed to reduce your credit limit.
I will be surprised if you win this complaint.
John says
Are people still hearing from Barclaycard or having to contact them themselves?
I ask as I was expecting to hear from them and so far have had no contact.
Thanks in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you now have to contact them
Kayleigh says
Hi. I got a letter offering £75 barclaycard inconvenience payment yesterday, i googled to see if it was genuine and came across this page where people are saying they have had a lot more. My account was sent to a debt recovery agency over 5 years ago maybe even 7 years ago. There was £6k plus debt on credit card & i have been paying £10 a month since then. Does anyone have any suggestions about a complaint to barclays? The creditcard only had a £5k limit on i’m sure. I had a £120k mortgage & was on a part time wage at the time so could i argue along with other debt they shouldnt have allowed me that? I have absolutely no details of the account or what was charged for what. Seen some comments asking for original agreement & if they cant provide it you might not have to pay. Any suggestions very welcome
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“My account was sent to a debt recovery agency over 5 years ago maybe even 7 years ago. ”
was it sold to a debt collector? or is the debt collector collecting it on behalf of barclaycard?
Kayleigh says
I’m not sure i just know i pay the agency direct
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have a look at your credit records – is the debt showing under the debt collector’s name?
Kayleigh says
Its not showing on my credit report at all
Kayleigh says
Did you see my reply? I cant see it on my credit report. What does that mean
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The reason this matters is because if the debt collector has bought the debt they may well not be able to get the CCA agreement. I suggets you ask them.
Kayleigh says
Ive searched my credit file and i cant find it anywhere. Is there a reason it wouldnt be on there? Who do i ask for the cca? Barclays or the debt recovery company? Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It may have dropped off if the default was over 6 years ago.
Until you know who owns the debt, you can’t tell who to ask for the CCA.
Kayleigh says
So if its dropped off do i still need to pay? And shall i write to both to ask for the cca? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Even though the debt us not on your credit records, it still legally exists and you can be taken to court for a CCJ.
Do not ask for the CCA until you know who owns the debt.
If Barclaycard own the debt then you ask them for the CCA. Thus may succeed but it’s not very likely.
If the debt collector owns the debt you ask them and it is much more likely that they cannot produce the CCA. Here you do NOT want to ask Barclaycard as you do NOT want the CCA to be found.
So I suggest you ask the debt collector if they own the debt. If it had been still on your credit records, you could have found thus out from them, but it isn’t. So if you don’t still have letters or emails from the debt collector which say if they own it, you have to ask them.
Kayleigh says
I’ll have a look at that today and reply when ive looked thank you
SM says
Hi Sara,
Out of the blue I received a letter from Barclaycard today stating that the credit limit they provided when i applied was to high for my circumstances at the time and to contact them if I want to discuss this further.
However, the letter also states they have since reviewed my account and they are now satisfied that the credit limit now fits my current circumstances.
The card was always maxed out at the the limit but never over and I managed (struggled) to make all minimum payments on time, until my parents were able to lend me money to pay the card off.
Do I have grounds for a complaint, how would I word it, and what resolution should I be looking for?
TIA
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest that you agree that the card was unaffordable and ask for a refund of the interest you paid while you had the card.
Fred says
I also received this letter today, Did you speak to them at all Tia? I am curious to know.
SM says
Hi Fred,
I complained and was made a measly offer of £100 2 weeks ago. I then requested all fees and interest be refunded however I’ve still to hear back.
SM
Fred says
Good luck! I have made a
Similar complaint let’s see what they come back with.
Fred says
I heard back from Barclays and they do not uphold my complaint. seems weird when they’ve sent me a letter apologising. did you get any further with them?
Chris says
I received one last month, was dubious but phoned them today. They offered me £50 over the phone. explained at the time I was drawing money off other credit cards to pay the barclaycard (luckily now im in a better situation), but at the time I felt it was irresponsible and they have put it as a complaint. Doubt ill get anything back though
Sonya Hawley says
Hi
I had recently made a complaint to Barclaycard through Resolver. My complaint was about irresponsible lending. Has anyone had experience with this? I have today received a letter telling me that they carried out very ‘robust’ checks when I lied – however omitted to notice I had previously taken out 35 pay day loans. In March 19 they increased my credit limit by other £400. From the time it took between the original limit and the increase I had taken a further 10 pay day loans. Please don’t judge me – I really got myself in a mess which I am trying to sort.
James Govan says
Hi everyone, I’ve today received a letter claiming to be barclays also offering me 75 quid and they have said my defaulted credit card with a balance of 11k has been closed and I dont need to pay anything? I saw the letter and thought the worst! Is this genuine? I see the letters started in 2018 but it’s not two years later and I am just in shock. Any help grateful.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There will probably a telephone number on the letter you can call to confirm this is genuine.
Have you been ignoring the debt or making small monthly payments to it?
Jg says
When I was told on the phone I had defaulted they said they would send a letter. They never did and I never chased. Been a few years without contact now
Jamie Whitehorn says
I got a letter like this a while ago. Like you I was very shocked, and thought it might be a fake or a scam. I eventually phoned a number I got from the Barclays website and said I need to confirm if a letter I had received was genuine. That took a lot of courage on my part. I gave them the reference number on the letter. I was shunted to a couple of different departments but then they confirmed the letter was genuine and had been sent by them. I also spoke to the Money Advice Service. They said that as I had a letter from Barclays saying they didn’t require any more payments on the debt, it would be impossible for them to change their minds later and try and get money from me, or sell the debt on. Any court would throw it out. They did tell me to keep the letter very safe and keep a copy of it somewhere.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
that’s good advice from the Money Advice Service!
Jg says
Thank you both! I called this morning and a guy took the reference and confirmed it was genuine!my debt is cleared and I’m due the refund. I have to admit I just had a wee cry! I realise this was my own fault but I have worried about this for years and I’ve just been made redundant at my work
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh good timing for you then.
But sorry to hear about your redundancy – here is my list of 4 steps to take if you lose your job: https://debtcamel.co.uk/redundant-debts/.
James says
I’ve just called them and they took the reference confirmed my details and confirmed my debt has now been wiped and they wont chase now or in the future for it. It will take up to 8 weeks for credit agency to be told and for it to show on my credit report. I have to admit I just cried, I know this was my own fault but I have worried about it for years and I’ve just been made redundant from my job! Thank you both!
Jg says
Just a heads up this was genuine. Just checked my credit report and it now shows as being settled. As it’s legit I’ve sent away my form to claim my refund they offered!
A Patel says
Just received a letter stating’ we may have previously set your credit limit high from previous circumstances and to contact them if incurred loss’s I contacted them and they offered £75 to my bank account which i accepted. Only received this letter after I transferred the balance to natwest as my balance transfer offer was coming to an end and interest would have kicked in. Do you think they would have wrote it off if i still had the debt with Barclaycard?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Write offs only generally happened where interest had been added after Barclaycard was aware the customer was in difficulty. If you weren’t being charged interested and balance transferred it out, it’s not clear that you actually incurred any losses?
asif patel says
Thanks for your reply.
AJ says
Hi A Patel,
I’ve received the same letter today. However, could I please ask, where they happy for you to call at the moment with the current situation as I’m a bit worried that they’ll tell me my call is not urgent enough?
Thanks
SM says
Hi Patel,
You can register your complaint online, it may take slightly longer to reply and investigate however that’s understandable with current circumstances
asif patel says
Hi sorry for late reply. Yes they were happy to answer the call. Just give them a ring.
David says
Hello Sara, I was hoping you might be able to help. My mother recently died and I found out that she had 2 credit cards with Barclaycard. The balance was £24476. I requested the last 3 years statements (back to 2016) to discover my mother had just been repaying the minimum payment for nearly 3 years and having paid £24820 back still had a balance on both cards of £20207. They then off-set half the debt by taking money from my mother’s Barclays account after she died. This fits the FCA description of persistent debt and Barclays admit that they knew there was a problem but do not agree it was persistent debt insisting they did nothing wrong. I came across the above article about Barclay’s wanting to put things right and think my mother should have been contacted. I have made a complaint with the FOS and would appreciate any words of wisdom you might have.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can I ask how old your mum was?
Sandra says
Hi! I’m sorry for the long post.
In 2015 I made a complaint to Barclays over a 3x increase in the interest charged for my overdraft which propelled the account over its limit. I wasn’t given notice and I was unemployed so I couldn’t increase my standing deposits. I asked for money attributed to the new interest to be taken off and requested some kind of solution. Barclays’ response was to deny any wrongdoing, refund fees for exceeding the overdraft limit but maintain the interest rate. I soon after deferred my deposits to other debts because it seemed a waste. The account was terminated some months later and debt seemed to multiply to over £3k. I haven’t heard from Barclays about the debt since 2016 and I never made any payments.
I recently contacted Barclays recoveries team and they mentioned that the debt was readjusted in 2018 and £1300 refunded. He first said it was due to “incorrect charges” but when pressed for further information he said his choice of words was a mistake and it was just a readjustment. Now reading this article I’m wondering if this was why. I was thinking of settling the debt but making a fresh complaint first. Now I’m wondering if I should request full details of the readjustment and haggle for more of a refund? Also is there a way to challenge all the extras they place on a debt? I’m not entirely sure how my £1750 overdraft turned to into a £3500 debt.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
is the 3500 before or after the 1300 refund?
Sandra says
The £3000 was the amount before the refund.
The current amount they’re looking for is roughly £1700. My overdraft was roughly £1100 when they changed the interest.
Sorry, my figures are not exact but ballpark from what I remember from talking with Barclays. They say I currently owe just over £1700 and this figure came after they applied the refund.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So they have taken a significant chunk off what you owe.
If you complained before, it can be difficult to complain again about the same thing – Barclays may simply reply that they have already answered your complaint and you should have taken it to the Financial Ombudsman within 6 months of their reply if you weren’t happy with it.
Do you know when they stopped adding charges? One thing you could do now is ask for a statement of account to see exactly what happened.
Lucy says
I have a Barclaycard and added my mother to the card. I hardly use it but she took every increase they offered and run up roughly 8k over the years even taking out cash at the ATM despite me warning her about it several times. She has been paying the minimum every month for 5 years or more and it barely changed the balance. I contacted Barclays more than once over the years trying to find a solution and asking if they could at least offer a 0% period cause they seem to have it for new customers. They always said no. My mother didn’t even realise that when she paid more money than the minimum it only reduced the next direct debit not the balance. In the last year I noticed they started sending letters saying the account is in persistent debt and giving an impossible monthly fixed amount she should pay. The letters also said they would close the account if it continued. Didn’t seem fair. Because it’s also affecting my credit score I was lucky to got a 0% card from Halifax for 3k and I did a balance transfer a few months ago. I also kept her payments the same as a fixed monthly payment.
Should I be asking Barclaycard for a refund and how likely would getting one be?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I contacted Barclays more than once over the years trying to find a solution and asking if they could at least offer a 0% period cause they seem to have it for new customers. They always said no
Why didn’t you stop your mum using the card? And look for a 0% deal elsewhere?
You will only win a complaint if you can show the credit limit was raised to a level that YOU could not afford. Can you?
What your mum could afford is irrelevant – Barclaycard gave you the credit not your mum.
Lucy says
I was unemployed / studying from 2011-2019 and my mother is a pensioner. A 9k maximum limit made no sense to me and I always ignored every increase request. I wasn’t actually aware that my mother had increased it to 9k until 2 years ago. I don’t think they ever asked me about affordability and I certainly mentioned this when trying to find a solution.
She said she used the money to cover deficits in her bills and she was making the payments so I didn’t want her to have larger debt problems. I applied for lots of 0% cards over the years and got rejected. The recent websites that give pre approvals have been really helpful.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then I think you can send Barclaycard a complaint saying they increased your credit limit to an unreasonably high level and this is the reason you have ended up in persistent debt.
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/ which looks at how to make these complaints. If they offered you further increases after you had already asked them about reducung interest, this will help your case.
But as I said before, the fact your mum is a pensioner is irrelevant – you need to argue with Barclaycard on the basis of your finances.
And I do think you need to tell your mum she has to stop using the card. Suggest she gets some debt advice – there may be extra benefits she can claim that will help with the bills.
Lucy says
Thanks you Sara! She hasn’t used the card in about 3 years, just paying the minimum and never missing a payment! I’ll make a complaint and hope we get lucky!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
switch as much as possible to a 0% card was a good move. As is asking your mum to pay the same amount every month. But you should also ask Barclaycard to remove her card.
Jade says
Hi Sara,
Me, again!
This is a bit of a weird one: In Sept 2019 I unexpectedly received a letter from Barclays, saying they had put me on the wrong interest rate when I took out the credit card years ago, and they were refunding me £1600. I hadn’t been expecting it so I was, of course, very pleased – but the letter was a bit odd as there were dates that were left blank, it read as being an incomplete letter.
I queried it with Barclays, because I wanted to check when the correction had been applied from – I spent ages on the phone to various departments, and then I spoke to someone who said I was also due a refund because they had increased my credit rate when they shouldn’t have done, pushing me further into debt. It was clear this was a separate issue.
I tried to find out further, and was told that it was strange that I had been told that already, because this refund scheme wasn’t due to start until 2020. I have been waiting and waiting for news – and when I queried again the other day, they’ve told me that actually I’m not due this refund for increasing my credit rate when they shouldn’t have done.
So, now I’m confused! How could I have been told this and then it’s been retracted? It seems strange to me. I’m just not sure if it’s human error and I should leave it, or if it’s something worth pursuing. Do you have any advice?
Best wishes,
Jade
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Very weird!
I haven’t heard of this happening to anyone else.
When did you open the account? Did they later increase the interest rate? or increase your credit limit?
If they did, had missed any payments before that? Always made the minimum payments?
Jade says
To be honest, I don’t have a full record of all of this. I know that I opened the account in September 2013 with a credit limit of £4,500. In 2015, my credit limit was £6,500 – and I can see a few late payment emails from them during that same year, but I don’t actually have a complete record because I no longer have the bank statements from back then.
I don’t think things got really bad for me until 2016 (I think that’s when I took out my first payday loan) but there must have been something on Barclays system that flagged me as being eligible for the refund, and now not so.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you read https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/ and think whether you have a reason to complain that your credit limit was increased too high.
If you do, then you could try to combine that with saying you hoped the letter from them date dd/mm/yy promising 1600 refund would help reduce your debts problems and you feel it is unfair of them to now say you should not have been sent that,
If you don’t think you can say the card was unaffordable, then you can still send them a complaint, saying you were made, this offer and then given different and confusing information and now they have withdrawn it and this is not fair. Ask for some compensation.
sam hawkey says
The ombudsman has reviewed my case and said Barclays were at fault for raised my limit when I was dependant on payday loans.
They have said: Barclaycard to;
Re-work Mr H’s account so that all fees and charges applied to it from 4 June 2014 onwards are removed. AND If an outstanding balance remains on the credit card once these adjustments have been made Barclaycard should contact Mr Hawkey to arrange a suitable repayment plan for this.
So they will be crediting charges back for when I went over my limit? (£12 each time I think)
they had till the 28th July to respond, and heard nothing yet :(
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Good result from going to the Ombudsman, I hope Barcalycard accept it.
Ray says
In 2011 I had one card with a £3000 limit…. in 2013/4 they gave me a second card with a £10000 limit that I’m finding difficult to pay back. I was offered no refund.
Is this worth me contacting them. I’m hoping at least the 10000 be written off lol
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is a big limit for a second card – had you applied for a card for a balance transfer?
Raymond Chambers says
I honestly can’t remember ….
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, well it sounds worth making an affordabilty complaint. If this is more than 6 years ago the complaints tend to go slower and be harder to win, but give it a go!
Ray says
It was under 6 years and the lady on the phone was very rude. She was like ‘well we gave you the minute, you didn’t have to use it’ wow 😮 but they’ve acknowledged the complaint now so at least I can go to the FOS with it if it’s not passed
sam says
I complained to barclays who gave me a card when I had a few payday loans.
they then gave me an increase from £2k to £3.5k when I was inundated with them.
they have today accepted to reduce it down to £1k and im on a plan to get rid of this which is excellent.
they will then close my credit card with them.
Will this affect my credit score or if I will ever want a mortgage with them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You need to ask them about this. If Barclaycard have accepted they increased your credit record to an unaffordable level, they should not have your credi score harmed as a result – but this needs to be checked.