Barclays PIN Sentry customer service is a massive FAIL
This is a follow up to my previous rant about Barclays bank customer service.
I ordered my Barclays PIN Sentry card reader over a month ago so I could continue to use my online banking facility. The PIN Sentry card reader it yet to turn up, and Barclays have locked me out of online banking until this turns up. Nice one.
They gave me a special phone number to call, for the PIN Sentry help desk in India or something. Great.
So I call this number, hold for 15 minutes, then get to speak to someone who asks me half a dozen security questions - one of which the lady on the phone claims I got wrong. I know what it was - my mobile phone number - which has changed since I joined Barclays 10 years ago. Well, having realised my error in being honest, I offered to tell her what my old phone number was and correct this error. She refused to let on what question I got wrong (as if my date of birth or mothers maiden name might have changed), she wouldn’t let me tell her the correct answer, and locked me out of further correspondence with Barclays telephone support.
I now have to visit a branch to prove who I claim to be so I can continue to use services which previously worked fine, but they forced me to change - and then failed to process the change. I never actually wanted this PIN Sentry thing.
Barclays if your reading this your customer service fails harder than Northern Rocks balance sheet. You’re going to get dumped. First Direct will offer me £100 to go join them.
Posted in Uncategorized
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Thats a total farce. These barclays pin machines have started turning up on desks at work revealing the barclays customers amoungst us. Its gonna make life difficult for all if other banks follow barclays lead, but if enough folk bugger off to different banks then maybe itll put a stop to it.
I had my details stolen before, bank called me when someone tried to pay off a £650 Sky bill. Had to chop my card up and all that but looking back Id rather go through the hassle of not having a card for a week or two than permanatly have to use some pin machine every time I want a dominos.
February 7th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
god your a very sad person if you have nothing better to do in your life than create blogs to moan about banks
February 7th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
If your bank pissed you about I bet you’d just roll over and take it. Typically British, no wonder this country is a joke. Get some balls and stand up for youself.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Wow! I guess when Barclays was the first ever bank to introduce the cash point machine there was people like you who slated it but grow up boys its the 21st century. Just because you are too stupid to get it!
And if you think this country is a joke then why don’t you do us all a favour and leave! the grass always seems greener on the other side, plus one of those third world countries who deal in sheep and cow swapping as payment might be more your style (getting back to basics and all that).
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Unfortunately, I am finding myself now in a similar situation as the author of the first note. Waited for a week to receive PINSentry reader (which I didn’t chose to use/get), followed instructions only to be logged out, called support line (guy on the other side of the world couldn’t hear me so ended the call), called another line (chap asked me all the security questions, got me on the login website and when it didn’t work told me I could speak tomorrow to a specialist team between the hours of 8am-8pm). I am now unable to access my BARCLAYS online banking which already has been the most user unfriendly online banking system. I am not only fuming because I can not view my account and make necessary transactions but because this is more and more the way customer service is conducted by large scale profit-making businesses. I guess it’s time to say goodbye to Barclays. Has anybody else had similar experiences with this damn pin reader?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:38 am
We spent 3 months and 2 days establishing a Pin for online banking only to find that they were giving the wrong membership number for a company account to the incorrect party (not hard to work out really). The fact is and I’m not a racist person but they do not understand English fluent (merely pigeon English) we eventually demanded service in the UK from their dedicated business team (we were told this was not possible 8 times), we have 2 accounts with them with over £500K in credit balances and a parallel B of Scotland bank account to switch if we need to - it’s that bad - one more problem and were gone.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
DISASTER - DISASTER - DISASTER - The guy ought to be hung out and dried, who would think that it was a good idea to piss off so many customers who now have the inconvenience of carrying around a ruddey huge great calculator in their pocke so they can acess their money on line!!!
My latest incident in the trail of disaster is I have just wasted 4 hours of my life calling online banking support in India, who cant fix my PINsentry login problem - FIVE TIMES!!! - I can acess my account saying I dont have the dammed Pinsentry Calculator but, try with it and it spits a 1100 error and says I cant log in!!
I Think they are having a meltdown with this Thing and I suggest you all jump ship.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:46 am
IMPORTANT!
I was sick of Barclays imposing a pin century on me and complained a number of times to no avail. In the end I wrote to complain saying I was about to close my account. I then got a call from my manager and I explained that no other bank I bank with treated me like a child and the whole purpose of having an online account was so I could access my account when and where I chose and NOT have to have my card and a stupid Century with me. I said I wanted to close all my accounts. . .
They phoned me back in one hour and told me the pin century device had been lifted from my account! Got my new pass code in the post this morning and I am now back to normal online banking.
PIN CENTURY CAN BE REMOVED FROM YOUR ACCOUNT - JUST THREATEN THEM WITH CLOSING YOUR ACCOUNT!
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
>I Think they are having a meltdown with this Thing and I suggest you all jump ship.
Just thought I’d post a positive comment…
I received my PIN sentry, I used it with my card and it works fine..
This should be the norm? To jump ship seems a little harsh for what should be
an increase in security?
Owen
May 27th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
The pin sentry is quite a unique bitof kit. regardless of the size ( to wwhich i agree is quite on the humongous side) It does what its job is supposed to do. To reduce fraud. As long as you read the instruction you are fine. The instructions are really that SIMPLE…
1) Put card into machine
2) Press identify
3) the one most people forget to do .. is on the WEBSITE itself.. make sure you type in the LAST FOUR DIGITS of your card… (yes the ones that are revealed even after entering your card into the machine!
4)Enter your PIN number in the pin sentry machine (if you’ve forgotten or lost your pin you’re buggered)
5)Enter the 8 digit number on the WEBSITE..
Following this it allows you to log on. You AREN’T forced to use pin sentry. So rather than jumping down the banks throats try to figure out why they are doing this. FOR YOUR SAFETY. Card fraud still happens… and why?.. well mostly cause people are too afraid to change their own old school method of banking..
Hope this helped
June 12th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
You are forced to use it unless you kick up a massive fuss and get it removed.
I agree it is simple to use, but a complete pain in the arse to have to carry the stupid thing around every time you want to log into online banking.
In no way is this remotely compareable to the introduction of cash points which actully make life easier not harder.
August 9th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Rimsky went the dazzlingly buy cytotec then announced held.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Not so sure whether this PIN Sentry thing is safe. I take mine to work and if anyone lifts my jacket with my card and Sentry in it (while I’m at lunch say) then they have free access to my bank account and I can’t prove that it wasn’t me who made the transaction. At least before I had a secret password.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am
STUPID. online security is already better than telephone banking. and for telephone banking you dont need a pin sentry. i was given no notice about the pin sentry so now i cant make payments. and i live in China so it’s a nightmare getting it.
Does it not invalidate the WHOLE POINT of online banking? i.e. that you can do anything anywhere.
I recommend everyone do what I’ve done:
1) Write in to complain
2) Move to a different bank. F**K barclays.
j
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Applied for Pin Sentry a couple of weeks ago as it seems you can no longer transfer money out of an account of do anything useful online unless you do. Although the card reader thing turned up, I didn’t receive the new bank card that would work with the Pin Sentry system. Phoned them to see what had happened and it turns out that, as there had been some fraud detected on the Pin Sentry system and they were now being ultra cautious, the new card hadn’t actually been sent and I would have to go to a branch and apply for the upgraded card in person. It would have been nice if someone had actually let me know about this and I hadn’t had to spend 5-10 minutes being passed around their (pretty awful) customer service system to find out.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
This Pinsentry is a completely wast of time. I have tried a number of times to login without success. I visited my local branch and they only tried to pass the buck to online banking. In fact the young lady was quite unfamiliar with that device and was only able to say contact online banking. I will be backl in my branch later to complain
September 30th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I spent two months trying to move my business banking from HSBC to Barclays (chose them carefully). After a month of terrible access problems and slow to load web pages I was just getting used to Barclays online banking when this heap of shit hit my desk. HELLO??? I’m online anywhere and dont want to carry this around!!! I will make one effort of having this system removed or I’ll be off to First Direct too.
Security should be applauded, but Barclays…why didn’t you make this optional? What a huge mistake!
What next…”Bank Manager In My Pocket (c)”?
October 24th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I have only just discovered this horror. Tried today to add a new payee to my banking only to be told I could not do it without one of these machines. Trawled the website till I was dizzy which told me all about how it works - but not how to get one even if I think I do. I have another account with IF perhaps I’ll go there.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Was with the Woolwich, having moved from Barclays after dreadful service and super-rude staff. Barclays then bought the Woolwich - sob. Card Sentry. What a load of shite. Don’t want this rubbish bit of complexity, didn’t ask for it, don’t need it.
Have just briefed my financial advisor to move my mortgage (and bank account) elsewhere. Jackie - your chippy little blog indicates you’re winding us up or (worse) you work for Barclays. As for leaving this busted country - too right girl. Master Plan is to emigrate just before the hideous disaster that will be the 2012 Olympics. Aren’t Barclays a major sponsor?!?! We’re doomed.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I have pin sentry as does my partner. It is working with no problem whatsoever
November 12th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
am throwing in the towel. moving to hsbc. tired of this pin sentry crap. Technology that makes peoples lives harder is unjust!
November 17th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I want to know why my pin senrty has stopped working.
November 21st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
After almost 30 years with Barclays, this pin sentry nonsense is the final straw and shall be moving bank asap. Their customer service is worse than John Sargents quick step.Just spent 20 depressing minutes speaking to some clown in an office god knows where,trying to resolve what should have been a straightforward query. Calling from France and having been kept on hold for 10 minutes, I requested that perhaps someone could call me back once the information was available.Oh that’s not possible sir is what I think he said but not exactly sure. In the end put the phone down in sheer frustration.
Barclays, you really are the biggest set of incompetent morons I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with.
Phew, rant over
Good day