Following the sudden death of my husband, Barclays Partner Finance has been by far the worst and most unsympathetic company I have had to deal with.
We had an interest-Free Music Streming loan in my late husband's name relating to a gas boiler.
I wanted to settle the £2,252 balance but it took me more than a week, and more than eight hours' holding on the phone, to get to talk to someone.
I then received a letter addressed to my husband which asked him to complete, sign and return a form, following his recent call about nominating someone to act on his behalf regarding the account.
This caused me great distress.
Heartless: Barclays Partner Finance left a grieving widow on hold hold for a total of eight hours following the sudden death of her husband
I sent a cheque for the balance in the middle of May, asking for a receipt and confirmation that the loan was paid in full.
The cheque cleared on June 3.
On June 16, I received a further letter, dated June 11, threatening that unless I responded in 30 days the firm would require payment of the account including interest.
This was an interest-free loan.
J. P., Gillingham, Kent.
Once again a major bank treats a bereaved person with callous indifference.
At this appalling time you needed understanding and support. Instead, you were met with incompetence.
When you finally managed to speak to someone, after many attempts, it failed to act on your requests and — as your full letter details — tried to push you down an automatic route via a third-party company.
Its actions were indefensible.
Barclays blames human error for the fact that your payment was not registered. This led to you being chased for money you did not owe. Your account has now been registered as settled and closed.
Barclays has sent you a bouquet of flowers as a gesture of goodwill and credited your bank account with £150.
A spokesman says: 'We have apologised to Mrs P for the level of service she experienced, which fell short of the high standards we strive for.'
Strive harder, Barclays.
Much harder.
