A MUM has told how she was left without any money for weeks after her bank accidentally registered her DEAD.
Natalie Holdsworth, 30, was shocked to learn Halifax closed her account in May last year thinking she was deceased – when it was actually her grandmother who had died.
Natalie Holdsworth’s bank account was shut after Halifax wrongly believed she was deceasedNB PRESS LTD
It was actually Natalie’s grandmother, Eileen McEvoy, who had diedNB PRESS LTD
NB PRESS LTDShe was left without any money for weeks[/caption]
The mum-of-three had been taking care of her nan, Eileen McEvoy, and her gran’s pension had been going into Natalie’s account every four weeks.
But when Ms McEvoy passed on May first, 2021, her bank somehow thought it was Natalie who had died.
Natalie, from Bridlington, told The Sun: “It was about the 17th of May, that’s when I had first realised that I had been registered dead.
“I had gone to Tesco and when I tried to pay my card said it was suspended on the card machine.
“I thought ‘oh well that’s strange’. I had money on it so I was confused.
“I came out of Tescos and I rang the bank straight away and it asked me to enter my sort code account number and all of that.
“All of a sudden I heard a ringtone. This lady answered the phone and she was like ‘Hi you’re through to the bereavement line’.
“I told her who I was and then she said ‘oh I’ve got it down that you passed away on May first’.
“I said ‘pardon?’. I was so shocked. I said ‘well I’m clearly not dead because I’m on the phone to you’.”
Natalie explained to bank staff that it was her granny who had died – and after three hours on the phone, they said they would get her account back up and running.
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But it took weeks for her new card to arrive and be set up.
Natalie said: “Then the next problem was that I owed the funeral directors money for my nanny’s funeral.
“I told them what had happened and I was crying and upset because I owed them all the money.
“I asked them to help me but they said they’d never heard of anything like this happening before.
“I had to get an emergency loan from the council and rely on my family and my partner’s family for money. It was absolutely ridiculous.”
Once Natalie’s bank account was back up and running she went back to Halifax to try to seek compensation for the distress they caused her.
But she was shocked when she learned how little they were offering her.
She explained: “They offered me £11 to cover the three-hour phone call I had made previously.
“I thought they were joking. £11 for all the stress and hassle that they had caused me.
I said ‘well I’m clearly not dead because I’m on the phone to you’.
Natalie Holdsworth
“When I pushed then he said he could offer me £73.
“I said no that’s still not cutting it. I’m not happy with what they had done to me.”
The Financial Ombudsman has reviewed the case twice and has paid £1,289 to settle the complaint.
But Natalie believes the amount is not fair – as she is still experiencing problems as a result of their error.
How to complain about your bank or credit card provider
Bank and credit card providers are required to have a written complaints process that tells helps customers how to make a complaint.
You should be able to find the information on their website but if you don’t, ask them to send it to you.
It’s worth making your complaint as soon as possible, as it’ll be easier to remember all the relevant details to strengthen your case.
Then simply follow each stage of the process, and submit as much evidence as you can.
Once you’ve sent in your complaint, the firm needs to give you a response within eight weeks.
If you don’t get a response within eight weeks or you’re not happy with the one you do get, you can take your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.
She said: “To be honest with all the hassle they’ve put me through it’s just not enough.”
“Since then I’ve just had a massive issue. I can’t get credit, I can’t get anything on finance.
“Even catching up with my bills is hard work after having to go that long without money.”
A Halifax spokesperson: “We were very sorry to hear of Miss Holdsworth’s loss and understand the distress and inconvenience the issue with her account will have caused at such a difficult time.
“When Miss Holdsworth contacted us, we immediately removed the block and issued a new card which arrived in less than a week, and agreed to cover any costs incurred.
“We also made an additional payment in recognition of her experience.”