Barclays chief executive apologises to couple
Barclays bank chief executive John Varley has today apologised personally to two Barclays bank customers who have been proven to have received inappropriate investment advice. John Day, 76, and his wife Maureen were advised by a Barclays bank representative to place more than three quarters of their investment capital into a "single risky investment fund". The couple lost tens of thousands of pounds over a couple of years and complained to Barclays bank without success.
However, as so many UK banking customers have done over the last few months, the couple then decided to take the complaint to a new level at which point Barclays bank finally gave in, 12 weeks after the initial complaint. This is becoming something of a common trait in the UK banking sector as recent complaint figures have shown that the vast majority of customers who were rejected by banks have had their complaints upheld by the Financial Ombudsman.
There are many who now believe that the move by Barclays bank, which saw the chief executive become involved, is a reflection of a changing attitude in this sector towards customer complaints. It comes just prior to a change in the system which will see banks obliged to publicise complaint figures in greater detail.
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