A Manchester resident, identified only as PG, received an email from Barclaycard a year ago stating that his application for a credit card had been successful, despite him never applying. He immediately reported the error to Barclaycard, but the company continued to send emails and payment reminders, eventually notifying him that the account's latest payment was overdue.
Repeated complaints and a case of mistaken identity
PG said he made repeated phone calls to Barclaycard's customer service after the initial email. He was assured the incident was a simple typo rather than fraud, and that his email address would be removed from the account. However, the payment reminders persisted, escalating in urgency.
The account actually belongs to another individual with the same name as PG, but with a slightly different spelling. This namesake, also referred to as PG, is affected by Barclaycard's error because the first PG has been receiving his billing information, including notifications of overdue payments.
Barclaycard blames human error and offers compensation
Barclaycard attributed the mix-up to "human error" and removed PG's email address from the account exactly 13 months after he first reported the issue. The company apologised for the delay and offered £200 for the inconvenience.
The case highlights the potential for errors in financial communications to cause distress and privacy concerns for customers. PG sought help from the Guardian's Consumer Champions to ensure Barclaycard deleted his email address and to alert his namesake about the situation.
