Barclay's waiting time on phone

[user1497643032]

Wow 😮 wow, 🤦🏽‍♀️ I don't even know what to think. I have been on the phone for 3 hours and 12 mins to Barclays waiting for my call to be picked up. I am not a Barclays customer although I use to have an account that got closed because I was not using it and now I wanna open another one & here I am waiting on the phone for this long 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️. I am wondering if I should hang up or just wait

[Lockheart]

Why don't you just open an account online...?

[user1497643032]

@Lockheart
I am trying to transfer my companies Acc to barclays and it can't be done online moreover most high street banks are currently not opening this type of account. I have decided to hang up once it's 3 hrs and 30mins 🤦🏽‍♀️

[Tonkerbea]

Awful wait times at the moment. 2.5 hrs wait to cancel my stolen debit card and their online cancelling function was not working. No apology either.

[BilboBercow]

That's a nightmare. I'm currently trying to get through to First Direct and it's not even connecting.
However I also work in banking and I know the banks are taking a hammering right now because they're working on a significantly reduced staff, struggling with the technical issues involved in getting people set up with working from home and taking a big uptick in calls because of people worried about their finances.

[maddening]

The business banking I believe have a call back service, can they call you rather than you hanging on?

[pigsDOfly]

I'm with Lloyds and mostly do phone banking on their automated system.

When you ring there's a message saying their staff are only dealing with urgent matters and not to stay on the line unless your call is urgent.

I imagine the waiting times are very long.

[GinDaddyRedux]

Use the callback service. Most companies are using a call routing system where agents at home call back when a message is passed on. So you'll be waiting a long time

[BilboBercow]

Actually we have had an incident today and so has First Direct, I think it's a 3rd party supplier. Maybe the same?

[MamaLion1319]

Ring through on the app. It's free and they answer straight away plus your halfway through security.

[letmethinkaboutitfornow]

I contacted Barclays twice in the last month via their live chat where they could sort my issue within 10 minutes to my satisfaction.
I think they are very quick.

Are you sure you worded your query correctly? In the right phone queue?

[Tohaveandtohold]

I got through to someone the other day and they said most of their contact center is in India and they are still on lock down. So it’s just the few people in England available to take the calls so the wait time can be a lot

[Tohaveandtohold]

But they are quicker on the chat

[TeaAndHobnob]

Banks are struggling with the volume of covid related financial crises of their customers and their own staff working from home/in lockdown so unless it's really urgent I wouldn't be phoning.

Email, online chat, much preferable.

[ATowelAndAPotato]

If it’s a business account you are trying to open, then definitely worth calling through the business banking option. Majority of advisors are UK based for business banking, although also probably still working from home like a lot of the rest of the UK

[maggiethecat]

How misery loves company!!! I thought it was only me - I tried 3 different days, times, waiting over 45 mins each time and the last time got through after 1.5 hours .
They told me same thing as Tohaveandtohold about their contact centre and that they are trying to train staff up here - job opportunities there I would expect.
4 days later still waiting for them to contact me back with the info they said they would provide in 2 days

[user1497643032]

Wow, I think it is a lie- Barclays says it is still opening business accounts for companies. I called again today & was on hold for 2 hours after spending 3 hrs 30 mins holding on last Friday. I have sent them a message to stop saying they are still opening accounts - it is obvious they can't deliver what they are saying so what's the point saying it.

[Darcydashwood]

I was on hold for 90mins to Barclays. Gave up and left a request for a call back using their call back system. I never got called back

[user1497643032]

@Darcydashwood - there is a call back system? Perhaps for a different dept. It is all very frustrating.