To tell you all to check your bank accounts very carefully!

[SeaMagic]

... particularly if you deposit cheques in the automated machine thingy.

You know the one that bank staff encourage and cajole their customers to use as it means you will have less of a wait [and they do not have to employ so many actual people/counter staff].

Bloody Barclays. This has happened to me TWICE now. I usually use the counters to deposit cheques as I have previously had cheques to the value of £300 go missing and not credited to my account when I dropped them in the machine. Luckily I had a receipt and was able to prove that I had deposited the cheques... but it took Barclays forever to investigate and they were so blasé and non-apologetic

Now I have found it has happened again. Against my better judgement I deposited £400 worth of cheques in the automated machine about 2 months ago. I was in a rush, the queue was immense, I thought what's the chances of my cheques going missing again? Well, it appears that they have. I have just found the receipt tucked in my diary and thought I would check my statements to ensure it has actually been paid in... to discover I can't find it anywhere on any statement. Ring telephone banking, chap on the other end also can't find it anywhere. Has passed it on to the complaint team, will take 48 hours for them to investigate apparently.

I tell the telephone banking guy I want to make a complaint. He has given me a generic Barclays address to complain to. No thanks, I want a real person, preferably someone with authority to hear my story. Does anyone know who I should take my complaint to?

I am feeling mighty pissed off but also rather concerned as some branches are now fully automated, i.e. no counter staff just machines. These sort of mistakes are completely unacceptable imo. Yes, I probably should have checked my receipt earlier but in the general busyness of life it just got overlooked. It is also possible that my receipt might have gotten lost and then I would have struggled to prove I even deposited money into the machine! I have quite a few clients who pay me via cheque and I am now wondering if I need to tell them that I no longer accept this method of payment.

So please everyone, look after your receipts for depositing cheques and also make sure your money has actually been deposited into your account!

I want an old peoples bank, for want of a better phrase.

One with no machines, no "helpful" queue diverters, and one where I get my cheque/withdrawal slip/cash dealt with by and actual person with an actual name.

I have often taken the piss out of my mum for refusing to use an ATM, she still cashes cheques at the counter, but even I refuse to use the paying machines.

I saw a completely wonderful lady in Natwest, she looked very well to do in a wealthy-but-eccentric way. The queue diverter went to her and said "What are you here for today?" and she drew herself up to her full 5ft and said "If I wanted to talk to the monkey, I wouldnt be in the queue for the organ grinder!" The QD didnt speak to anyone else the whole time I was on there!

an not and...pay in not paying...in not on....

Ha ha! love that comment! not sure I'm eccentric enough in my appearance to pull it off!

But I hate when you get to the counter and they tell you off for not having done it on line. I do everything on line. Sometimes I can't do it on line, so stop giving me grief and just make the transfer or whatever.

The bank is supplying a service and they need to provide it. If it's not working for you, you complain.
I do it all the time when it's necessary.

I always ignore the bullies who try and tell me to use the automated machines after a bad experience like yours OP. I take great delight in telling the smiling wanker interrogating the queue within earshot of other customers just why I will never use their silly machine again.

I prefer to leave with a proper receipt in my hand, thank you very much.

Speak to the ombudsman if you aren't happy or they are being slow.

I had a serious issue with Barclays service at the counter, I complained and waited for 8 weeks for an answer. I went to the ombudsman because it took so long and was offered £250 compensation. They need to sort their shit out and the only way they will is by reporting them!

This is why I pay all of my 'big company' bills by Direct Debit. Anything I can't goes through Pay-m or Internet faster payments - because all banks can 100% find the money for you if it goes missing (even if it takes a while and you need to push). Cheques are too risky and the onus is all on you to supply the proof.

I use cheques a lot for work (still have to by law for the moment) and always pay in at the counter because I worry about this.

Natwest once lost a very large cheque I'd deposited via machine. Lots of wrangling since they didn't believe me (was a student at the time). Luckily I had a receipt. Eventually got a phone call saying they'd found the cheque on the floor

You can't esily move your businesss away from cheques if that is what your customer wants to use. Some of mine pay by cheque.
They will still be here in five years, there are still two million cheques banked every day. They are being digitalised and cheque use is set to increase, not decrease.

Use the generic address, Barclay's will send you £25. Say you're still not happy and they will send you £50. Forget any heroic ideas about getting someone senior to listen. They don't care. Take the compensation and keep a closer eye in future.

My Nationwide doesn't put an image of the Cheque on the receipt, I banked one in their machine last week and it spat an envelope at me, so can't imagine how it could take an image through an envelope.

FWIW, mum banks at TSB, no queue diverters and she can still cash a cheque at the counter. I am thinking of moving there.

You know when people say about science "Just because we can, it doesnt mean that we should", well I feel the same about technology. Or rather, I feel that way about technology that is introduced before it is fully working and doesnt cause more problems than it solves.

Gladys why is that wonderful? Someone trying to do their job and help, gets spoken to in that manner?

Because she does it every single time, to every single person and no matter what you say, she has a reason to divert you from the queue. No does not mean no to this woman.

And it made me laugh, so shoot me.

I should say that often, thanks to QD, there is often a longer queue for the machines and 3 or 4 people with nothing to do at the cash desks, where is the sense in that?!

I've had a different problem! Cash going missing.
(In fact I have had lots of problems with the Clydesdale - in the process of my third official complaint in 18 months at the moment. I do the money for 4 local charities. We used to have a local branch - they closed it down and ever since we have had problems doing things like changing signatories on the accounts - it used to be simple now it is a complete nightmare and they have a problem (a system generated letter just isn't generated ...at least they now believe me as it has happened 5+ times to different people, different accounts)
Our 'local' branch is now a 10+ mile round trip away in the town centre - so you have to pay for parking etc so we have been banking money through the post office...which has worked really well - except now they have closed our post office down too and moved it into a Spar.
To be fair they are still learning the processes but it takes ages to do the simplest things.
Anyway I deposited some cash over a month ago - realised two weeks ago it hadn't appeared in the account, looking at the receipt they have made an error inputting the sort code....it is a real sort code but I don't think it will be a real account....(all the accounts I know with that sort code start with the same 3 different digits). So I phoned telephone banking - took ages to be told they couldn't help I had to go into the branch - so I phoned the branch to be told they needed to take a copy of the receipt so they could email it somewhere. Right save me a trip - can I scan it and email it to you ? and then you can send it on? Much faffing - yes I could...but then I haven't heard from them since and the money hasn't turned up . Not a large amount if it had gone into someones's account there is a good chance they haven't noticed (I probably wouldn't) but I suspect it is lost in the ether. Apparently I should get it back ...how long it will take they don't know ...and this isn't my money -it is a charities money ...which I was responsible for. Making me really uncomfortable...

Have you considered changing banks? I tried Barclays but they had really rubbish customer service. RBS has really great customer service, and if you have a lot of cheques to deposit then the Nationwide is great. They have an account called InvestDirect where you get freepost envelopes and you can just post the cheques. They always arrive in the account.

We pay in cheques weekly and no problems always check statements (Barclays) always use automated machines. Maybe staff at your branch OP.

At my branch of Nationwide, if the queue for the main banking counter is long, then the personal banker people with individual offices pop out in between booked appointments to take people into their offices for things like deposits, moving money, making up passbooks etc.

It's brilliant... Except that ds has only ever done transactions (or seen me do them) with excellent customer care across a desk in a nice office - he'll grow up thinking that's normal!

I'm with Barclays and my local branch no longer has cashiers. The last two times I've gone in to deposit cheques in the machine there haven't been any envelopes and I've had to wait whilst a member of staff goes hunting. Can't understand why they don't keep the supply topped up!!

DH has a Santander business a/c and I pay in about 200 cheques pm in deposit envelopes (10 cheques per envelope) via post office counter. Never had a single problem in 10 years.

I can't imagine cheques going within the next 10 years - a lot of DH's customers are elderly and don't pay any other way apart from cheque or cash.

I desperately want to change banks as mine is rubbish.
All branches in town are automated. The only way I can talk to a person is if I go to a branch 6 miles out of town which is only open while I work. useful

I wasn't working in January. The terms of my ac state I have to pay in £1250 a month to keep my ac open. I knew this and dh transferred me the money. Bank tried to close my ac because the money was coming from dh. Not an employer.

I've queried this a few times. Their ts and cs clearly state that money must be paid in. No mention of whether it's from an employer or not. But they still want to close my ac

I've tried to open new ac with other banks but am repeatedly told I don't earn enough. All banks here it seems now only want to open premier accounts for premier customers. And I don't meet the criteria. Sigh.

Yes Jane I know having a receipt doesn't stop the possibility of the cheque/s being lost by the bank and not deposited in the account... but if you have a receipt you can prove you did deposit the cheque/s and you know how much they were for!

I think what also upsets me about this situation, apart from the inconvenience and worry caused, is that Barclays are so bloody blasé about it... Like, that's fine, if you are correct and are found [after 48 hours] to have actually deposited the money then Barclays will pay the amount into your account.

Oh that's okay then... well, no actually. I want to hear assurances that this should never happen, that a serious error has occurred and the situation is being looked into/additional training will be given to ensure this doesn't happen again [even if it's all bollocks, but I want to feel that they do take this situation seriously, that it should never happen and they will do their best to ensure it won't!].

I work in a highly regulated medical field where technology is also used to ensure that a patient's cells are stored and matched in treatment appropriately. They are initially scanned by the machine but then also checked by two qualified members of staff to ensure that the data is correct and matched up. If a mistake was made all hell would rain down on these staff members' heads and the clinic I work for could possibly lose it's license. Now I am not saying that missing cheques is of the same importance as medical treatment... but I want to understand what systems Barclays currently have in place to check the deposits made to their machines and what they plan to do when a cock up like this occurs!
Think I will put that in my letter to them!

Also, Barclays [and other banks] are quick to fine their customers if the customer makes a mistake. Well Barclays also need to take more responsibility if they make a cock up, not just shrug their shoulders and say they will pay you after they investigate [to see if you are lying or not]

Barclays are trialling an phone cheques deposit scheme, it's amazing!

Try and get on this pilot scheme - it'll save you loads of hassle.

I have had this recently and its caused a family war. My mother gave us all £1000 from her house sale and the Barclays machine refused to recognize my cheque (although it took it) was told they would need another one. She provided another one and both were cashed...... It also looks like one has been altered....
My mum has now accused me of fraud and I have had two solicitors letters in the last two weeks and Barclays are at fault (I realise this says more about my mum than the bank) they have only just returned the money.....