Closed my barclaycard account in a rage as they wouldnt change my name

[mangosandlime]

I have had my barclaycard account for over 10 years since I was 18.

When I got married I changed my name on the account to my married name which was very easy to do.

When I seperated from my husband last year I contacted all companies I held accounts with and changed my name back to my maiden name. Once again very easily, as I sent copies of my passport which is in my maiden name along with my marriage certificated which shows both names as proof.

No company had any problem with this including the DVLA. They shouldn't as its perfectly within the law for a female, whether she is married or not, to choose to go by her maiden name or married name at any point.

Apart from Barclaycard. I sent them my change of details which the proof they would require and I got a letter back saying they needed to see divorce paperwork as proof of my change of name (or deedpoll).

I called up and explained that the divorce process will be long, and that I am not getting my name changed by deedpoll, it is my name, and its upsetting to be using an account regularly that shows a name that brings back bad memories.

They wouldnt do a thing about it so I closed my account there and then.

I am not asking for any advise, just ranting as its made me really angry.

Its easy enough for me to open a new credit card in my current name, so it baffles me why they couldnt change it like every one else.

You should actually have needed a deed poll to do this. If you had changed your passport when you married you wouldn't have been able to go back without a deed poll or a decree nisi, so I don't think Barclaycard were that unreasonable, sorry. You basically kept both names alive by not changing your passport which I'm pretty sure you're not meant to do.

By law your allowed to go by either without deedpoll.

Which was why bank and dvla had no problem.

I sent everyone my marriage certificate to show that i was going back to my maiden name

It's totally fine to use both names. My bank will even let me pay in cheques made out to me in my married name (from relatives who haven't got the idea that I didn't change it), since I took in my marriage cert.

Have you got the energy to take this up with them?

Lots of people use both names. Perfectly normal.

I parted ways with Barclaycard years ago. I only had one because it was the cheque guarantee card for my Barclays account (back in the day) which I also closed.

Never regretted it. Other cards/banks available

I'm surprised you didn't need to submit a copy of a change of name by deedpoll for more services, to be honest. You've been lucky that only Barclaycard have been strict about it.

You can go by either but you can't officially change your name - have a look at the passport website, they require deed poll or decree nisi.

But why should I have deedpoll for a name that i am legally allowed to go by?

Barclaycard have been very strange.

New credit card time it is.

There is now no accounts I have with my old name and thats the way it should be.

I thought that a woman's maiden name was always her legal name and that a married name is a social nicety (for want of a better phrase). I always thought that you can legally use either or both so long as you are not using either with the intention to commit fraud.

Barclays are a shit bank anyway so you are better off elsewhere. Recently they refused to accept a money transfer from the USA from my brother to my dad, refused to explain why or trace where the payment had gone. They did a sort of gallic shrug and fuck all else. Fine - another bank can benefit from the business!

Please take it up with them, write a formal letter of complaint, if only to make yourself feel better. I have written to finance companies many times in the past, my worst experiences being with Nationwide.

A regular one was letters being sent addressed to DH and not me relating to the mortgage (joint names, always has been) and the worst by far was sending a letter about MY credit card, showing MY full account number and MY balance to my DS. The only connection my DS had to my account was that he was an additional card holder (for emergencies when at uni). At no point was he ever responsible for payment of the account or have any control over it.

I was furious, and told them so. They did actually write to grovel and offered me £150 to shut me up, I never expected money just an apology, but it was nice bonus!

Rubbish. You can use 2 names for surnames. This name changing on marriage is very Anglo-Saxon and a minority decision compared to the rest of the world where women keep the names just like men they were born with. Pity it's not yet so common in the UK.

However, I ended up using my husband's surname solely on the deeds of the house, as the conveyancer at the time made the mistake of putting my husband's surname and I found out on exchange of contracts day and arguing over it could have cost a house sale so I subordinated to that name for that sole transaction, leading me to have to have a current account in that name (the mortgage company insisted on it at the time, Standard Life). Since then, the credit reference agencies have been fully aware I am one person with 2 surnames, 1 surname on 1 account and another surname on all other accounts. When I eventually purchased the house in my own name, no need to "change" name as I already had used it since birth, courts happy, bank happy, passport office happy, HMRC happy.

There really is no need to change back to a name you're born with.

It would be enough to make me close a bank account for anyone who objects to my surname.

I went through the something similar and if you ignore the principle of it, a deed poll costs £20.

I am tempted to get a deedpoll.

But resentful of needing one when everything else has been fine.

My passport is up for renewal in October and i just checked and because its already in my maiden name I wont have any problems there either.