Conor O’Grady
BBC News, Leicester
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A woman was left without a home for three days after Barclays was hit by a technical issue just as she was completing the purchase of her new house.
Emily McAllister, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, was told by her solicitors that she was unable to finalise the move into her new property because of the fault.
However the 43-year-old had already exchanged contracts with the family who were buying her house she had lived in for seven years.
It meant Ms McAllister and her 19-year-old daughter Keira, who is autistic and has Down’s syndrome, had to spend two nights with her sister and one night at a local hotel before the move could be completed.
“We had prepared her [Keira] for the move, but I ended up running around on Friday evening sorting things out,” said Ms McAllister, who has been a Barclays customer for more than 25 years.
“All her routines were completely thrown out. That creates anxiety for her, and she had episodes where she was discombobulated over the weekend.”
The bank has not explained what was behind the technical issue, which caused problems with payments and transactions.
After complaining to the customer service team, Ms McAllister was offered between £50 and £70 in compensation.
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“I could not believe what I was hearing. It felt like a complete disregard for what we have gone through,” she told the BBC.
“I need to cover the extra costs of the removal van. I had to buy takeaways that I would not have to purchase.
“We were standing in the clothes that we were doing removals in. I feel completely disappointed.”
A Barclays spokesperson apologised for the distress caused.
“We have reviewed this case and are in contact with this customer, and we will update them on a resolution as quickly as possible,” they said.
“We will ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket.”