Not upheld: account blocking and access to wages complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr O complained that Barclays unreasonably blocked his account and denied him access to his wages in late December 2025. The account was frozen on 29 December for a £3 credit review, and Mr O was told to visit the branch with ID but was not informed he needed proof of payment. When he visited on 31 December, he could not access his wages and felt treated unsympathetically. Barclays sent a text the same day requesting contact, but Mr O did not respond until 9 January when the account was unblocked. Mr O claimed the block caused him to miss payments from another account, affecting his credit record. Barclays paid £125 compensation. The ombudsman found the complaint not upheld, concluding that Mr O could have accessed his wages by providing payment evidence or responding to the text, and that the compensation was fair and reasonable.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Mr O was not told about needing payment evidence before visiting the branch, he was sent a text on 31 December which, if responded to, would have resulted in immediate account unblocking. The ombudsman concluded that Mr O could have accessed his wages either by providing payment evidence at the branch or by responding to the text. The ombudsman noted that Mr O did not contact Barclays again until 9 January, and that any regular payments from his Barclays account (such as his mortgage) continued to be made. The ombudsman was satisfied that Barclays acted appropriately in taking two days to review the account activity and that the £125 compensation for unsympathetic treatment and technical delay was fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website