Barclays.comUK complaints data
"We have made good progress in reducing complaints with a substantial and sustainable reduction in banking complaints by nearly a third compared to the same period last year."
“Delivering excellent service to our customers is our goal every single day, in every single way a customer interacts with us. We want to get it right every time. When we do get it wrong, we apologise, try to correct it quickly and identify how to prevent it from reoccurring.
“We have made good progress in reducing complaints with a substantial and sustainable reduction in banking complaints by nearly a third compared to the same period last year.
“However, there is much more to be done and we are working hard to further improve our service to our customers; putting them at the heart of our business and getting it right first time, every time.”
Antony Jenkins
Chief Executive, Barclays Retail and Business Banking
Our approach
Our priority is to deliver excellent service every time a customer interacts with us. However, there are occasions when we do get it wrong. When this happens, we make every effort to try and rectify issues as quickly as possible.
Whilst we focus on a speedy resolution wherever possible, we believe complaints give us an opportunity to listen to and better understand the needs of our customers. We use this feedback to learn from the experience, continually improve our processes and prevent issues from reoccurring. We believe complaint handling is not just about principles and processes, but about resolving the root cause of customer concerns and stopping complaints from occurring in the first place.
In the UK, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) requires financial services firms to report on the number of UK FSA reportable customer complaints they receive on a half yearly basis. This includes capturing expressions of dissatisfaction and aiming to resolve complaints within eight weeks. If complaints remain unresolved after eight weeks or if a customer is dissatisfied with our final response, they have the option to refer their complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS also publishes a half yearly report on financial services complaints they receive.
This site provides an overview of Barclays FSA reportable complaints data since 2010 and highlights how we are driving down complaints by improving the overall customer experience. We are committed to delivering a sustained reduction in complaints and while we are heading in the right direction, we recognise we still have a way to go.
Our complaints data is published individually for each UK legal entity and in a Barclays Group summary, with segmentation across the five FSA product categories. Barclays Bank Plc forms 94% of our UK businesses and therefore reports the majority of our complaints. Barclays complaints should be viewed within the context that we undertake over 1.5 million transactions per day, one of the highest volumes of transactions in the UK banking industry.
Progress
We have made significant progress in improving customer experience and reducing overall complaints. This has been driven by a relentless focus on addressing the root cause of complaints and improving our complaint handling.
This has resulted in a significant year-on-year reduction of 14% in overall UK Barclays Bank Plc complaint volumes, with a 9% decrease in complaints between H2 2010 and H1 2011. The reduction is even greater if we exclude the General Insurance and Pure Protection category (see Challenges section) to reflect a 30% decrease compared to the same period last year in Barclays Bank Plc complaints, down 18% between H2 2010 and H1 2011.
The greatest decrease in Barclays Bank Plc complaints can be seen in our core business, the banking category, where we have achieved a year-on-year reduction of 32%. We have achieved this by simplifying processes to make the end-to-end experience for our customers much better:
- We improved our account opening process which significantly reduced the length of time it takes to open a Business Account, achieving a 42% reduction in related complaints. 70% of Business Accounts are now opened within 24 hours, where previously the process could take up to 20 days
- On standing orders and direct debits, we reviewed how we capture customer information and ensure all change requests are processed on the day they are received. This reduced related complaints by 29%
- We established a helpdesk to support frontline employees in resolving complaints at the point a customer expresses any dissatisfaction and created a team to proactively contact customers to ensure their complaint has been resolved. This led to 27% reduction in complaints related to answering a complaint.
We have also driven a 24% overall reduction in Barclays Stockbrokers complaints between H2 2010 and H1 2011 by focusing our efforts on addressing the top five key drivers of customer complaints. Significant improvements were made through colleague training programmes that improve complaint handling skills. In addition, improvements to Barclays Stockbrokers website reduced related complaints by 53%.
Challenges
The General Insurance and Pure Protection category is the most significant exception to the overall progress we are making in reducing complaint volumes. Complaints in this category increased between H2 2010 and H1 2011, with the key driver being an increase in Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) complaints.
Concerns about sales practices related to PPI have been a key driver of complaints across the UK financial services sector. In October 2010, the British Bankers’ Association applied for a Judicial Review into whether the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) have correctly applied the law in relation to PPI sales complaints. On 20 April 2011, the court found in favour of the FSA and FOS.
On 9 May 2011, Barclays announced that it would not be participating in any application for permission to appeal against the High Court Judgment and that Barclays agreed with the FSA that it will process all backlog and any new complaints from customers about PPI policies they hold. Barclays also announced that as a gesture of goodwill, it would pay out compensation to customers who had PPI complaints put on hold during the Judicial Review.
Following the outcome of the Judicial Review, we anticipate PPI complaints will have a greater impact in the second half of 2011. We are working hard to clear PPI complaints as quickly as possible, resolving all complaints in a transparent and efficient way.
Looking ahead
Whilst our improvement in complaints is encouraging, volumes overall are still too high, and we will continue to drive a sustainable reduction in complaint volumes and improve our overall service to customers. To help achieve this, we have committed £1bn over the next four years in Retail and Business Banking business to improve customer experience.
In the second half of 2011, we will continue to focus on addressing the root cause of complaints. Examples of where we are focusing our efforts are:
- Improving the way that we process payments
- Reducing the time it takes to replace a debit card, currently two days (down from five)
- Reducing the time it takes to open an account or take out a loan.
Following the outcome of the Judicial Review, we anticipate PPI complaints will have a greater impact in the second half of 2011 (see Challenges section). We are working hard to clear PPI complaints as quickly as possible, resolving all complaints in a transparent and efficient way.
UK complaints data - January to June 2011
Detailed below is Barclays FSA reportable complaints data:
- Barclays Bank Plc
- Barclays Stockbrokers Limited
- Clydesdale Financial Services Limited
- Firstplus Financial Group Plc
- Woolwich Plan Managers Limited
- Thomas Cook Personal Finance Ltd
- Barclays Group summary
Barclays Bank Plc
Firm name: Barclays Bank Plc
Group: Barclays Group
Other firms included in this report (if any): Barclays Insurance Services Company Ltd
Period covered in this report: 1 January - 30 June 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Barclays Bank Plc, Barclays Retail Bank, Barclaycard, Barclays Wealth, Barclays Business Bank, Barclays Corporate Bank, Standard Life Cash Savings & Mortgages, Standard Life Cash Savings, Standard Life Mortgages.
| Number of complaints open | Number of complaints closed | Complaints resolved within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | 162,611 | 171,457 | 95% | 53% |
| Home finance |
8,894 | 9,068 | 76% | 60% |
| General insurance and pure protection | 73,692 | 19,399 | 42% | 52% |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | 2,456 | 2,234 | 91% | 23% |
| Investments | 3,910 | 3,132 | 77% | 44% |
| Total | 251,563 | 205,290 | 89% | 53% |
Notes:
- Barclays Bank Plc numbers include complaints from the vast majority (94%) of our UK businesses
- Barclays Bank Plc complaints of 251,563 for six months should be viewed within the context that it undertakes over 1.5 million transactions per day, one of the highest volumes of transactions in the UK banking industry
- Barclays FSA reportable complaints now include complaints from Egg’s UK credit card assets and MBNA Europe Bank Limited’s Small Business credit card portfolio, which have been acquired by Barclays in the first half of 2011 and were not included in previous reporting periods.
Barclays Stockbrokers Limited
Firm name: Barclays Stockbrokers Limited
Group: Barclays Group
Other firms included in this report (if any):
Period covered in this report: 1 January - 30 June 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Barclays Stockbrokers Limited.
| Number of complaints open | Number of complaints closed | Complaints resolved within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | - | - | - | - |
| Home finance |
- | - | - | - |
| General insurance and pure protection | - | - | - | - |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | 93 | 105 | 86% | 23% |
| Investments | 2,109 | 2,130 | 92% | 22% |
| Total | 2,202 | 2,235 | 91% | 22% |
Clydesdale Financial Services Limited
Firm name: Clydesdale Financial Services Limited
Group: Barclays Group
Other firms included in this report (if any):
Period covered in this report: 1 January - 30 June 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Clydesdale Financial Services Limited, Barclays Partner Finance.
| Number of complaints opened | Number of complaints closed | Complaints closed within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | 5,933 | 6,943 | 81% | 28% |
| Home finance |
- | - | - | - |
| General insurance and pure protection | 881 | 1,160 | 85% | 2% |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | - | - | - | - |
| Investments | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 6,814 | 8,103 | 82% | 25% |
Firstplus Financial Group Plc
Firm name: Firstplus Financial Group Plc
Group: Barclays Group
Other firms included in this report (if any):
Period covered in this report: 1 January - 30 June 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Firstplus Financial Group Plc.
| Number of complaints opened | Number of complaints closed | Complaints closed within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | 576 | 519 | 96% | 28% |
| Home finance |
9 | 6 | 100% | - |
| General insurance and pure protection | 3,289 | 1,151 | 59% | 19% |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | - | - | - | - |
| Investments | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 3,874 | 1,676 | 70% | 21% |
Woolwich Plan Managers Limited
Firm name: Woolwich Plan Managers Limited
Group: Barclays Group
Other firms included in this report (if any):
Period covered in this report: 1 January - 30 June 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Woolwich Plan Managers Limited.
| Number of complaints opened | Number of complaints closed | Complaints closed within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | - | - | - | - |
| Home finance |
- | - | - | - |
| General insurance and pure protection | - | - | - | - |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | - | - | - | - |
| Investments | 1,180 | 1,044 | 99% | 53% |
| Total | 1,180 | 1,044 | 99% | 53% |
Thomas Cook Personal Finance Ltd
Firm name: Thomas Cook Personal Finance Ltd
Group: Barclays Group
Other firms included in this report (if any):
Period covered in this report: 1 September 2010 - 28 February 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Thomas Cook Personal Finance Ltd.
| Number of complaints opened | Number of complaints closed | Complaints closed within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | 1,184 | 1,394 | 100% | 44% |
| Home finance |
- | - | - | - |
| General insurance and pure protection | 18 | 36 | 100% | 17% |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | - | - | - | - |
| Investments | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 1,202 | 1,430 | 100% | 43% |
Barclays Group summary
Other firms included in this report (if any): Barclays Insurance Services Company Ltd
Period covered in this report: 1 January - 30 June 2011
Brands/trading names covered: Barclays Bank Plc, Barclays Sharedealing, Barclays Stockbrokers Limited, Clydesdale Financial Services Limited, Firstplus Financial Group PLC, Woolwich Plan Managers Limited, Thomas Cook Personal Finance Ltd, Standard Life Cash Savings & Mortgages, Standard Life Cash Savings, Standard Life Mortgages.
| Number of complaints opened | Number of complaints closed | Complaints closed within eight weeks (%) | Complaints upheld by firm (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking | 170,304 | 180,313 | 94% | 52% |
| Home finance |
8,903 | 9,074 | 76% | 60% |
| General insurance and pure protection | 77,880 | 21,746 | 45% | 48% |
| Decumulation, life and pensions | 2,549 | 2,339 | 91% | 23% |
| Investments | 7,199 | 6,306 | 86% | 38% |
| Total | 266,835 | 219,778 | 89% | 51% |
Additional context:
- Barclays Group has over 40 million Banking category related accounts, including current accounts, credit cards, personal loans and savings accounts. This means we reported four Banking complaints per 1,000 accounts
- For every Home finance (mortgage) account, we reported 10 complaints for every 1,000 loans outstanding
- In total, we reported 16 complaints per 1,000 accounts related to General Insurance and Pure Protection, with the majority of complaints in this category related to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). Excluding this product, we reported less than one complaint per 1,000 accounts
- We reported four complaints per 1,000 Decumulation, Life and Pensions accounts
- In the Investments category, we reported five complaints per 1,000 accounts.
Related links
Glossary
The following definitions have been used in the assembling of this data.
Definitions
Complaint
For the purposes of the complaints detailed in this report, a complaint is defined as being an expression of dissatisfaction which has not been resolved by close of business on the business day following its receipt
Number of complaints received
Detailed here are all complaints received during the reporting period of 1 January to 30 June 2011
Number of complaints closed
A complaint is deemed closed if Barclays has sent a final response letter, the customer has indicated in writing that they accept Barclays earlier response, or the customer has not raised any further concerns within eight weeks of the resolution letter
Complaints closed within eight weeks
This category details complaints that were closed (due to the reasons indicated above) within eight calendar weeks from the date of complaint receipt
Complaints upheld by firm
This category details complaints where the firm has agreed with the customer that their complaint was justified either in whole or in part and, where appropriate, we have offered redress
Categories of banking services and products
Categories of banking services and products have been used in this report. Some examples of what is considered within these categories can be found below:
- Banking: Current accounts, savings accounts, cash and debit cards, credit cards
- Home finance: House mortgages, home income plans, home purchase plans
- General insurance and pure protection: Contents insurance, travel insurance, medical insurance, payment protection insurance
- Decumulation, life and pensions: Annuities, endowments, pension mortgages, pension plans. Decumulation, a term used in this report, describes a process to realise assets (such as shares) into an income stream, often used during retirement
- Investments: Share dealings, unit trusts, ISAs, derivatives.
Notes
Data included refers to complaints both received and closed within the period of the date range
Next publication date: By 28 February 2012 for data from 1 July to 31 December 2011.
Useful links
If you have a query on the products and services you have received from Barclays, please contact us using the links below:
Related links
Improving the customer experience
We have made significant progress in improving customer experience and reducing overall complaints. This has been driven by a relentless focus on addressing the root cause of complaints and improving our complaint handling.
Whilst the improvement is encouraging, volumes overall are still too high, and we will continue to drive a sustainable reduction in complaint volumes and improve our overall service to customers. To help achieve this, we have committed £1bn over the next four years in our Retail and Business Banking business to improve customer experience.
