Chat thread – Tuesday 8th April

[executiveclubber]

I always gave hotel kettles a miss, didn’t realise I had to avoid remote controls too 🤮

[davefl]

Barclaycard hit a new low in customer service. My transactions page in my account is still inaccessible (since 2nd March). I find out today that the complaint I logged 10 days ago had been completely ignored by the indian call centre, and an IT ticket was created instead. The IT ticket had been closed because they saw a successful login – The muppet that handled my call had no concept of the difference between the web site and the app, and the statement page and the transaction page, so just logged as customer can’t log in.

In an attempt to fix the issue the IT team reset my account. What is utterly unbelievable is that the next step was a call from Barclays to me on an 0207 number (Which when searched is Barclay’s Fraud detection team), and to verify security I was sent an SMS 6 digit code that I had to read back to the helpful young lady who is now handling the ticket.

How many times do we see the message in the press, on TV and on all the bank websites that we as customers must NEVER disclose the SMS code to someone that calls. I cannot believe that Barclays as one of the premier financial institutions have designed a security process where this is their SOP.

Barclays state in a published anti fraud article on their web site –

Barclays has revealed the seven questions it will never ask customers, to pre warn people in case someone calls claiming to be from your bank.
Barclays will never:
Ask you to divulge any mobile banking activation codes or PINSentry codes

Rant over, sorry I had to get it off my chest. As soon as I have this issue resolved I will be closing my card account.

[davefl]

executiveclubber wrote:

I always gave hotel kettles a miss, didn’t realise I had to avoid remote controls too 🤮

You’ve never seen the american blogs where they all state they disinfect everything with “lysol wipes” before they even take their luggage into the room. Light switches, wall controls, remotes, taps and doorknobs, are all fair game for the anti germ brigade.

[Jasdev]

Cat wrote:

I read this an hour ago @davefl, and I’m still shuddering now.

@NorthernLass – were you just after a review of the safari part of the trip?

@Jasdev, and anyone else who has any experience of travelling to the US right now. I’m flying to Central America via the US this summer, I’m just changing planes, not actually leaving the airport. Do I need to be worried? Will I need to sanitise my social media? I have been quite gobby on a number of issues over the years…

I daren’t say. From the stories I’ve seen in the media in the past month, some factors stand out:
Criticism of US policy
Criticism of Israel
Minor visa issues

Border officers can request your phone and laptop and then connect them to a machine to be scanned, right? I saw a “lawyer” explaining on Instagram a week or so ago that they need a warrant to demand you unlock your phone with a PIN but no such warrant is required to unlock your phone using your fingerprint or face.

But I also know two women who quite recently travelled to and from the US with no issues whatsoever, so who can really say?

[NorthernLass]

@Cat, we entered the US twice last month. No issues at all at MCO (seemingly no checks on anything, no dogs, nothing), then entering at FLL from Bahamas got grilled quite closely on what we were carrying and all luggage was re-scanned. I am guessing that was more to do with the reputation of the Bahamas than us as travellers!

If you dig a little into the recently reported cases of people being denied entry/deported, there always seems to be more to it, e.g. they had never gained permanent right to remain/had a drug conviction/had an outstanding warrant. The authorities may be cracking down at the moment but issues like this always risk attracting attention. (This is why it’s recommended over and over on here never to lie on an ESTA/visa application because they will find out!)