11 November 2023 , 17:06
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A family were allegedly told by a Nationwide employee to "go to a foodbank" when their accounts were unexpectedly frozen.
John McGuigan, 39, and his partner Stacey Peat, 28, were unable to access money to feed their young daughters, Sophie, eight, and 18-month-old Rachael.
John, who works for a bathroom company, said: "The last four days have been nothing but stress. To put a young family through this in a cost-of-living crisis is a disgrace. For a bank to suggest going to a food bank to feed our children when it's their incompetence that has put us in this situation is incredibly insulting and insensitive."
Stacey, who works as a carer, was first contacted by Nationwide on November 3 when the bank said they were doing a review of the accounts the couple has had for five years. She claims she was asked to provide some details and was assured that this was routine and asked that no further action was required.
The couple have two daughters; Sophie, eight, and 18-month-old Rachael (No credit)
John and Stacey are unhappy with Nationwide (Daily Record)She thought no more of it until she discovered the accounts were frozen four days later. Stacey told Daily Record: "They gave us no information about what was going on or how long we are going to be without money so we could try to make some sort of plan. My parents had to give us some money but my mum is paralysed and my dad is her carer so it's hard enough for them to get by as it is."
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Stacey described the ordeal as an "awful experience." John suspects that a cash gift from his elderly grandmother may have triggered a security warning, leading to the account freeze. Despite this, he claims Nationwide failed to resolve the issue even after his grandmother's bank confirmed the transaction.
Despite claiming the bank has offered no explanation for the account freeze, John suspects that a cash gift paid into the couple's account by his elderly grandmother may have sparked a security warning. However, he says Nationwide still failed to address the issue after his granny's bank contacted them.
He added: I think they must have been questioning the money my gran transferred to us, but it was a gift." John felt they were treated unfairly, stating: "But I feel like we were treated like criminals even though we have legitimate jobs and work hard to pay for our family."
Mirror has seen communication from Nationwide (No credit)He also tried to open a new bank account for his wages, but was told it couldn't be done in time. He said: "The stress has been unbelievable. I actually thought about selling my car to help us get through, because there was no other source of money." John and Stacey felt helpless, not knowing when they would regain access to their accounts.
The family, in their desperation, visited a branch in Motherwell where they received a £100 emergency payment from the manager. The manager also promised to urge the bank's review department to resolve the issue.
John is adamant about pursuing a formal complaint, despite a Nationwide spokesperson apologising for the foodbank comment. He said: "My family has been left sitting in the cold, frightened to switch anything on." and "We've missed payments for bills and that's going to affect our credit score."
He added: "We're pursuing a complaint with the financial Ombudsman. I know banks are doing their due diligence, but they need to offer quicker solutions and not leave families in these positions."
A Nationwide spokesperson responded: "Our colleague was trying to offer helpful solutions while the account is frozen, but we apologise for any offence caused." They also confirmed that arrangements were being made for Ms Peat to visit the branch to get cash for essential items and bills.
The spokesperson further stated: "We can confirm that the account is currently frozen. However, we meet our legal and regulatory obligations and are unable to provide any further information regarding this account."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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