We frequently hear from angry readers who have decided to move from one company to another because they have been let down in some way or other, but we very rarely \u2013 indeed never \u2013 hear about companies who decide that they no longer want a reader\u2019s business because the company feels betrayed in some way. This story changes that, however. <\/p>\n
A reader called Jake received a call from his very frustrated wife late last month after she found herself standing in their local Lidl<\/a>, unable to pay for a small grocery shop, because Revolut<\/a> said no to the purchase. <\/p>\n Jake\u2019s wife first tried the couple\u2019s joint account, and when that card was rejected, she tried her personal card \u2013 but there was bad news on that score. She was told that neither one was working and as a result she was unable to cover the \u20ac30 cost of the groceries.<\/p>\n As it happened, Jake was outside the Lidl at the time, and when he got the call asking him to come in and help his wife to pay, he \u201claughed initially, thinking it was something that she was doing wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n We\u2019re not entirely sure he should admit to that \u2013 but there you go. <\/p>\n \u2018The email offered an appeals process. I knew we would be wasting our time in putting through the appeals based on what we are both aware of from Revolut and from reading your articles\u2019<\/p>\n \u2014 \u00a0Jake, reader<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Anyway, he went into the shop and immediately saw a long queue building up behind his harassed-looking wife. He took command of the situation, or at least tried to, seeking firstly to pay for the groceries using his card for the couple\u2019s joint Revolut account, and when that failed, his own personal Revolut card. Neither was working.<\/p>\n He stresses that, like his wife, he had more than enough cash in his account to cover the fairly modest cost of the groceries. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Revolut sent Elaine\u2019s money to the wrong person, who didn\u2019t return itOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n \u201cAttempting to maintain a level head, while my wife was turning purple with embarrassment, I showed the checkout assistants in Lidl that both accounts had funds,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n We understand where he was coming from on this score, but it probably goes without saying that this information was of minimal interest either to the Lidl checkout staff or the ever-growing queue forming behind the couple.<\/p>\n Jake studied his Revolut app more closely and noticed the reason both their accounts had been blocked was a security check that Revolut had run.<\/p>\n \u201cI managed to resolve the grocery payment issue through a non-Revolut alternative means and the staff were very helpful, and the fellow customers were also very patient,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n He is not so complimentary when it comes to his bank, however. <\/p>\n \u201cFirstly, Revolut did not provide us with any notification of the security check,\u201d he says. \u201cAs you and readers are no doubt aware, the security check totally disables card transactions, ATM withdrawals and all the rest. Of course, if we had known that our accounts had been subject to a security check we would not have used them in attempting to pay for our groceries that day,\u201d he continues. <\/p>\n Anyway, the couple got home and put their shopping away, after which Jake tried to establish why their accounts had been blocked by Revolut and why it had not told him or his wife about it. <\/p>\n \u201cTo this day, I have not received that explanation. It is totally unacceptable and has caused a lot of stress, as we were reliant on Revolut as our main banking provider for day-to-day transactions,\u201d his mail says. <\/p>\n His wife suggested he check his emails to see whether there had been any correspondence from Revolut. When he did that, he found they had both received emails warning them that it was not just a security check but that something more serious was happening. He was told that \u201cnot only would the joint account be closed, but both our personal accounts would also be closed. Again, these emails were given with no reasons, no context. It is farcical,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n