SALLY SORTS IT: Help! NS&I lost my disabled brother’s TWO £1m cheques

My brother became incapacitated for work after a traffic accident and recently received compensation.

We decided to invest £2 million of his money in the National Savings & Investments Guaranteed Income Bonds and Guaranteed Growth Bonds while deciding what to do with it long term.

We sent two completed account opening forms to NS&I in March, along with two checks for £1 million each.

The checks were cashed on March 24. But we still have not received confirmation that these accounts have been opened. NS&I told me it couldn’t trace the checks.

My brother, who has a brain injury, has also pleaded with NS&I to help track down his money by telephone. Call handlers were unhelpful and rude and hung up on the phone.

Can you please help?

Ann.

Sally Hamilton replies: I am disappointed, but sadly not surprised, to hear of your poor treatment at the hands of NS&I.

Customer service from the state-backed savings providers seems to be giving way and complaints are pouring into our inboxes, as Money Mail reported last week.

You and your poor brother have had enough without the stress and discomfort of NS&I seeming to lose track of two £1 million checks.

As background, you explained how your brother was tragically disabled a few years ago after being hit by an ambulance.

It took four and a half years to get compensation from the ambulance service involved in the accident and you were determined to get his finances in order.

You decided to save the money with NS&I for the time being so that it would be safe while you seek advice on where to invest for the benefit of your brother’s long-term future.

You calculated that £1 million saved in NS&I’s one-year guaranteed income bonds would generate a regular income of £3,250 a month and help cover these costs.

The other £1 million saved in the Guaranteed Growth Bonds account would pay a return of £40,000 after a year and pay other accounts.

Unfortunately, neither account generated anything by the time you contacted me. NS&I still had to set them up and you had to find the money from other pots to pay the caretakers.

You went in circles for weeks trying to track down the money. At one point you were told that the checks could not be traced.

You felt especially irate when you were informed by call handlers that they could not go to upper management to resolve the issue. Instead, they told you to file a formal complaint, which should be a last step.

I intervened and asked NS&I to track down your missing £2 million as quickly as possible and explain why the bills had not been settled after weeks of nervous waiting.

After a few days of research, it turned out that the application forms you filled out and posted were missing crucial information. They should have included boxes for you to check to indicate who the income and term payments should be made to.

NS&I realized the error and should have contacted you immediately to rectify it, but failed to do so.

After my intervention, a manager called you to explain how to download new forms with the correct boxes, which you completed quickly. A few days later you contacted me to say that the accounts were finally up and running. Hurrah!

An NS&I spokesperson said: ‘We would like to apologize to your Moneymail reader for the difficulties they experienced investing money with us.

There will be no loss of interest and a goodwill payment of £300 has been made in recognition of our failure to provide the level of service they should expect.”

Unable to renew our European health insurance cards

I have tried to renew the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for me and my wife but without success.

I have found that it is impossible to do this by phone using the number provided – 0300 330 1350.

A friend tried to renew for us online as we don’t have a computer, but couldn’t proceed without our National Insurance numbers, which we don’t have.

I don’t recall this being a requirement when the cards were issued in 2015. Residency was the only requirement.

We have been living at our address for 14 years.

ME, Doncaster, S. Yorks.

Sally Hamilton replies: EHICs are invaluable. They are free for UK holidaymakers temporarily traveling to EU countries and Switzerland and give free or discounted access to the same state health care available to locals.

Maps must be renewed every five years to maintain coverage. Since Brexit, they have been replaced by the UK Global Health Insurance Cards (GHICs).

A National Insurance (NI) number is required when applying for a card online. For those who don’t know his: it can be found in various places, including on an online personal tax account or on a P60 year-end statement (issued by employers), a pay slip or a personal tax return.

Or try calling the HM Revenue & Customs National Insurance registration helpline on 0300 200 3500. To apply for an NI number for the first time, visit gov.uk.

You can apply for or renew a GHIC by phone without an NI number. Phone applicants only need a passport number and NHS number. The latter can be found on prescriptions or hospital letters. However, you say you didn’t get through trying this approach.

Fortunately, after my intervention, the Overseas Healthcare Services team, which oversees EHIC and GHIC charts, was able to complete an application for you and your wife using the information you provided in your letter, which I forwarded with your permission. You have now received your cards.

It is free to apply for a GHIC through the NHS website. Don’t be fooled by scam websites.

• Write to Sally Hamilton of Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send any original documents, we cannot take any responsibility for that. The Daily Mail assumes no legal liability for answers provided.