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I wonder if you can help me with what I’m sure you agree with is an unusual case.
In November 2021 I visited a William Hill store to place a £20,000 bet on Norwich City’s relegation. When I put my card in the machine it was knocked back even though £38,000 was available.
The cashier was ready for this and told me that because I don’t spend this kind of money very often, the transaction was blocked to protect me from scammers.
High stakes: A gambler, who had wagered £20,000 on a football bet, had to settle for lower odds than first shown after his bank’s fraud team held up the payment
I went to NatWest the next day to have my card cleared. But by then all odds had changed from 3-10 to 2-7.
While it was good for NatWest to take care of its client I didn’t ask it to do so and it cost me £285.71. I asked for a fee, but it turned me down.
Can you exert any influence on NatWest to compensate me for this loss? I’m very careful about where I keep my cards and don’t let them fall into the hands of anyone other than myself, so I feel the bank was too uniform on this occasion in automatically blocking the transaction.
W.L., York.
Sally Hamilton replies: You can be sure that I have never encountered such a case before. And it gave me a wry smile to read where your £20,000 bet was placed.
My predecessor, Tony Hazell, who retired as readers’ champion earlier this year, often referred to his passion for Norwich City football club.
I suspect he would have been mortally insulted by someone who placed a bet on his beloved team’s relegation to a lower division.
While I don’t have that particular sporting loyalty (indeed my husband is an Ipswich Town supporter – sorry Tony if you’re reading this), and so don’t take offense I don’t intend to chase NatWest for your refund for the difference between the two bets.
In rejecting your claim, NatWest pointed out its terms and conditions, including the fact that the bank may need to protect its customers and their funds by requesting additional information before accepting a transaction.
Making such an unusually large payment to a gambling company will have raised a major red flag. I understand the caution of the bank.
Norwich City were indeed relegated from the Premier League in April and you won your bet. Although the odds had narrowed, William Hill paid you £25,714 – a profit for you of £5,714.
You feel tired because the delay in placing the bet cost you money. I don’t think I would have heard from you if the odds had gone the other way by the time your card was unblocked.
Am I hard or fair? Readers, let me know who you think is right.
WL still has a few weeks to present his case to the ombudsman before his complaint is time-barred if he still believes he has been wronged by NatWest.
Can’t get a power of attorney for a business account
I am writing to you in desperation as I have run out of ideas of where to go next.
I have a power of attorney (POA) for my brother, who has had a number of strokes and also has dementia. I tried to register the POA with his bank, Lloyds, and I did everything that was asked of me.
But after talking to three different departments I was eventually told that Lloyds could not accept the POA because it is a business account.
I was advised to close the account and open a personal account for my brother, who would accept me as a lawyer.
The money would then be transferred to this account.
Weeks later this still hadn’t happened so I gave chase but was told the bank wasn’t happy with my brother’s signature.
My answer was that it has been 25 years since his original signature was recorded, and after his strokes and dementia, I was surprised that he could write at all.
I spoke to the bank’s POA, complaints and business accounts departments, all of whom promised to handle the matter – but nothing was done.
Meanwhile, my brother’s money – about £15,000 – is stuck in the business account that he no longer has access to to buy food or pay his bills.
He lives off the generosity of friends and I have transferred £1200 to his new personal account. It has brought me to my limit. All we ask is access to his own money.
RA, Royston, Herts.
Sally Hamilton replies: By the time you got in touch, about 12 weeks had passed with no progress being made in transferring your brother’s £15,000 into his new account for his own use.
This is just not acceptable. I gave Lloyds Bank a serious poke because I was appalled that you and your brother’s friends had to help him financially when it’s clear he has plenty of his own money waiting to be used. You could do without the stress of this, in addition to worrying about your poor brother’s health and well-being.
A few days later Lloyds got back to me and admitted that it had initially given you incorrect information about your brother’s arrangements and the POA, which contributed to the delays.
It apologized and paid you £77 for the cost of traveling from your home in Hertfordshire to your brother’s bank branch in Middlesex when you tried to clear up the mess, plus an additional £500 for the distress and inconvenience .
A spokesperson said: ‘We are very sorry for the experience RA has had in setting up a POA to support his brother.
“The arrangements have now been made and we have reached out to him to apologize and make a payment in recognition that we should have provided better service.”
- Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk — provide phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take any responsibility for them. The Daily Mail cannot accept any legal responsibility for answers given.
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