Barclays Bank

I would like to compliment the young, fair haired assistant at your door. He had such a pleasant, friendly, manner and was very helpful and kind, showing seats to elderly people in the queue, offering to help with bags, quick to help with cash machine problems and was very polite and welcoming to customers. What an asset you have!

Louisa has a lovely smile and very polite, within a few minutes she resolved all 3 of enquiries.

On 15/6/20 I went down to this bank to do a currency exchange for $20 US dollars and deposit into my account. After the banks being closed for many months due to Covid-19 there was a very long line and I was gladly waiting patiently! I finally made it to the counter and chatted with the banker. She then took the bill over to her manager or co-worker and then she came back saying she couldn’t except the bill. I asked why? She said it’s just worn out and there is a pen mark on there. I was furious because it was a perfectly fine bill not torn, no fading, just and average used bill. I tried asking and begging but...nope! Then she told me to go try at the other banks...I’m like okay?! I left upset because I know it’s just $20 but I desperately needed money and having lost two jobs during the pandemic scrapping by each day as a college student it was a big deal for me. I went down to the other banks and they basically said no because it’s foreign currency and because of the Coronavirus they are not sure about it and the germs on it basically. I was so mad because money is money...British pounds can travel the world too you know! It doesn’t matter where it’s from it could be in anybody’s hands! Even the customers in line were shaking their heads and giving the look of stupidity to the bankers. I want to make it clear that they were all very nice and no attitude but they need to chill out because currency is currency wether it’s $20 or $1000 and if it’s legible and legit there should be no problem...especially now during a pandemic. I ended up going to many exchange rate places but they were all closed. So banks please help out people especially foreigners stuck in other countries due to the virus where they desperately need to exchange money as other places such as airports or exchange currency stores are closed.

Terrible experience, slow staff, unorganised, low motivation to work ..not to recommend

I went to this branch on 29/01/2020 and requested cash from my Euro account. The cashier gave me a sealed envelope with a money wallet and did not count the cash. I went and sat down in the bank and opened it. This €5.00 was given to me by the bank. I went back and qued up and was served by a different cashier. When she showed the note to the lady who provided the euros she claimed she counted the money and that wasn’t there! Like I miraculously came up with that foreign currency note coincidentally when I was in the branch the whole time. The state of the note is clearly visible, so by counting the notes to perfection in number it’s hard to believe she did not see or be poked by the staples running through the note. She kept denying it until the supervisor asked they change the note. I am utterly shocked by the level of dishonesty I encountered. I told the cashier look at the surveillance and you’ll see me finding that note in the sealed envelope handed to me by the gentleman who served me. I put in an official complaint and the kind cashier apologized as well as the customer services consultant. Yet the person who needs to apologize failed to. The main reason I complained was the fact that she claimed that €5.00 was not in the envelope. If she only exchanged it and and apologized I would have been happy. The irony of the situation is I was at Shepard’s Bush Barclay’s and waited more than 30 minutes for my turn for the same purpose of withdrawing euros the day before. Yet, I left the branch happy despite not being able to cash there because the cashier was so honest with me and said we are having problems with Travelex so the euros we have are in a really bad state and you won’t be happy with them. So my advice is try another branch. This was the first time in my life I go to the Shepard’s Bush branch but the contrast in honesty and putting the customer first is quite startling.