Can you help me, and countless other John Lewis credit card customers who are locked out of their online accounts?
HSBC, which manages the card, recently updated its online security resulting in me being unable to access my account ever since.
Despite being on the phone with customer services on two occasions for two hours and 45 minutes, they are unable to rectify the problem. Today, I called for a third time. Judging by complaints on Trustpilot, I am not alone.
PS, London
John Lewis says that this was not a repeat of the IT problems its card holders suffered back in 2016. Instead, this was a planned security update that required some customers to log into their online accounts again, and reset their passwords.
It seems that the locked-out customers all started calling HSBC, which could not cope. John Lewis has apologised to all those affected and PS has since had a call back and is up and running. Overall, there is nothing special about this card. Might it be time to switch provider?
Thomas Cook update
We have been contacted by several Thomas Cook customers asking where the firm’s collapse leaves them. MH had booked a £303 flight that obviously won’t be going ahead. We recommended that she file a claim with her bank card provider and hope that they will refund her. If she has travel insurance with scheduled airline failure then she could claim on that. Because it was a flight-only deal, she is not covered by the Atol scheme.
Another reader was in the middle of a food poisoning claim with the company after becoming ill during a holiday in Turkey. As the firm no longer exists the legal action, in effect, dies. She could pursue the hotel in Turkey, although that’s probably not a realistic option.
A bigger problem is for Thomas Cook airline customers who had EU delay claims waiting to be paid. Many, who will have been expecting hundreds of pounds each, are highly unlikely to get a penny as they join the long list of unsecured creditors.
Specialist lawyers Bott and Co has 3,500 unpaid flight delay claims against Thomas Cook, as well as a further 162 holiday sickness or accident claims. Unfortunately, for most the outlook is now bleak.
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