I submitted a name change request as I legally changed my name via deedpoll. I submitted a photograph of my deed poll as evidence, which has been sufficient for Barclays (my other bank), work, and the Electoral Register.
However, I was sent a request back asking for a deedpoll including the occupations and addresses of my witnesses. First, I cannot just create a new deedpoll. Second, my witnesses’ addresses were already in the original deedpoll photograph, and they’re students without jobs. Third, the submission box for reply did not include an option for submitting a photograph. Therefore, I replied saying this.
An hour later my application was rejected, saying they “could not give the reason” as to why.
How can I appeal this or what other evidence should I give? I do not currently have any ID with my new name.
@morgangreensmith how did this work out for you? Their complaints team handled it really quickly for me but up until the point of a formal complaint I got nowhere. I’d recommend if they’ve still not done it, simply say “I would like to open a formal complaint” and it should go to a team that actually understands how name changes work.
It appears Monzo has hired a front line support team who do not understand what a deed poll is - and with the idea it’s something that EITHER has to be handwritten or stamped by a solicitor or enrolled.
This is, of course, silly - there’s no reason that it being handwritten changes legal status at all for an unenrolled deed poll (one could argue that having a solicitor as a witness provides some evidence it was actually you who signed it, but that doesn’t explain why they don’t require this if it’s handwritten - it also makes little sense if they’re confident it’s you contacting them).
Adding to this, they’ve hired a front line support team who can’t provide the basic humanity of using a name someone has told them they use, and who won’t change preferred name based on similarly arbitrary conditions despite Monzo having signed up to Mastercard’s True Name program which says they will.
All around this is a shocking change for Monzo who used to be one of the best for this, and your story shows that while they answered my complaint well, they learned nothing.
Monzo uses Saved Responses (SR) with almost every reply you get. A software called TextExpander implements them.
So when they type ‘hiname’ it’ll write something like:
“Hi Name, my names Carl and I’m going to look into this for you.”
Name = extracted from what is held at account level in their system at that point in time, so the cop handling the chat wouldn’t know any different, as they rely on the SR and the system to pull the correct data.
If something hasn’t been done correctly, or the system isn’t working right, it’ll pull your birth name opposed to your deed name.
I hope the above makes some sense, that doesn’t detract from the poor issue at hand though.
I would be surprised if it is hard for them to change the text snippet (or just not use it if they really are just using TextExpander). It may be lazy and not outright malicious but there’s a point where given the context of the conversation, not bothering to change what is pre filled is, itself, lack of basic respect.
Edit: this may not be fully accurate but I’m sure you get the gist.
If preferred name isn’t entered at the point you raised your deed poll change, you are formerly known as legal name until the relevant documentation provided is accepted and the system adjusted.
So hiname would call legal name until everything had been processed.
It can be lazy, but when you’re writing a fair few sentences and paragraphs explaining something, it absolutely brings down handling time otherwise the queues would never move.
I think that’s where we disagree - the idea that respecting someone’s wishes isn’t worth the extra ten seconds in the name of efficiency just doesn’t make sense to me.