I’ve been a customer for several years and today received a random chat from Monzo staff today (Saturday) asking me to update my ID because my driving licence picture expired (2 years ago in fact).
When I opened the chat I was transferred to a different person than the one who started the chat, and all they have said is that they will escalate it to the relevant team and get back to me.
What on Earth is going on? I thought that paying a monthly fee to Monzo was supporting this endeavour, but I’m being treated like garbage.
Does Monzo want to pay the DVLA to update my photocard licence and wait however long it takes, or should I just ask Starling to switch my account to them out of concern that I can’t rely on my Monzo account being here tomorrow?
Such drama over a simple request, update the ID (when it’s available) and move on with the rest of the day. They clearly need it, to update the systems in the background around are you the person you say they are.
Have you recently got a new phone and had to supply a video when trying to sign in? Potentially you look different to the ID originally submitted ( the picture is at least 12 years old now) , close enough to log you in but flagged for extra checks?
That’s a bit of a leap? They were asked to provide ID and as I understand it when they tried to respond to that they got a completely different person answering who then said they’d need to escalate it. Struggling to see how that’s suspicious really.
I think it sounds like a basic lack of customer service. If you get a message from someone, your reply should go back to that person (or someone who knows something about what was asked). If they are going to be out of office that’s fine, just say that and give a timeframe to get back in touch.
In fairness to OP, I opened my Natwest account in 2004 with my child passport. I am far from a child now and Natwest hasn’t asked me to re-validate my ID ever since. That is probably the issue the OP has, why the need to revalidate. Yes, the ID has expired now but it was valid at the time of account opening.
If Monzo would like an updated picture, they should just say so. If there is an issue with the ID on an account review, they should also say that too.
On the other hand, I’d have just done it myself. Not too fussed if Monzo has a copy of my most up to date ID as it is my main bills account. I did go through a phase of not updating my ID a few years back which may have been an issue.
I would say, Monzo may close your account if you don’t agree. I didn’t send Dozens a new ID (due to laziness) and they just closed my account without warning. Just do it and get over it. Moving to Starling won’t change the fact that many ‘new’ banks do this.
If you’re not interested in sending the up to date ID that’s fine but I wouldn’t complain if your account was restricted in any form due to non compliance.
It’s hardly suspicious behaviour. They had all of my proper KYC and AML docks several years ago. The fact that my driving licence is now expired as requires an updated photograph every 10 years ( this will be the 3rd update as I’ve been driving for 23 years) is relevant.
I’ve held personal banking accounts for even longer with various banks, and at no point have any of them contacted me and asked for a newer version of the previously verified driving licence and address proofs.
Now, I could understand if I were in a bank branch and about to sign up for a new product like a loan, credit card or mortgage and they requested my ID in order to run a credit check, but that’s not what has happened here.
I’ve been using my Monzo account as my main bank account and I have been for years now, I pay a monthly subscription for various added value products, and because I want to see Monzo remain profitable.
Then some random chat message pops up asking me to give them updated ID documents, and then when I open the app two seconds later it’s a different person, which itself left me feeling suspicious that perhaps the app is hacked and fraudsters are wanting to get their hands on identity documents with a man-in-the-middle attack.
Monzo’s response ise “sorry, I’ll have to escalate this and get back to you”.
It’s been been a few days now, so naturally I’ve begun transferring my direct debits and income away from Monzo to my Starling account as I no longer have any confidence that the bank isn’t going to abruptly freeze my account. Most of that is now done, and in order to move the payments to Starling it’s performed a complete account switch, which means the Monzo account will likely close as part of that service.
What a massive own goal for Monzo by one hand, while the other doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing, and neither do I. This type of unpredictable and potentiality harmful behaviour is why banks get regulatory fines, and I’ll certainly be taking the poor/no communication issues to the Ombudsman myself once Monzo have finished their obligatory complaint investigation as to why they abruptly felt the need to question the safety and reliability of my personal and business account with zero follow up when I asked what’s happening.
It’s outrageous behaviour unbefitting an organisation managing other people’s money.
Again that is the only part of this that I feel is really bad but it is really, really bad. I don’t think you’ll get anywhere with the ombudsman on that though, I can’t see how it causes any material loss. It’s just sloppy CS.
Asking for new documents, that’s fine imo, KYC is an ongoing process and sometimes things need updating. But if that’s what they want, they should’ve been able to answer your questions about that.
I understand you’ve decided to leave Monzo, fair enough, but I think you should cut your losses here and accept the move rather than mess around with complaints that won’t go anywhere
I’m not saying you’ve done anything wrong, but there is something that has prompted Monzo to do this.
I’ve never had to reverify any account with IDs I’ve going back 10/15/20 years. This is not what usually happens.
Something has triggered your account for an additional check. You might not like this and don’t agree with it, but that’s what it is. Of course it’s your right to leave, but other banks will do this too, it’s not an exclusive check to Monzo, but the other bank might not need to because there isn’t the activity there that’s “suspicious” or whatever.
It causes material loss by blocking access to my own money and unable to pay every day bills, food, utilities, rent etc.
No one has mentioned account closure, but the way this joke of an interaction with customer services and the pages and pages online by people who have had their Monzo account frozen and their funds locks gives me a damned good reason to move everything away from monzo until such a time that I get a straight answer.
don’t know what Monzo’s intentions are, and no one I speak to from Monzo knows either. Who initiated this request? Why did htey initiate it? Is my passport sufficient? Do they want anything else? Moving everything away is a protective measure as I have lost faith in Monzo’s ability to hold my funds or effectively communicate with me at anything above the level of a 5 yearold child.
I would do so with any business and current account provider, as I’ve never been asked to provide updated information in this manor before. When opening an account showing a currently valid passport and/or driving licence meets the requirements. There’s nothing within the terms and conditions that states you must continue providing updated documents as a requirement of continuing to use the account.
Like I said, I’ve still had zero information back from Monzo. I sent a copy of my passport which is still valid, but again the random person in chat just stated “OK I will add it to the file”.
So what now then? No follow up, inability to speak to anyone who isn’t just another random chat head with zero knowledge of whatever process is going on, and copies of my ID floating around as an attachment being passed from person to person.
Nope, not yet.
When asked all I’m told by the talking chat heads is that they will escalate my request and those escalations are not being followed up or responded to.
This is just the type of shoddy communications those who have had their accounts frozen state in their complaints, and I have no intention of being one of them, so I am pro-actively trying to avoid Monzo’s failure to follow the banking code BEFORE they break it with shoddy service and poor communication.
I appreciate you’re unhappy with Monzo asking you to update your ID and then being slow in responding to your contacting customer services to ask for more information about this, but this is a totally different situation from people who’ve had their accounts frozen.
When accounts are frozen and people want to know why, in that case Monzo’s limited communications is because they are legally compelled to say as little as possible. This is because there are laws against ‘tipping off’ which hold strict penalties against the person who reveals the information.
Your account hasn’t been frozen. You’re not in the same category as these people. If Monzo thought you were guilty of something really bad, they would have frozen your account already. They haven’t, so they don’t, and it’s just less than ideal customer service in your case. It does not mean your account is going to be immediately frozen.
I don’t know why Monzo have asked you to update your ID, and I’m not going to try and guess why. What I will say is that I’ve had other fintech services ask me to update my ID before, so I don’t see Monzo being completely out of line here. Because they’re an online only bank, their KYC standards aren’t going to be the same as a high street bank.
A final note, your first post about this issue was yesterday, and I gather your complaint has been escalated today - so it strikes me as a bit unreasonable to complain you haven’t had a follow-up to the escalation yet when it seems like it’s barely been a matter of hours and your request is non-urgent (it’s important to you, absolutely, but but haven’t been defrauded, you haven’t lost money, and you’re not in danger of losing money). It would seem fair to give the specialist support reasonable time to get back to you.
I can’t take any information on a forum board assuring me my account is safe until I get a response from Monzo.
Just like people who are remaking complaints that they have a one sided interaction with Monzo customer service staff, being completely in the dark, spend some time trying to get information with numerous other staff becoming involved, and then they abruptly found their account frozen. Requesting updated copies of ID is highly unusual, and such requests will have an effect on the account as I’ve not applied for any other services or products that would require verification of my details under KYC or AML.
You don’t go into a store to do your food shopping, then someone randomly walk up to you with a bank badge on their shirt, ask to see copies of your documents and when you look up they are gone. Then upon contacting your bank no one seems to know anything about it, says they will get back to you but do not, and in the mean time have had a scan of my passport too.
Any of those events should be dealt with quickly. “Oh hi, sorry, due to changes in KYC since the UK left the EU we require everyone to update their proof of identity. We ask that you send one by next month please to avoid any iturruption to your account services”
That would be the correct way of doing it.
The incorrect way would be as they have done “Hi, because your driving licence expired can we have an updated copy please” I go back and say I havn’t updated it yet, and will a passport be enough. “Hi, sorry I’m not dealing with this, but I will escalate it and have them send you a message through here” two days on "Hi, I was contacted last week to send you a copy of my driving licence because the photo needs to be replaced again. Can I give you my passport instead? What’s the reason for this anyway please? “Hi, thanks for uploading the document, I’ll pass it on”. What’s the reason for this please? “I’ don’t know I’m afraid, but I can escalate it and ask the customer advocacy team to contact you if you would like?” yes that would be great “OK I’ll do that, it usually takes a couple of weeks for them to look over the complaint and get back to you”
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