So let me start by saying I love monzo, used it for years. It’s my primary bank account, I’m an ambassador to all my friends. A true follower of monzo.5* review on trustpilot the whole 9 yards.
I’m posting this, (fully expecting to see it taken down) not because I want to stir up trouble or have arguments in the comments.
I’m just a genuine customer observing a trend that has made me think twice about Monzo.
Over the past 6 or so months, I’ve noticed more and more reviews on trustpilot, tiktok posts, news articles, reddit posts, etc about the fact that user accounts are suddenly and irreversibly being closed.
At first I was certain the users were doing something the shouldn’t, not using the account, etc.
But as I’ve watched these people’s journeys more and more of these people are receiving compensation from Monzo admitting that they’re accounts were closed “due to a system error”
That being said I wanted to make a chat for people to share their experiences in a constructive manner and perhaps have mozo officially comment on the issue at hand.
Why they can’t Tell people why their accounts are being closed
Why they can’t give people a notice period before shutting them out of their accounts.
Why people who have been proven to have their accounts wrongfully terminated can’t reopen them.
If there was a policy change internally that now means accounts that were open now must be closed immediately.
What is so terrible that they are willing to have Monzos 1* reviews on trustpilot skyrocket. And brand risk so that loyal premium customers are having second thoughts.
Chatters please keep the chat civil and lets have a constructive conversation that might help Monzo understand the gravity of this situation
Stop believing everything you read on the internet and do some research on banking laws then you won’t need to worry. There is no “gravity” to the situation.
They follow the rules all banks follow. Their aim is to grow, they won’t close accounts for no reason.
Criminals will resort to any and all methods to try and pressure a bank into releasing their funds. Monzo can’t control this.
I agree with Revels here, there’s zero gravity to this situation, just a few trustpilot reviews that are the result of following procedures they have to follow.
This thread probably won’t stay up, you’re right. Because to caveat @mike’s suggestion above, most of them get locked and unlisted, so they won’t show up if you search.
I don’t think your concerns are necessarily invalid. But the law is the law, however unfair it might seem. And until there’s been real change and reform, this is how banks are allowed to behave, whether justified or not (they do hide behind those laws for some things where they just aren’t actually applicable and they should actually explain themselves).
If you care about this stuff, Nigel Farage is (unfortunately? For better or worse?) the biggest consumer champion advocating for reforms in this space. You might like to join his campaign and add your voice (because this is how we change it, if we ever do).
Hopefully that’s a bit more helpful than a terse dismissal of how you feel.
Very interesting stuff guys thanks, I have done a lot of looking into it but sadly found it difficult to find the information you guys have shared here. I really appreciate the links especially to Monzos own comments on the matter.
I think the reason I personally made the post was because I’ve done digging on both the app faq and forums but it feels actively hidden with nothing coming up for deleted accounts. And other such keywords.
Also, people who’s accounts don’t get closed won’t post anywhere saying “My Monzo account is still open”.
Whereas social media loves to promote the negative (rightly or wrongly) voices that they’ve been closed - where you only get half the story. Your intake of information is intrinsically skewed from the outset. I’ve been with Monzo since 2016, and haven’t had any issues (touch wood), and just use the account as my main account living a normal life with the odd loss on Bet365, or income from investments.
You’ll get the complete opposite (on average) in this forum - where many are referred to as fanboys etc, but that’s simply because the people that enjoy fintech, or Monzo will post here & see through a load of the nonsense that people share about their accounts being shut down.
Take everything you read with a pinch of salt - or a mountain depending on where it was posted
The weirdest one though - was when someone long term posted here saying their account was being closed & it was retrospectively retracted, so Monzo may get it wrong, but that’s rare.
I understand where the op is coming from. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has another bank on the go, purely 'cos I have a fear Monzo may suddenly find some reason to close/freeze my account suddenly with no reason. Never had that fear before, don’t like it, but can’t deny its there - strange really. Would very much prefer not to have the fear, and close down my other bank accounts.
It is a concern but I guess I have to trust that the ombudsman or FCA has the full picture on the incorrect closure ratio and will come down on Monzo or any bank if needed.
I get what you’re trying to do there, but you’re cherry picking the very worst banks who will receive poor reviews for the myriad of reasons they leave folks with negative experiences.
It ignores the context of those reviews.
Monzo is rated 3.8, for instance. The vast majority of their poor reviews are related to account closures (from my brief scroll through).
Scrolling through Santander’s many of their poor reviews are related to poor service quality, cock ups, and customer support. Not account closures. They’re just not a very good bank to bank with all around and the reviews reflect that.
I know, but the view you’re trying to refute with those ratings was formed on the basis of the context of Monzo’s one star reviews.
You’re presenting counter reviews without that such context, and it’s the context of the reviews which is key, not the 1 star reviews themselves.
With context, HSBC’s one star reviews are similar in nature to Santander’s. There’s the odd account closure review in there, but they’re few and far between. Again, the contrast with Monzo’s one star reviews, is that the vast majority of them (the recent ones I’ve scrolled through for comparison) are because Monzo closed their account.
Now it could just be that Monzo closing your account is the only thing worth complaining about in contrast to other banks. But I sympathise with the picture that will paint for some folks and the fear and worry it instills.
I know because I do the same things to myself. Buy a product or service, then read the reviews, then worry. The worries instilled by those negative reviews are valid more often than you would think. So I get it. Where OP is coming from.
One of the reasons I don’t buy yfood. The recent (at the time I was deciding between them and Huel) reviews of rancid unsealed milk being delivered put me off for life.
Honestly, if you’d bought it at that time too, there’s a solid chance yours would have tasted like that too (unless you ordered the 330ml bottles), validating your worry.
What on earth possessed them to use Huel’s bottler as opposed to Saturo’s (which they do for the vegan drinks) I just don’t know. They’re a notoriously bad bottler and most batches of Huel have the same issue (just less pronounced with it not being milk based). The process isn’t sterile (and it should be) and the bottles are never sealed properly (which they need to be). So the drinks go bad long before the use by date.
I’m just glad they fixed it, or they would have lost my custom over it.
Monzo flag and remove negative reviews on trustpilot so their rating is better than others who don’t. Trustpilot always side with the company that pays them.
Unless it’s abusive or has staff names in then generally they are not removed.
My view is, older banks have older clientele who love to moan.
Monzo has younger clientele who are very internet savvy, I’m fairly sure Monzo used to also ask for reviews along with many other newer banks, so this also increases their rating.
Generally people don’t go online to give praise off their own accord, but if prompted, they will likely give a fair/good review based on their journey so far.
