I've been trying to open an account and ISA with Virgin - what a performance. for just about everything in life now you must have either a valid passport or a photo ID card. OAP's, etc forget it. DHSS apparnelty to can maybe get a form saying you are a real person.
Virgin subcontract photo Id to a company called Hooyuu.com (which appears to be a chinese company now hoovering up id and video of UK subjects courtesy of Virgin)
- you have to be videoed on their app then send in, on their photo app, a pic of your passport or driving licence photo.
But the only photo ID I have is my passport and bus pass (good for voting but not banks apparently), and HETAS card..
The anti tampering reflective stuff on the passport prevent them ok'ing the phot0 "too much glare" .
Also kicked me out when it asked me which of the 5 random addresses I associate with - none of them, WTF? - turns out one was an old address of my brother, with whom I do not associate.
Could I go to a branch you ask? - No, there are no branches in London or anywhere south of Northampton, all shut last year.
After 2 hours on the phone with a virgin person (full marks for her a answering the phone and stayon the line for that long), there is no way around the Hooyuu farce, but, it can also be done on a laptop, if only their website saiid so. did a pdf scan of the passport - and got ok'd.
30mins of help later - got an current account. Could I transfer money into it? No, "still being processed try again in a couple of days" So no ISA with Virgin then.
Rant over, I'm going to query use of a chinese identification company in the UK with my MP.
Virgin subcontract photo Id to a company called Hooyuu.com (which appears to be a chinese company now hoovering up id and video of UK subjects courtesy of Virgin)
- you have to be videoed on their app then send in, on their photo app, a pic of your passport or driving licence photo.
But the only photo ID I have is my passport and bus pass (good for voting but not banks apparently), and HETAS card..
The anti tampering reflective stuff on the passport prevent them ok'ing the phot0 "too much glare" .
Also kicked me out when it asked me which of the 5 random addresses I associate with - none of them, WTF? - turns out one was an old address of my brother, with whom I do not associate.
Could I go to a branch you ask? - No, there are no branches in London or anywhere south of Northampton, all shut last year.
After 2 hours on the phone with a virgin person (full marks for her a answering the phone and stayon the line for that long), there is no way around the Hooyuu farce, but, it can also be done on a laptop, if only their website saiid so. did a pdf scan of the passport - and got ok'd.
30mins of help later - got an current account. Could I transfer money into it? No, "still being processed try again in a couple of days" So no ISA with Virgin then.
Rant over, I'm going to query use of a chinese identification company in the UK with my MP.