HN Explorer

Tell HN: Revolut suspended my account for no reason

27 points by acheong08 ↗ HN
I came to the UK a month ago and have yet to get a proper bank account. Revolut was a lifesaver when I first got here.

Over the past month, I’ve bought my groceries from the same Tesco every single day.

Today, out of the blue, my card got declined. Same Tesco, same time.

I don’t hold any cash and have no backups. I don’t have any food in the fridge.

Here is our conversation: “”” Support: Hi there! My name is Paul. Thanks for contacting us, I hope you are doing well. I appreciate the time you have been waiting, and I see that you are facing issues with your account. I will be glad to provide you with the instructions on how to get this sorted.

Me: How do I get my card to work

Support: I am really sorry for this situation Cheong, I have explained your case to the responsible verification team. We always aim to complete such issues as quickly as possible, however please be advised that it may take up to 7 business days and I will update you as soon as this additional check is completed. You can always reach out to this chat before that, if you have further queries. Your patience is highly appreciated, thank you!

Me: Can I at least know why

Support: I understand that you are interested in more details about the reason why the account was temporarily restricted. There are several reasons why our automated systems may trigger these restrictions. Unfortunately, these reasons are internal info and can not be disclosed, to ensure the security of our customer’s accounts. “””

Not sure how many days I’ll last without food…….

15 comments

[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 47.6 ms ] thread
gardenhedge
Options:

* Sell something for cash and buy rice and beans to last until you can access the account again

* Something must have been funding your revolut account.. try access those funds?

* Bitcoin can't get suspended. If you can find a place to accept it, you can eat.

acheong08
> Something must have been funding your revolut account.. try access those funds?

I transfer £400 per month to Revolut from my Malaysian bank account. It takes a while for it to go through and the debit card doesn’t work in the UK.

[dead] aaronrobinson
[flagged]
mwenge
Such heartwarming words of encouragement.
ZhadruOmjar
Nothing like a stressful situation in a new country to prompt you to try a new extreme diet. What a ridiculous comment.
jarofgreen
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/banking/com...

"Banks and building societies are required by law to have a written complaints process which tells customers how to make a complaint."

azalemeth
Very much this. Complain to the ombudsman and highlight how their automated process stopped you being able to eat. You can likely get compensation back.

I realise it's little help, but also give them a 1-star review on google play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.revolut.re... – and highlight this. Looks like supportdroid tends to get back fairly quickly...

drcongo
Monzo froze an account of mine a few years ago, keeping a couple of grand from me. They absolutely refused to answer any questions and eventually just stopped replying. One complaint to the financial ombudsman though and I had my money back immediately.
NeoTar
One option, although costly in the long-term and I have no idea how practical it would be for someone in your circumstance, is to take a pay-day-loan. These are short-term loans at pretty horrible rates of interest (i.e. borrow 50 GBP, and have to repay 60 GBP in a month).
azalemeth
I really wouldn't recommend this: a) I believe that it requires a bank account – which the OP doesn't have – as they just do a transfer to a nominated account b) The interest rates are utterly usurious and the mere fact that you've used them wrecks your credit rating.
Cypher
Come over to my house, I can give you some food
not_your_vase
My condolences.

I know you are not looking for a lecture, sorry for that.

This is just the perfect example of the effects of centralization. Everything is cool, as long everybody plays together. Once either side deviates from the other side's expectations, the whole thing is messed up.

I'm the last person to shill for crypto, but this is the exact usecase for bitcoin. Too bad it god hijacked and became a scammer's paradise. Until something better comes along, use cash for everything, where it is possible. Better starting it late than never. I started to doing that 2 years ago.