A mum-of-three has been left with lower than £10 to feed her children throughout the summer time holidays after her checking account was abruptly frozen. Lisa Cullen claims her Fits Me account was frozen with out warning on Sunday, July 26, and says she now has simply £9 to dwell on for the following week.
The 41-year-old, from Northenden, close to Manchester, alleges she acquired no prior warning to her account being suspended and solely found there was a difficulty when her debit card was declined.
Lisa, who has been left with out a proof, is unable to entry over £120 within the account to purchase necessities for her household. As reported within the Manchester Night Information, her kids, aged 15, 13 and 9, have additionally simply damaged up for the college holidays.
“I went to the outlets on Sunday with my daughter and my card was declined,” Lisa advised the MEN. “I knew there was cash in there, so I attempted calling the financial institution and couldn’t get anyplace with them.”
Fits Me describes itself as a "hassle-free different to conventional banking" and gives clients with an e-money account and a contactless debit card. Lisa stated she has been given no purpose why her account has been frozen, and stated she has been advised the problem is with Fits Me’s Compliance Crew to analyze.
Within the meantime, Lisa claims she has been advised she must wait as much as 60 days to achieve entry to her cash.
“My DWP funds had been paid into there,” Lisa defined. “They stated they’d despatched me an e-mail to say my account had been frozen however I’ve had nothing and no discover that it was going to occur. They’re simply holding onto my cash and I can’t entry it.
“I’ve defined to them that I've three kids and I’ve bought no cash to feed them. I will need to have emailed them round 40 occasions however we’re simply going spherical in circles. I can’t converse to anybody in compliance and I can’t get any clarification for what’s occurred.”
Lisa stated she is now unable to log into her account altogether and stated she has since seen comparable reviews on-line from different Fits Me clients. On Monday, she even drove to the financial institution firm’s workplaces in Knutsford to attempt to get assist with the state of affairs.
“I don’t know what to do,” she stated. “I drove to the headquarters they usually advised me that they had no managers out there to talk to me. All they advised me to do was to talk to the DWP about my cash, however that’s not the problem."
Lisa stated she joined the financial institution two months in the past as a ‘momentary factor’ and stated she by no means needs to make use of the financial institution once more after the expertise. "It doesn’t assist that it is the begin of the college holidays with three kids," she added. "We had been going to go on days out and do issues, however we’re caught at dwelling now as a result of they’re holding my cash to ransom - I've completed nothing mistaken."
"I'll need to borrow cash from folks and that can simply put me behind as a result of I might want to pay it again. I’m obsessively watching my electrical meter go down and beginning to fear that I will not have the ability to feed my children. That is purported to be a pleasant time at the beginning of the college holidays, however as a substitute I am simply stressed."
Lisa stated she now needs different folks to pay attention to the state of affairs in case it occurs to them. She stated: "I do not really feel like they need to have the ability to do that to folks, particularly in the meanwhile when everyone seems to be struggling. £120 is a big quantity to folks lately."
Fits Me stated it was unable to touch upon the state of affairs, and added that it operated all accounts consistent with its phrases and situations.
A Fits Me spokesperson advised the MEN: "We can't touch upon a person buyer’s circumstances. Nevertheless, Fits Me operates its clients’ accounts consistent with their phrases and situations, related laws and the steering given by the Monetary Conduct Authority."
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