A Nationwide customer has faced repeated account blocks because the Post Office cannot deliver bank statements to his unnumbered house. AT, from a village in Banbury, says his property has a name but no number, leading to returned mail and subsequent account freezes.
The customer, who holds multiple accounts with the building society, experienced the issue twice in six months. Despite his house being clearly named on a main road, a postman returned the letter as undeliverable. Nationwide then blocked all accounts, requiring a phone call to restore access.
AT requested that Nationwide contact him before blocking accounts, but was told that “security is our number one priority”. A Nationwide spokesperson acknowledged the inconvenience, stating: “A temporary block is normal practice when items are returned saying ‘no trace’, but we are reviewing our process around no trace mail to ensure inconvenience is kept to a minimum.”
The building society has since contacted AT to discuss options. One potential solution is switching to paperless statements, which would eliminate the need for postal delivery. The Observer’s consumer champion, Anna Tims, notes that many people live in unnumbered houses and suggests that Nationwide could adapt its procedures for flagged addresses.
