Why is Barclays charging more?

I am extremely surprised that my Barclays insurance premium has risen from £482 last year to a proposed £776 this year.

I called the bank and was immediately offered a £100 reduction, still substantially more than before. Despite repeated requests, the bank was unable to explain this massive increase. IVAN BROUGHTON, KENT

The policy is provided by Aviva.

Later you managed to get a further £12 lopped off. Then your son-in-law spoke to the bank and the excess was increased from £75 to £200 and the “personal belongings away from home” section removed. This brought the premium down to £585.

You had worked for the bank from 1950 until 1986, when you became one of its pensioners. Given this connection you felt particularly annoyed when your insurance premium increased. Barclays told me it had realised when you first called that a loyalty discount had been overlooked. This accounts for the £100 difference that had been corrected then.

However, when investigating the case further at my instigation, it turned out that a staff discount that had applied to the policy previously had also not been allowed for.

This now brought the premium down to £432.

A Barclays spokesman told me that this had been confirmed to you. He added: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused and have offered Mr Broughton a gesture of goodwill of £50.”

However, when I spoke to you, you had heard nothing of this latest development.

When you did, you paid the full yearly amount. Then you received an automatically generated letter about a monthly payment plan. Because of this additional mix-up, a further £25 is being sent. As another goodwill gesture the “personal belongings away from home” clause has been put back into your policy but the higher excess remains in place. by their ex-landlady but she isn’t paying it. What should they do next? TC, EAST YORKS

Neither of these letter writers provided the telephone number that we ask for below, so I haven’t been able to call to explain that I do not take on cases involving third parties – except in very exceptional circumstances.

No such circumstances seem to apply in either of these cases – and the second one is about something I probably would not have taken on in any event.