"High Risk Address"

Bear with me on this one!...

A couple of years ago my bank persuaded me to have a credit card, a few months later and it hadnt turned up. I phoned the bank to cancel it, they re-ordered me another one and to this day, the second credit card hasnt turned up either.
Then, a few months ago my cheque book ran out and I didnt receive a replacement. I ordered one via online banking, it didnt turn up, so I ordered another and still, nothing arrived.

I've been into a branch of my bank today to order one through a living, breathing human being hoping i'd have more luck. I told her of the above and apparently, I live at a "high risk address" and so any sensitive mail, like cheque books and debit/credit cards, get delivered to my local branch.

Now, I live on a respectable, middle class cul-de-sac so I have no idea why it's been classed as high risk. The other thing that is bugging me is why nobody from the bank has informed me of this because these past 2 years i've been blaming Royal Mail for failing to deliver. When these items have been sent to my local branch, why on earth has nobody let me know? They can get in touch to send me junk email and updates about this service and that service but cant let me know of something important like this?

So, now I have to find time to pop into my local branch to speak to somebody and hopefully retrieve these missing items. I'll have about 5 bloomin cheque books now!

If there is anybody who works in a bank who could perhaps shed some light on why addresses are classed as high risk i'd be very grateful!

Hi Leanne I don't work in a bank but would assume the problem is not your actual address in a respectable road but your post code which will of course encompass a whole area.

You could have a post office mail box in an area with a more 'acceptable' post code.

Yes, my hometown as a whole isnt the best area! Also, i've just discovered that my contact telephone numbers are incorrect. I wonder if they've been trying to get in touch, cant and are reluctant to deliver sensitive items just in case I dont live there anymore.

I can't believe that your local branch has never rung you to say how much post you've got there waiting to be collected. That's crazy!

They probably have but my phone numbers were wrong!!

You'd better take a big bag with you to collect all of your post

Where I work, we class addresses as being at risk if previous (or present) owners have reported giro-cheques as not being received. Guess it is different for banks though?

I had a problem with being refused my initial application for a John Lewis credit card as the previous owner of our house had a terrible credit rating as he never paid any bills! We had letters from bailiffs saying they were going to visit When I rang John Lewis up and explained this they let me have the card. I have always (apart from once) paid it off in full every month so hopefully the credit rating will be better now but it was embarrassing