Jarden Direct

[BlackPeter]

Direct Broking Customer here, sold at some stage to ANZ Securities and just recently to Jarden Direct.

Holding our joint account with them for two decades or so and need another account to invest some money out of an inheritance.

Thought this is going to be easy with my broker for the last 20 years ... until I asked them.

No problem, they said - we send you a link.

They did.

Link asks for access to my cellphone to load some funny security software in order to identify me.

I did.

Received confirmation:

Dear xxx,
Thank you for choosing Jarden Direct as your self-directed investment platform. This email confirms that we have received your application and it is with our Client Experience team.

but then comes another email:

Hi,

Jarden have contracted Verifi Identity Services (‘Verifi’), to use their online system Cloudcheck to help us verify your identity. It’s a simple process and should only take a few minutes to complete.

Trust me - they lie. What started was neither easy, it took hours (counting several repetitions) and it is still not completed.

Do I want to continue doing business with people who lie? Anyway, this is how the story evolved:

I click the link and software wants to take my mugshots (face frontal, 45 degrees left turn, 45 degrees right turn).

I complied, though software makes life really difficult. How do you react if your software asks you for a lighter background if you stand in front of a white wall? No, I didn't threw the cell phone against the wall (its not its fault), but I started swearing.

Another handful of attempts and software is happy with the mugshots.

Ah, yes - and then software wants to take a photo of my drivers licence. I complied ... and got as response - DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR FACE (I didn't, but obviously there is a foto on my drivers licence).

Several attempts later - and no idea why they need the rear of the drivers licence as well I was done. Software said "Thank you". Sigh.

Waiting for my new account details, but a couple of days later comes an email from Jarden:

Hi xxx,


Thank you for applying with Jarden Direct, I can confirm we have received your application.

We weren’t able to electronically verify your identity; the 45-degree angle photo (in the middle between straight-on and side-on) was missing from the selfie photos.

Before we can proceed with the account opening, we need some further information:

I have sent you a link (separate email) so you can attempt to verify your identity again.

... and this is when it all started again. When I was still in work, we called software like that "banana software" (product is ripening at the customers site).

Another 30 minutes in my life nobody will give me back ... and I was done a second time.

Sigh - surely, now I will get the account details, won't I?

A day later:

Hi xxx,

Apologies for the delay in our response.

Sadly, this second attempt wasn’t successful.

I have sent you a new link if you would like to try once more.

Or if you prefer, we can use the manual identification process below:

· Please supply a newly certified copy of both sides of your drivers licence and

· Please supply a newly certified copy of a recent bank or government statement in your name (such as the bank statement supplied).



These documents can be certified by a Justice of the Peace, Solicitor or Chartered Account.

Remember - I am customer with them for the last two decades ....

I called their so called customer experience team, but they are not able (or willing) to discuss process (hey, we know you, but you need to jump through all the hoops a new customer needs to jump through as well, and it is a much more stringent process than with any other company, and no, we don't have a branch near you), though it sort of sounded they are aware that their onboarding process sucks.

I recon I will drive tomorrow into town and open a new broking account with ASB - or are their other suggestions around?

What I do know is that I will avoid Jarden from now on like the plague ...

Hope somebody finds this post inspirational