Barclays suggested mystery shoppers could pretend to be blind or deaf

London: Barclays is getting some serious heat for a recent ad campaign. They suggested that mystery shoppers could pretend to be blind or deaf to test their services. Yeah, you heard that right!

The bank hired Ipsos to run these tests, and the instructions were pretty wild. They said it would be great if the shoppers were actually blind or deaf, but if not, they could just “fabricate” those conditions for a £45 payout per visit. That’s a bit much, don’t you think?

The National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) was quick to call them out. They argued that the bank should hire real blind people to evaluate their services instead of asking others to pretend. Makes sense, right?

Ipsos describes mystery shoppers as undercover agents checking out services. They usually pay between £5 and £40 for these evaluations. But Barclays took it a step further by specifically targeting blind and deaf customers.

One instruction sheet even suggested that applicants could say their eyesight was getting worse and ask how Barclays could help with their banking. Andrew Hodgson from NFBUK said it’s just not appropriate. Only those who are actually visually impaired know what they need.

Hodgson, who is blind himself, pointed out that blind folks face a ton of banking challenges. He mentioned how helpful it would be if bank cards had braille and other features to assist. Plus, with so many bank branches closing, it’s getting harder for people to access services.

A Barclays spokesperson said they’re committed to improving customer service and will do better in the future. They’re looking for feedback from real customers and will rethink their mystery shopper approach. Let’s hope they take this seriously!