I have just spent the last four days trying to pay on line one of my Barclaycard credit cards, a process which used to take a matter of minutes even for a Luddite like me, however Barclays in their wisdom have decided this was far too easy for me and have now brought in a new “improved” system.

Prior to this new system I would open my bank details on my computer and press the “make a payment” button and select from my drop down list of payee’s the person or business I wished to pay, enter the amount and press pay, which even for someone like me was a fairly simple procedure and could be completed in very little time.

However Barclays in their infinite wisdom have decided this was far too easy and have now removed any payee’s from my drop down menu which are duplicated, in my case it was one of my two Barclaycard credit cards allegedly in an attempt to stop people sending money to the wrong payee.

I am sorry if this is getting a tad long winded but if you think this is long winded you should have seen my attempts over the last four days to reinstate the missing card details to the drop down list, all to no avail until I finally gave in and phoned Barclays for assistance.

It now seems that if I wish to pay my missing card I now have to select the details of the card still remaining on the list that corresponds with that particular Barclaycard and enter the amount as usual and then enter the card number for the card I wish to pay whereupon I am then directed to the PINsentry page, now at this stage I will have to explain what PINsentry is for those of you who do not have a Barclays account.

The PINsentry is a security machine rather like a small calculator which requests that I enter my Barclays debit card into the machine and press “respond” followed by “enter your pin” which then requests that I enter the 8 digit number on the screen of my computer which then generates another 8 digit number which I have to enter in the two boxes on the computer screen which will finally allow payment to go through.

Apparently I am not the only Barclays customer who has contacted them and commented that their new system is fxxxing lunacy, I am living in hopes that the old system will be reinstated as they sometimes do when some bright spark comes up with what they think is an extremely clever idea and those of us who have to use it are left losing the will to live.

I am now going for a lay down in a dark room in an effort to reduce my blood pressure to normal levels and was wondering if there is an award for the most stupid idea of the year for which I might nominate Barclays back room boys. I seem to have to explain everything in this modern age, “boys” is the old fashioned generic way of describing people of both sex, which I assume will nowadays include those of a non binary persuasion and others identifying as something else, a banana for example.

As I said in the title, Barclays you couldn’t leave them in charge of a cocktail party in an off licence.