My Deed Poll was rejected!

Sometimes, an organisation might reject a deed poll and refuse to update their records with your new name. This is true regardless of wheher it's one created by FreeDeedPoll.org.uk or one produced by anybody else.

The biggest culprits for this are often high street banks, whose interpretation of rules designed to prevent financial fraud (for which they have significant liability) can be somewhat strict, making them risk-averse. But it can happen with other organisations too.

If you're one of the unlucky few to whom this happens, here's a series of steps you can take to try to solve the problem, in approximate order that you might try them:

1. Update your government-issued IDs first
   If you haven't yet gotten a passport, driving license, or other government-issued ID updated with your new name, do that first. It's hard for an organisation to refuse to correct your name when you can turn up in person and show them your official ID in that name.
   
   If you're having difficulty getting your government ID updated, this is a tougher situation! Getting one piece updated (e.g. your driving license) can make it much easier to get a second (e.g. your passport), as the government does not want you travelling under two different name (e.g. across the Irish border using your driving license and then returning using your passport!). But in general you'll need to go through whatever hoops government agencies throw in your way. In particular, very-unusual names (like the author of this list's) are more-likely to encounter difficulty, but a discussion about exactly what they need to see will yield a happy outcome.
2. Bring a plethora of evidence
   Turning up at your bank with all of the evidence you would need to open a new account (e.g. photo ID and proof of address in your new name) is usually enough to convince them to accept your change of name. Calmly explaining that you could now open a new account either with them or one of their competitors can make a word of difference to a bank.
3. Talk with your feet
   If you're looking for a quick solution that puts the burden on you, you might be able to switch to a competitor. It's not an option for everybody, but you could consider shopping-around rather than supporting a company who is unwilling to respect your legal rights: changing banks is pretty quick and easy these days, and there are often perks available for switching.
4. Ask what evidence they require
   Sometimes organisations have a particular idea about what an "official" deed poll is. In some cases, they just need education: following some investigative journalism in 2013, many organsiations are more-understanding than they once were (feel free to show them that article). In other cases, banks have made out-of-court settlements including financial payments as apologies to people when they've realised that they were in the wrong all along.
   
   Asking what evidence they require can be the first step in finding a middle-ground solution. Then, you can decide whether to agree to them (e.g. by getting some other ID sorted first) or educate them about their misunderstanding.
5. Be relentless
   Be polite and respectful, but don't be afraid to be a thorn in their side too. If you don't get a reply to a message, follow-up once a week. If you get a reply to say they're looking into it but you don't hear back, follow-up once a week. If the person you're dealing with can't help, ask who can help and whether your case can be escalated to them. Don't let anybody forget that they're supposed to be updating your details.
6. Leverage the DPA2018/GDPR
   The Data Protection Act 2018 (the UK's implementation of the EU's GDPR) gives you the right to require that organisations correct any incorrect personal information they hold about you.
   
   If you've provided what you consider to be sufficient evidence of your change of name, which should include your deed poll, a piece of photo ID with your new name, and a proof-of-address in your new name, and they're still refusing, then you're in an extremely strong position to make a demand under this regulation.
   
   Write to the organisation, stating that they should consider your letter to be a "right to rectification" request under the DPA2018/GDPR. State that you believe that they are knowingly continuing to process outdated and incorrect personal information about you, despite you having proven that this data is wrong, and ask that they correct it immediately. Enclose copies of all the evidence you've shown them previously.
   
   If you don't get any response within a couple of weeks, follow-up to check that they received it. If you don't get a satisfactory response within 28 days, escalate the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO is empowered to impose heavy fines on organisations that violate these regulations, and organisations are often afraid of such an outcome and will quickly their mistakes to avoid it once you've shown that you're willing push ahead with this action.