Funds transferred to wrong account! Help PLEASE?

cindyhove

Hi, my OH transferred a considerable sum of money from Lloyds to a new Aliance & Leicester account.
HOWEVER, the account number is 9 digits long and the money was transferred to an account with only 8 digits - ergo someone elses account.
Lloyds have tried to help, but the owner of the account that the money was sent to in error have taken the money out in cash (nice honest people!)
A&L say its our fault even though we were not aware that only the 1st 8 digits would be taken of the account number, and so into another of their clients bank accounts. They are being totally unhelpful and just say its tough!
So - is there a way we can get our money back? ANy ideas please?? We really can't afford to lose the money!
Thanks in advance

4743hudsonj

cindyhove wrote: »

Hi, my OH transferred a considerable sum of money from Lloyds to a new Aliance & Leicester account.
HOWEVER, the account number is 9 digits long and the money was transferred to an account with only 8 digits - ergo someone elses account.
Lloyds have tried to help, but the owner of the account that the money was sent to in error have taken the money out in cash (nice honest people!)
A&L say its our fault even though we were not aware that only the 1st 8 digits would be taken of the account number, and so into another of their clients bank accounts. They are being totally unhelpful and just say its tough!
So - is there a way we can get our money back? ANy ideas please?? We really can't afford to lose the money!
Thanks in advance

did you put the wrong number in by any chance?

ie an account number not card number or visa versa

i accidentally did that once as i use hsbc whose cards had a different layout so when filling an online transfer to my mothers account with what i thought to be correct was actually incorrect and went to someone elses account, they spent it but nationwide my mothers bandk and hsbc worked together and claimed my money back.

so i think youjust need to persue and persue until they do something.

HappyMJ

Send a payment of 1p and ask for it back in the reference. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Keep sending payments of 1p with different wording in the reference bit. They might get the message soon enough.

I did send money to the wrong account number once and it bounced back after a week as the account number didn't exist.

cindyhove

well it was obviously an error but it went into a live account and that account holder has taken the money.
A&L are being totally unreasonable as its because of their unclear wording and having accounts with both 8 & 9 digits

Valli

If you know and can prove/show that you gave the correct account number for the transfer write to them marking your letter as an official complaint (just type it) outlining what has happened, awhat has gone wrong and request that they endeavour to rectify their error within say 14 days. Keep a copy. They should respond outlining their complaints process. Follow that...keep copies of everythign and if they deny the error complain to the banking ombudsman.

If it is the case that they have 8 digit account reference numbers and 9 digit account reference numbers then this is going to happen again wherever a 9 digit account number has the same first 8 digits as a 9 digit account number eg

xx-xx-xx 12345678
xx-xx-xx 123456789

so you might also suggest that they amend their system so that the 9 digit accounts CANNOT be confused with the 8s! (hope that makes sense!)