Australian bank - keeping money hostage

Samdewhurst

I need help.

An Australian bank - the commonwealth have my money hostage and said the only way I can ever retrieve my £2000 is to go to Australia and see them in person!

OFX are the transfer service who have tried to get my funds back! The commonwealth are not releasing my funds even though they know I’m ill and cannot go to Australia!

xylophone

Is it a case of proving your identity?

jonesMUFCforever

Do you have a bank card that may work in a UK ATM?
Might be worth a try to see if you can get a few hundred pounds equivalent every day?

Roger.Wilco

How old is the Commonwealth Bank Account?

Did you apply for a Bank Account via Commonwealth Migrant Services?

On the Commonwealth Bank London web-page (unfortunately, London address only a mailbox).

Accountholders will not be able to withdraw their funds or have full access to the CommBank app and Netbank until they have arrived in Australia and have been appropriately identified at a CBA branch. Full terms and conditions of the CommBank app are available on the app. The CommBank app is free to download however your mobile network provider charges you for accessing data on your phone. Find out about the minimum operating system requirements on the <Removed Link>. NetBank access with NetCode SMS is required.

However, if it is just an ID issue - then when I called the Commonwealth Bank Migrant Services a few weeks ago - they could accept the Post Office ID verification service. However, they said at the time that they would provide the details closer to the time.


Not that it will help you - as Commonwealth's European "Branch" is in Malta. However, Westpac does have a physical branch in London - although, visits are by prior arrangement only.

boo_star

Go back to Australia then.

SnowTiger

Samdewhurst wrote: »

An Australian bank - the commonwealth have my money hostage and said the only way I can ever retrieve my £2000 is to go to Australia and see them in person!

OFX are the transfer service who have tried to get my funds back! The commonwealth are not releasing my funds even though they know I’m ill and cannot go to Australia!

Think you have problems? This video popped up on my YouTube stream yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F0DRBmWr2k.

The ongoing saga of Commonwealth Bank losing track of an account that has nearly one million Australian dollars in it. Allegedly.

Have you tried taking the matter to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority?

If I were you I would suggest to Commonwealth Bank or the AFCA that the funds are simply returned to wherever they came from; if that's possible.

zerog

You should probably post this on https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/150

Most people here wouldn't know about Australian bank procedures