Lost incoming International wire transfer and Barclays

cindydorano

Hi

I've been waiting to receive a very large wire transfer from Canada since the start of the month. I only learned now (18 days in), after the sending bank from Canada did a trace ,that it apparently it did arrive to Barclays head office. However giving Barclays all the details of the wire receipt they claim they never received it. The bank in Canada refuses to give anymore information to verify their claim and help me find it, and claim Barclays is not responding to their recall. So basically it's a stale mate and I've no idea what to do. Surely there is some way to push this further, it's a very large sum and could lead to some real pain if I can't get to it, are there any 3rd parties that might be able to investigate it with a bit more aggression? Do I need a lawyer?

Any advice is more then welcomed and desperately need

thanks

davidmcn

Pursue a complaint with Barclays? And with the Canadian bank, if you can.

cindydorano

Yes I am going to do that with both (My Dad sent the money so can get him to) thanks
I need to understand the process a bit so I can really get to the bottom of it. Surely they have some kind of record of having sent it as they claim, yet they won't share that. I can't believe it could come down to he says, she says

cindydorano

I banker friend mentioned sometimes large sums are held for laundering checks but they can't say whether that's the case as it could notify the individual who is being investigated..?

Manxman_in_exile

Presumably, in respect of the bank in Canada, it's your father who needs to be pursuing this and making a complaint?  He, not you, is the Canadian bank's client, and it's he they need to satisfy that the money was sent.  They should give evidence of the transfer to him, he passes it to you, you confront Barclays with it.

These transfers (including high value ones) must happen by the hundreds or thousands every day and it must be simple to track one.

davidmcn

cindydorano said:

I banker friend mentioned sometimes large sums are held for laundering checks but they can't say whether that's the case as it could notify the individual who is being investigated..?

Yes, that is a possibility. Bank are able to trace where a transfer has gone to, they don't just disappear down a crack in the floorboards.

cindydorano

Manxman_in_exile said:

Presumably, in respect of the bank in Canada, it's your father who needs to be pursuing this and making a complaint?  He, not you, is the Canadian bank's client, and it's he they need to satisfy that the money was sent.  They should give evidence of the transfer to him, he passes it to you, you confront Barclays with it.

These transfers (including high value ones) must happen by the hundreds or thousands every day and it must be simple to track one.

You're totally right. It was annoying how the bank rep on the Canadian side tried to make it sound like it was out of their hands. Surely if they can't get the money back and Barclay's keeps denying they have it the bank needs to reimburse my Dad. If I were a business or someone who was owed the money I wouldn't be so concerned with the banks and still go after my Dad for the money owed.

born_again

Manxman_in_exile said:

These transfers (including high value ones) must happen by the hundreds or thousands every day and it must be simple to track one.

And there in is the problem. The sheer number of them.

Also the often do not travel direct from bank to bank, but go via various other financial institutions.

cindydorano

Just to add an update to this in case anyone is searching similar cases in the future. 
It turns out the money had arrived to Barclays but they didn't explain why they had not deposited it into my account. It will have been 3 weeks tomorrow and they claim because of the pandemic (covid) there are way more transfers and fewer people managing them so things are much slower.

Unfortunately the Canadian bank didn't only run a trace, but also a recall....so now Barclays has to send the money back. What a joke, such bad communication and transparency

I hope it doesn't take 3 weeks to go back and then,  another 3 weeks trying again...I'm looking into smaller global money transfers perhaps they are quicker

greyteam1959

Why not use somebody like Transferwise ??
The money arrives within seconds.

cindydorano

greyteam1959 said:

Why not use somebody like Transferwise ??
The money arrives within seconds.

Thanks. I wasn't aware transferwise was so fast. My Dad is 84 so I hope I can instruct him how to use them. He can barely use a phone and has to do everything via the branch.