Barclays have *lost* my money

lh8609

Hi, just looking for some advice. I did a switch with Barclays as I was a victim of fraud. I was told the switch would be a simple one and I’d be given a new account number and sort code. 7 days after I agreed to this I was called and advised that there was a problem with the switch and that all the money had been taken from my old account and transferred to the new account however they couldnt find the new account.
They have now cancelled the switch so I’m able to use my old account however the £650 i had is still *lost* in the system. It’s been 6 days now and I have no money and they won’t give me a fee free overdraft or advance any cash as it’s not their policy apparently. I’ve literally been left penniless with 4 children to feed and a baby on the way, we had to sell something yesterday so weve got money to get us through till it’s sorted.

Can anyone advise what rights I have? They’re saying they hope it to be resolved by Friday but there’s no guarantee. I have savings but they’re locked away with penalties for withdrawal. We don’t claim any benefits so I can’t get any cash advance.

Thanks

Aylesbury_Duck

lh8609 said:

Hi, just looking for some advice. I did a switch with Barclays as I was a victim of fraud. I was told the switch would be a simple one and I’d be given a new account number and sort code. 7 days after I agreed to this I was called and advised that there was a problem with the switch and that all the money had been taken from my old account and transferred to the new account however they couldnt find the new account.
They have now cancelled the switch so I’m able to use my old account however the £650 i had is still *lost* in the system. It’s been 6 days now and I have no money and they won’t give me a fee free overdraft or advance any cash as it’s not their policy apparently. I’ve literally been left penniless with 4 children to feed and a baby on the way, we had to sell something yesterday so weve got money to get us through till it’s sorted.

Can anyone advise what rights I have? They’re saying they hope it to be resolved by Friday but there’s no guarantee. I have savings but they’re locked away with penalties for withdrawal. We don’t claim any benefits so I can’t get any cash advance.

Thanks

Could you withdraw the money you need from your savings, and then claim the penalty costs from Barclays once this is all sorted out?

m0bov

Can they not offer a free overdraft?

ItsComingRome

m0bov said:

Can they not offer a free overdraft?

The OP specifically says they have refused this.

gettingtheresometime

I think I would be suggesting to Barclays that losing a customer's money isn't policy either.

If you can't get into a branch to get this sorted then my next telephone call would start off by asking to speak to someone higher up than the call handler and then ask them to invoke the complaints procedure.

born_again

When you say switch, do you mean to another bank or to another barclays account?

ItsComingRome

gettingtheresometime said:

I think I would be suggesting to Barclays that losing a customer's money isn't policy either.

If you can't get into a branch to get this sorted then my next telephone call would start off by asking to speak to someone higher up than the call handler and then ask them to invoke the complaints procedure.

There's obviously a good reason why Barclays won't extend a relatively small overdraft to the OP.

Realistically, going into a branch is going to be a waste of time, branch staff have typically the least authority in the organisation. The OP can expect to be handed a phone if they deal with this in branch.  Far better to do it from the comfort of your own home.

lh8609

born_again said:

When you say switch, do you mean to another bank or to another barclays account?

Hi no sorry my intention was to stay with Barclays they were just changing the account to a new one. Basically an ex of mine has been applying for credit in my name and setting up direct debits to my bank for phone contracts/catalogues etc so I wanted a new account number and sort code. 

I’m going to switch as soon as the money is back in there, and I’ll be making a written complaint too. All they say when I call them is well we’ve had this technical error blah blah nothing we can do the team are working on it. 

lh8609

ItsComingRome said:

gettingtheresometime said:

I think I would be suggesting to Barclays that losing a customer's money isn't policy either.

If you can't get into a branch to get this sorted then my next telephone call would start off by asking to speak to someone higher up than the call handler and then ask them to invoke the complaints procedure.

There's obviously a good reason why Barclays won't extend a relatively small overdraft to the OP.

Realistically, going into a branch is going to be a waste of time, branch staff have typically the least authority in the organisation. The OP can expect to be handed a phone if they deal with this in branch.  Far better to do it from the comfort of your own home.

Literally just been told it’s not their policy to provide cash advances or anything like that free of charge. I asked her how she would survive if someone completely emptied her bank account, I’ve got 8 quid in my purse lol that’s it. I think I’m going to have to get an overdraft (they’re happy to offer me one and charge me for it) and demand in my complaint that they waiver the charges on it.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

ItsComingRome

lh8609 said:

ItsComingRome said:

gettingtheresometime said:

I think I would be suggesting to Barclays that losing a customer's money isn't policy either.

If you can't get into a branch to get this sorted then my next telephone call would start off by asking to speak to someone higher up than the call handler and then ask them to invoke the complaints procedure.

There's obviously a good reason why Barclays won't extend a relatively small overdraft to the OP.

Realistically, going into a branch is going to be a waste of time, branch staff have typically the least authority in the organisation. The OP can expect to be handed a phone if they deal with this in branch.  Far better to do it from the comfort of your own home.

Literally just been told it’s not their policy to provide cash advances or anything like that free of charge. I asked her how she would survive if someone completely emptied her bank account, I’ve got 8 quid in my purse lol that’s it. I think I’m going to have to get an overdraft (they’re happy to offer me one and charge me for it) and demand in my complaint that they waiver the charges on it.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

So this is because they won't do it free?

If I were in such dire straits I'd be taking a fee-incurring overdraft so I could put food on the table and worrying about the (very small) cost later.

I'd also be considering whether having my emergency fund in a savings account that charges penalties for withdrawing was a smart idea.

theoretica

Sometimes it is a matter of finding the words that work - I suspect the won't offer a free overdraft - but this sounds like the sort of mess up where once it is over and they know how big a mess it was they should expect to pay compensation which at least covers the overdraft fees and losses you have experienced.  Comes out of a different pot!