A Delayed Bank Transfer: Email Exchange

Email 1 — Customer to Bank

Subject: Account Transfer Delay — Reference No. 47821 From: Sarah Chen To: Meridian Financial Customer Services Date: 26 March

Dear Customer Services,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the handling of my account transfer request, submitted on 12 March. According to the terms and conditions of my account, inter-bank transfers should be completed within three to five business days. It is now the fifteenth business day since my request was lodged, and the funds have still not arrived in my destination account.

I contacted your telephone helpline on 18 March and was assured by a representative that the transfer was being processed and would be completed "within the next 48 hours." That deadline has now passed. I have since attempted to contact your helpline on two further occasions but was placed on hold for extended periods without speaking to an agent.

The delay is causing me significant financial inconvenience, as the funds were intended to cover a business payment with a contractual deadline. I am therefore requesting that you investigate the matter as a priority, confirm the current status of the transfer, and provide a clear explanation for the delay.

Should this matter not be resolved within 48 hours of receiving this message, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Yours sincerely, Sarah Chen

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Email 2 — Bank to Customer

Subject: RE: Account Transfer Delay — Reference No. 47821 From: Meridian Financial Customer Services To: Sarah Chen Date: 27 March

Dear Ms Chen,

Thank you for contacting us regarding your transfer. We sincerely apologise for the delay and for the inconvenience you have experienced.

Following an internal investigation, we have established that the transfer was subject to an automated security hold, triggered by the size of the transaction. While this measure is designed to protect our customers, we acknowledge that our communication with you throughout this process was inadequate.

We are pleased to confirm that the hold has now been removed and the funds will be transferred to your destination account by close of business today. As a gesture of goodwill, we have applied a credit of £50 to your account. We are also reviewing our security notification procedures to ensure customers are informed promptly whenever a hold is placed on their account.

We value your custom and hope this matter is now resolved to your satisfaction.

Yours sincerely, Meridian Financial Customer Services Team