I missed my Isa offer but three banks involved say they are not to blame

Barclays suggested I cash in my old Isas with other providers and put all the money in a five-year fixed rate Isa with an annual income of 4% tax free. Barclays sent letters to First Direct on 29 March and Santander on 30 March saying the funds needed to be with Barclays by 16 April. Santander's cheque arrived on 21 April and First Direct's the following day, too late to go into the fund. But I can't get my money back. My £21,000 is floating around earning no interest whatsoever. Each of the three banks insists that it has acted in a correct manner and it wasn't their fault. It certainly wasn't my fault. Barclays sent the money back to the original providers who reinstated the old accounts. First Direct paid £8 interest for the week my money was in the post, and offered £100 compensation. Barclays says it is considering compensation. Santander reinstated the Isa, but otherwise has done nothing. I think it is not unreasonable to have compensation for the mix-up. HM, Richmond, Surrey Barclays says its letters to First Direct and Santander were clear: if they were unable to get the money over by 16 April they should not send it at all. But they did. Barclays' investment had a cut-off date because it was a fixed-rate Isa and it could not reopen the fund to take your late contributions. Barclays says it is not responsible for the money arriving after the deadline, but it does admit it should have kept you better informed. You wanted £100 compensation from Barclays, but it believes £50 is more appropriate. Santander admits it was wrong to send the money after the deadline and offered a £45 goodwill payment plus £14 for the interest you lost. You rejected this and Santander has raised the total to £75, including interest. First Direct has been more generous. It increased its compensation from £100 to £150 and added two bottles of wine. It says if you decide to keep your Isa with First Direct, it will earn 2.65% for the next 14 months. You have received £275 compensation, including the interest you lost during the process. I think that is reasonable. You can email Margaret Dibben at [email protected] or write to Margaret Dibben, Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU and include a telephone number. Do not enclose SAEs or original documents. The newspaper accepts no legal responsibility for advice.