Typical time to clear funds at Intersango (and other bitcoin exchanges)

[Rygon]

I sent in a request for a deposit April 2, and Intersango said it should have been there by April 6. It's April 11, and says the transfer is under review. I sent a message asking why, got back an answer saying this was typical, but that was it. It was my first time using Intersango, so I wonder if this is standard for all new accounts? I put in a pretty simple deposit, hoping it doesn't always take over a week. Perhaps it's because of the time it takes to verify the deposit with the bank that sent the money? I'm hoping it doesn't always take that long, anyone have good rule-of-thumb experience?

[1715034943]

1715034943

[wogaut]

I sent in a request for a deposit April 2, and Intersango said it should have been there by April 6. It's April 11, and says the transfer is under review. I sent a message asking why, got back an answer saying this was typical, but that was it. It was my first time using Intersango, so I wonder if this is standard for all new accounts? I put in a pretty simple deposit, hoping it doesn't always take over a week. Perhaps it's because of the time it takes to verify the deposit with the bank that sent the money? I'm hoping it doesn't always take that long, anyone have good rule-of-thumb experience?

First question, what type of deposit method did you use? There are widely varying time frames depending on the deposit method.

[Rygon]

Dwolla - since I thought this would be the cheapest cost. Based on some other forum threads, I now think the long transfer time would be because of Dwolla.

[wogaut]

Dwolla - since I thought this would be the cheapest cost. Based on some other forum threads, I now think the long transfer time would be because of Dwolla.

Yes, I'm waiting on review of one of my Dwolla transfers myself, it said to be imported from Dwolla within an hour, but it's just sitting there in "review". I guess that's part of their "stringent fraud prevention" now. Depending on how fast this gets actually done, I might make a decision between which exchange to use for future bitcoin purchases.

[Rygon]

Yes, I'm waiting on review of one of my Dwolla transfers myself, it said to be imported from Dwolla within an hour, but it's just sitting there in "review". I guess that's part of their "stringent fraud prevention" now. Depending on how fast this gets actually done, I might make a decision between which exchange to use for future bitcoin purchases.

I see. I don't mind waiting for deposits to be approved, especially since many sources have chargeback policies (like Dwolla). But the timetable on the website that says "Transactions imported within the hour. Stringent fraud prevention" should say that transactions could be under review for days.

Just to be clear, this was a legit transfer from bank account -> Dwolla -> Intersango. I'm looking forward to buying my first bitcoins and learning how to use them.

[wogaut]

Yes, I'm waiting on review of one of my Dwolla transfers myself, it said to be imported from Dwolla within an hour, but it's just sitting there in "review". I guess that's part of their "stringent fraud prevention" now. Depending on how fast this gets actually done, I might make a decision between which exchange to use for future bitcoin purchases.

I see. I don't mind waiting for deposits to be approved, especially since many sources have chargeback policies (like Dwolla). But the timetable on the website that says "Transactions imported within the hour. Stringent fraud prevention" should say that transactions could be under review for days.

Just to be clear, this was a legit transfer from bank account -> Dwolla -> Intersango. I'm looking forward to buying my first bitcoins and learning how to use them.

Totally agree. This needs to be clarified in the support section. Also, if there's a review going on for days, one would expect to be notified by Intersango.

The whole fraud protection is driving people mad. It seems to be random just like the TSA at airports, also at other sites (like the recent MtGox account debate). I think this should be more streamlined in the interest of both exchanges and the customer.

I'll wait for a while then I contact them to give them a chance (which you, Rygon should do now), and if there's no satisfactory result we can always jump the scam/bashing train later.

Keep us updated!

[wogaut]

Dwolla - since I thought this would be the cheapest cost. Based on some other forum threads, I now think the long transfer time would be because of Dwolla.

Yes, I'm waiting on review of one of my Dwolla transfers myself, it said to be imported from Dwolla within an hour, but it's just sitting there in "review". I guess that's part of their "stringent fraud prevention" now. Depending on how fast this gets actually done, I might make a decision between which exchange to use for future bitcoin purchases.

Just a quick update on my Dwolla:
I'm not a patient as the OP obviously, so when my Dwolla didn't clear after a couple of hours I opened a support ticket. My request was immediately reviewed and the response to my question ("How can we speed this up for future transactions?") was basically what we already debated (and what MtGox also is dealing with), to provide identification to them if I want to ensure fast Dwolla transfer, as this is a "fairly high risk" to them. 

Also make sure their reference code is in there.

I suggest to the OP, if he didn't do that, contact them immediately, I'm sure they will respond.

[Rygon]

Update: According to an email from Intersango, the deposit cleared. However, Intersango appears to be down for the moment, so I can't really check on it or convert the fiat into bitcoins.