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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:15 am Subject: Bank Error

Sorry I am going to whine because I am really pissed off at my bank home branch of U.S. Bank right now. I deposited a payroll check on July 1. The check floated around in the system until Friday July 18 and then Friday afternoon my bank froze my account due to it being overdrawn because the check came back as unable to locate account. I did not find out until Saturday morning when I tried to use my debit card. I went in Saturday morning and they gave me a scanned image of the check that showed the account number being blotched and unreadable. I deposited a new check on Monday but apparently I had 4 checks come threw over the weekend so they are trying to charge me $140 in overdraft fees at $35 each. I told the bank manager that the bank did something to the check when they scanned it so it is an error on their part but she says they received the check in that condition. Of course the bank conveniently destroyed the original check so all that is left now is there f'd up scan. I also told the bank manager that the teller should have noticed if they check was messed up at the time I gave it to her plus at least 4 other people saw the original check and noticed nothing. The manager is out until tomorrow so I am going to go blast her again tomorrow over this until they refund all the crazy fees. If I can't get them to refund I may be looking for some advice about dragging them into small claims court.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:22 am Subject:

Ugh!!! So you actually went in and deposited the check with the teller? You didn't just deposit it in an ATM machine?

Did the teller give you a deposit receipt? If the teller gave you a receipt, then I would think that the bank would have to honor the deposit as having been made. And it definitely should be part of the teller's responsibility to check the back of the check for endorsement and account number. I know that whenever I make a deposit at my bank, the teller turns the check over and looks at the back of it.

Good luck!

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:32 am Subject:

Don't they run checks through some machiney-type of reader when you take them into a branch? I haven't been in a bank in years so I'm not really sure, but thats what I thought they did.

Stay calm, be persistent, and don't be rude when speaking to the manager.

Or you could always go over her head as US Bank is a pretty big national bank.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:54 am Subject:

Yes I actually took the check in and handed it to a teller and I have the deposit slip. The problem with going over the manager’s head is the responsibility of fees lies solely with your banks home branch so the final word on fees comes from that home branches manager generally and not from a corporate manager.

Another key point I forgot to mention is I made the account good by noon Monday. The bank was technically only short over the weekend and I think it was their fault. They are charging me $140 dollars for 2 weekend days of being short by $300 or so.

The manager will be in again tomorrow. I have been putting all my evidence together which is mainly verbal testimony of all parties involved. So far everyone is pointing their finger at the bank being in error accept the bank itself. This list includes me, 2 people at the accountant’s office, my office manager, my company’s president and a representative of the bank that my pay check is drawn from. On top of that 6 people actually saw the physical check before it was deposited and not a single one of them noticed anything wrong with the check. That list includes the teller that took the check whose responsibility is to inspect the check.

Most banks don't run a check through any machine at the branch itself other than a simple printer that prints a few things on it like the date and some basic info. The bank then sends that check to a processor and that is where the check is scanned into a computer. People at the processor actually physically handle the checks and do other things besides just scanning but once they are done the check is destroyed there and only a scan is left.

I am generally a very persuasive arguer especially when I have pretty solid evidence. I am generally not rude until I am sure I can not convince them to take my position and then in some cases I have been known to really lay into someone if I think I am really being screwed.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:59 am Subject:

well good luck and I'll be looking forward to reading the (hopfully good!) resolution tomorrow or Friday!

(thinking good thoughts for you!)

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:03 am Subject:

I still think that if there was a problem with the check, then the teller should not have accepted it and given you a deposit receipt.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:30 am Subject:

so how do they catch counterfeit checks if they aren't "checking" checks?

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:45 am Subject:

I agree Alias. Someone should have noticed that the account number was all smudged up on my check but especially the teller. The thing is I don't think anything was wrong with the way the account number read when I presented the check which is exactly why no one noticed a problem with it. I think the check was fouled up when they processed it at the processing office.

My case isn't really the same as a counterfeit check case Smod. The image they showed me of my check had the account number all messed up so it was unreadable. It looked like someone typed overtop the account number with other numbers a couple times. My argument is someone should have seen it out of the 6 of us that looked at the check if it was there on the original. I would think it would be obvious even if you weren't inspecting specifically for that problem.

A counterfeit check would not have that problem. A counterfeit check just goes to a non existent account but the check looks perfect. That is why a counterfeit check can not be caught until after it is processed where as my pay check supposedly was messed up right from the beginning but no one noticed it according to the bank.

A perfect example of counterfeit checks is in that movie "Catch Me If You Can" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Basically the checks look perfect but DiCaprio alters the routing and account numbers to non-existent banks and accounts and steals a lot of money.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:02 pm Subject:

makes me wish I was a criminal Smile

Guest · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:54 am Subject:

Well I went to a different branch and the nice lady there refunded everything. She said my homebranch would probably call her about it but it should not reverse since she refunded.

She was really nice. I did not even need to present my case or any evidence. She just said it was not my fault that the account number was printed over and then she refunded.

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:55 am Subject:

Dang login got me again. hehe

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:09 pm Subject:

The home bank didn't reverse those fees because that's more money in their pocket. They get bonues off that fee income. Wouldn't it be nice if somebody could breakdown the process of paying an overdraft item so we know why they charge us so much.

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:22 pm Subject:

Great news, Dollars! I'm glad it worked out in your favor!!

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:12 am Subject:

good news, congrats and what a good way to start your weekend!

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:45 am Subject:

Yeah the fees they were trying to charge me were complete BS Pinklady. It all started because they conveniently pulled the money out on Friday evening making it impossible for me to redeposit until Monday morning. Over the weekend I had 3 charges hit which were roughly $1, $6 and $79. They chared me 4 fees at $35 each for overdrafts on the above 3 charges plus an overdraft on the account in general. Basically they were charging me $140 total in fees for what would have been 1/2 day in overdraft if they would not have pulled it on the weekend. It ended up being 3 days because the weekend but none of it was my fault anyway. I am still not very happy with the bank even though they did reverse the fees. They gave me a lot of hassle when they should have just reversed them to begin with. I am not sure what other action I am going to take but I may end up going to a new bank. Unfortunately there is not a decent local bank or credit union close to me or I would move to one of those.