Bounced check?

First off don't worry---I have been in this same situation before and yes, its a pain, but its not the end of the world.

First----depending on your bank, they might pay all of your outstanding checks/debits and just overdraw your account and charge a fee for whatever checks/debits caused the overdraft. So your account would have a negative balance until you deposited more money.

Second---if the bank does not pay the check/debit that there wouldn't be enough money for, they will charge you a returned check charge and send it back to the company that deposited it. That company will either re-deposit it in a few days or not re-deposit it and contact you. That company may also charge you a fee as well for a returned item.

If the check/debit is returned you will no doubt know about it before the other company does. You can call them and explain the situation and ask them their policy about returned items, tell them when you can make it good with them and then keep your word.

Where you can get into big trouble is if you do not pay items that are returned.

Don't feel stupid, just work on not doing it again. Good luck!

Could you possibly call the company that you sent the check to to see if they can hold it? I know maybe stupid idea but might be worth a shot...it could save you from a bounced check charge and having them charge you on top of that.

I don't think thats a stupid idea at all. What could it hurt? I am a firm believer in at least asking---you never know.

it might be a good diea to call up the bank and ask them to pay these checks and let them know what is going on. Tell them you are trying to prevent these checks from being returned and that you will cover the NSF fees.

If you do call the bank, be sure to tell them that the mistake was inadvertent, and you only realized you had done it AFTER you had already mailed out all of the checks.

yes definitely---

who do you file a complaint with regarding a bank. i would like to file a class action lawsuit with regards the number of times a check can be redeposited i was told twice but one co. redeposited 3 times the banks love that because they are ripping of the consumer every time for 35.00 i think the govt needs to step in . what do you think?

Kitty.... some banks will allow a check to be re-deposited as many times as the check holder wants. Generally most companies will not keep trying because the check is also coming back as bad to their bank as well and that can look bad for them. Perhaps they are going directly to the bank itself and attempting to cash it.

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/banking/complaint-against.html

thanks for the help! I did end up getting enough money to cover the checks.. my bank has same day deposits up until 6 pm - I got there around 5:30, and deposited it and felt good. This morning, I went to online banking and what do you know? One of the checks tried to go through and put my account in the negative. It turns out the teller had the computer set to the next day already (even though she said she didn't..) Now I'm worried that the check will be returned and that the NSF fee will bounce the other check. I techincally have the money in there though. I am wondering if the bank would waive the NSF fee this one time? I never bounced a check before (i've been with them for awhile and heard they do a one-time waive). This way nothing will be returned.
Thanks as always for the advice though. :) I'm so sick of getting into these crazy money messes!

Good news on getting the funds there, bad news about the teller!

Have you talked to the bank yet?

Better yet, go in and wait in line to speak to the teller who assisted you, and when you step up to her window, tell her that you need to speak to both her AND her manager. That should get things moving.

I have had the same thing happen. You just talk to the bank and explain the situation and everything should be taken care of. Since this is actually their fault I can't see why they wouldn't take care of the fees, etc. Stand your ground!

i talked to the bank and it's no problem - thanks so much for your help!

awesome, so it's good news all around!

See what happens when you ask an "overdrawn bank account expert" like me? :roll: (j/k of course).

well, i fixed those but still ended up bouncing two in the end. i am always so, so, so good with my records - i feel like such a loser! My account is negative $70 (I had two returned checks to the grocery store and the bank returned them and charged me $35). I have to call my bank as soon as i get a chance and probably go out there. What should i do? I don't know if the store will try to redebit them (that would be another $70). Should I call the store also? This is such a nightmare..

I emailed my bank for the time being and this is the response I have recieved:
"There is no set time limit to when you can return funds back into your account, please be aware after one week of the account being overdrawn your account is limited to block any automatic withdrawals or deposits into the account."

Not to sound totally stupid, but what does this mean? I have to get this in ASAP, I do know this. I am really scared..

The store may redeposit the checks. Some places will keep re-depositing them until paid. How long has it been since they were first deposited? I ask because its possilbe that the store doesn't know about them yet. You can always call the store and see what (if anything) you can do.

Your second post---I would take this to mean that you need to deposit money in the account to cover the overdrawn amount before a week is up---this way they won't put any blocks on it.

Don't be scared---nothing to be scared about. Use it as a lesson learned to prevent it from happening again. Good luck.

If you have had the account for a long time (a year or longer) and it has always been in good standing, Maybe your bank would do a courtesy "charge-off" of the fees ... it might be worth a try!

Go in, talk to the manager NICELY (but without begging and crying, some people really hate that!), explain what happened and maybe they can help you.

Good luck!

Thanks again for your help - it will be one week tommorow but I talked to the bank and told them I can put it the money before the end of the week. They said that's no problem. I have to call another branch of the bank first (I moved since I opened the account, therefore the actual branch location for my account is over an hour away - does anyone know how to fix this??) but it should be fine. I should actually deposited the money today or tommorow at the latest so it won't be too much trouble. It's the store I am worried about. I am wondering if I should maybe go in person rather than call? If they keep trying for it, I know it will cause more trouble in the end for me.. this is such a costly mistake!
How long does it take for the store to find out, do you think? I am trying to fix this asap but I work two jobs and won't really have free time until 9 pm tonight..

EDIT: i am so, so sorry that this posted twice! I didn't realize it went through and I went back to sign in

Also, thanks - I was hoping for a waive of one of the fees - the extra $35 would help towards paying off the money I owe to the store! I will ask when I talk to them. My account has been in good standing since I have gotten it..

how long have you had the account?

I moved far away from my original branch as well, and other than closing and reopening the account, I was told there was no way to change branches. Maybe that was just with my bank though?

i've had it for a little over a year - i don't think i change branches neither, to be honest.. i guess it doesn't normally matter though? Believe me, this was a problem when I got into the payday loan mess! But even than, i was never in the negative before..

Ask and you shall recieve! I have a refund for $35 in my account. Now I only owe $35! A BIG difference from $75!! Now my main worry is that the store will keep trying to get the money out. Like I said, I work two jobs and won't be home until 9 pm but I'm sure I can at least call to work it out with them, too. I have learned so much from this board. In the past, I would have been too ashamed to ask.. but I have learned that for the most part, if companies know you're willing to work with them, they can help you out some, too.
I'm hoping, hoping, hoping the store doesn't try again right now!
Btw, I bank at Commerce Bank.. in the past, they have helped me out so much! I remember when I was banking at PNC, i had payday loan issues and they were awful to deal with! they started charging me daily fees for my account being negative.. i am glad i have a good relationship with my bank now.

hey, just an update.. i put the money in the account so it's no longer in the negative.. i still have to pay the store and am praying, praying, praying that they don't try to redebit before my payday :'(
I called three times and the manager wasn't there.. i went to the store after my second job last night and it was too late. i only work one of my jobs tommorow and will try than, i guess. i wish this was over. thanks for the help though

Generally once the stores bank receieve the check back, they will try to re-deposit it right away. Definitely get in touch with the store but it might be out of their hands

I know at my work we have a huge payment center and customers calling similar problems are told that we (the company) automatically redeposits twice 3 business days apart, and then it is returned to the bank. If you call the store, they should know what their companies rules are. They will probably charge a fee to you to cover their bank fees, if any.

ok, thanks for the info.. i don't mind paying them a fee, i just want this over with! :)
i'm worried they will redeposit before the money is there to cover.. it's a long story but i really had the money when i wrote the checks... i just didn't have my ATM card at the time so I had to write it..
If i still can't reach someone by phone, I will go over there after work tonight..

Also, how long do you think it takes for the company to know the check is returned? This started last Tuesday..

usually 5-10 days, it isn't an immediate thing (with my company anyway).

well, i called again and still couldn't reach anyone who knew an answer. this is crazy, i'm def going to go after work. the good news is that if it really takes that long, i might get paid before than? I hope so..

ok, the checks were redeposited in my account. the store said this might be the last time, they don't know (gee, thanks..) I am asking if the bank if they could possibly pay this bill (as in not return it), as i have direct deposit this thursday. i hope that works out? if not, i guess i'll have to just take care of it with the store. thanks for all the help and advice.

Your bank might agree to do that since they can look at your account history and see your previous direct deposits.

Good luck!

thanks, i will let you know what happens. :)

i called the bank, and no such luck. they said it could be redopsited until paid and it will be returned like a bounced check.. i am going to pay the NSF on payday than try to work with the store (I may have to call corporate). Will this take as long to return to the store as the check or will it be faster? I cannot have this as an everday thing, the NSF fees will be much more than I can afford. i'm so paniced right now, i had to miss a week of work the week before last (both jobs!) because i was in the hospital and know my check will be half as small as normal. any advice?

Bea, I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with this! :(

The check might take as long the second time around as the first. I know that from a business standpoint, I have had to redeposit checks that have been returned, and I have actually received the physical check back in the mail and then physically taken it to the bank to deposit it again. However, with a large business, like a grocery store, they may actually have their bank redeposit any returned checks. In that case, I would think that it might be a little bit quicker, since the bank already has the check.

The store should have a policy regarding how many times they will attempt to redeposit a check, because they probably get charged fees for returned checks also. If your local store didn't know what their policy is, then calling the corporate office is probably your best bet.

Thanks, I think it's time I ask corporate. I'm really not a deadbeat, what happened was I cancelled auto-pay on a bill because I knew my money was going to be short, but I didn't cancel soon enough for this cycle, so it took it out and than my checks came in and bounced. I really do appreciate the advice :o)
The store did say that they charge fees ($25 for the first time returned, a second $25 for the second time if it's still returned). I'm not sure what that means and neither did customer service.. I have worked retail in the past for many years and am surprised that nobody in the store can give me a direct answer on this one. I'm starting to wish my auto-pay bill returned because at least that would have been one return and they only had my debt card number :(

Lets hope that the corporate "suits" will have some definite answers for you.

Thanks, i will try to call in between my jobs tonight - i only have a long distance number and can't use my work phone :(
i'll let you know.

i'm still in this mess! i'm getting so scared now, I'm negative $70 in my bank, because it was returned again. The store is no help at all, I really want to make good on this (i'm so scared of getting in trouble for writing a bad check!!).
I had to miss a week of work due to a brain tumor and my pay was small so I couldn't pay this as expected. Seriously, what should i do? I want to make payment arrangements asap! I wrote two checks, one for $50, one for $70. The store is in PA, I live in NJ. Will I get in legal trouble for this? I will be able to pay by Sept. 4 (most likely before). I just never did this before and am scared of getting in real bad trouble. The bank seems to be okay with me paying the account by than (i already talked to them) but am scared because I am making no headway with the store.

you have a brain tumor?

yes, it's not cancerous though, so no worries :)
it's just making me miss so much work for MRI, doctor appointments, etc. i've been getting real bad headaches, blah, blah.

I seriously doubt that if you are willing to make good on the check and the fees that the store would try to file charges against you for writing a bad check. Was anyone at corporate able to tell you what their policy is on how many times they will attempt to put the check through?

geez and I though I was having a bad year! Good luck with your health issues!

the first person i spoke to said twice, someone else said three times. they mostly keep quoting their policy "first returned check gets charged a $25 fee, the second would have another $25 fee. i am not sure how that translates to me, though. I'm thinking of emailing them so I have something in writing. I have not recieved a letter or even a phone call from the store concerning this, it's weird. I'm just going to keep in constant touch with them, I know someone told me that somewhere there's a phone number that I can call to work with (I guess their payment center?), but he didn't have the number handy. Great, I cannot believe this is such a hassle!

I guess emailing certainly couldn't hurt. You sure havent' had much luck with phone calls! I would definitely try to get that number for the payment center.

Good luck!

thanks, smo65d11 - it's been an, uh, eventful year. ;)

Thanks,
I sent it out and am probably going to go to a different branch of the store this weekend. I am very eager to have this over with! I really appreciate everyone's help - this brings me back to the payday loan days of worrying over bank accounts! I guess it really is a true lesson learned of being very careful and that cash is really best.

Well, I finally made some headway! The store's collections contacted me, which is great because I got to tell them how hard it was to get an answer! They are not going to take out of my bank anymore and I will be able to send money orders in small payments to catch up. This was expensive though, I bounced $130 and it ended up costing me around $300! You live and learn, at least it's almost done (I still owe my bank $70 though...)

Is your account still overdrawn? Does your bank charge a per-day overdraft fee?

it is still overdrawn, well i brought it back up but than it was overdrawn again when the checks ran through again (it was kind of a yo-yo process). They do not charge a per-day overdraft and I am making arrangements to pay them back. Commerce really is easy to work with but i'm still so scared of being reported to chex systems, i won't feel better, i fear, until this is done.