At what point do you quit the chase?
I deposited a check without an envelope in early March via the automatic device that scans them and produces an image of the deposited entry. The $20 check was a Western Union money order and was read by the scanner as $200. That was how it was entered in the bank’s record. I entered it as $20 on my business register, figuring it would all get resolved in the wash.
When I got a $12 charge on my account because of the mis-read amount, I balked. I knew it was a $20 deposit. At the end of the day, the bank would have $20 in their coffers, so I anticipated that I’d receive a notice saying they had made an error and that the deposit was actually only $20, which of course I knew. Not so fast.
After multiple phone calls by my assistant, to whom I pay $20 per hour, I made the executive decision to not press any further once I got the $12 charge reversed. I still didn’t have my $20 deposit credited to my account. Amelia called Western Union who, for a $15 charge, will re-issue the check if I would present them with a notarized letter from my bank. I don’t think so. The principle of delegating is to pay someone fewer dollars so that you can make your optimum amount in the same time and still come out ahead. Once Amelia had spent over 45 minutes on this issue, I stopped the process (although my gut is still churning a bit).
Since making that wayward ATM deposit in early March, I see that the machine now asks the depositor to verify the amount of the deposit and doesn’t leave that decision up to the eyes of the scanner. I don’t think it was just because of my $20 incident that this option was implemented, but it will prevent further errors like this.
Do you always know when to let go? My $20 lesson is to be 100% observant when making deposits like this. I cop to sometimes texting or talking on the phone when performing this kind of task. No more! I did get a blog post out of it, which does have value.
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March 29, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Elizabeth Cottrell
Jane, I love the honest and practical way you take real-world annoyances and turn them into lessons (as you also did with the scheduling snafu you had a few weeks ago). It’s a great reminder not only to pay attention…to EVERYTHING…but also to think about the value of the time and emotional energy we expend.
March 30, 2011 at 10:02 am
janepollak
@Elizabeth
It’s a survival skill! Helps me put things into perspective–it’s either a lesson or material for a talk.
April 14, 2011 at 6:28 am
Jessica Bram
I personally would take this approach: I would include the actual name of the bank in my blog post or next talk, and find some satisfaction there. Not from a revenge standpoint – I know that’s not your thing, either – but because I would be giving service to others who might be considering this newest slick banking feature and depending on it not to be error-prone. And the service provider (in this case, the bank) ought to be held accountable. You are always scrupulous about this in your business, Jane; why shouldn’t they be? (And who doesn’t love going into Stew Leonard’s and reading every time, “The customer is always right?”) Take it from a former journalist and PR consultant: a little publicity goes a long way. And in the business world, as you yourself have taught me, accountability, integrity, and customer service are everything.
April 14, 2011 at 2:04 pm
janepollak
@Jessica
I actually did take it to a higher authority and got the $20 back. I was on the line with a customer service rep who asked if the transfer from Wachovia to Wells Fargo had gone smoothly. He had no idea what a can of worms he had opened. I told him the whole story, and he saw it to my satisfactory conclusion. So, mission accomplished and lots of new learnings worth far more than $20. Thanks for your comment.