Online banking is convenient, easy, and problem-free….most of the time. I use it to pay credit cards, utilities, insurances, and a list of other local and long-distance service providers. We seldom write a check and enjoy excellent online record-keeping.Never had an issue. …. well, until now.
Two (maybe one) innocent mistakes, but neither were the bank’s. The bank did the right thing and worked with me to fix everything, which is why I’ve been with them +40yrs.
I used online bill-pay to set up a new vendor and issue a significant (to me) 4-digit check as a deposit for some contractor work. I had a problem entering the address and took the blame for the delay. I thought I had it right. Apparently, I did.
After 7 days, vendor calls me asking about the check. Called the bank, they said it was mailed to ME! I didn’t have it either. So….. I handwrote a replacement check to the vendor and put it in his hand. Asked him not to cash both if the other happened to show up.
Called the bank and stopped payment on their bill-pay check, since we didn’t know where it went. No charge.
The bank’s bill-pay check eventually arrived at vendor’s addr and the totally innocent wife did what she normally does and deposited all the checks received…..including both the bank’s printed and the hand-written duplicate. YIKES!
I check online. BOTH checks were deposited and BOTH were rejected.
Called again. Rejection was because of the duplicate of a check that size.
Fixed.
This vendor will probably not allow me to use Bill-Pay for the balances of the two (soon to be three) projects on his schedule.