Honest customers

[sprocket]

Just when you think it can't get any better. I had a customer call the other day and say I lost 5 dollars in your bill changer. So what do I do, I mail this woman a check for 5 dollars. When the check is returned to the bank she had
changed the amount to 50 dollars and cashed it. Does any one know if there is any recourse I can take or am I screwed?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Whether you have any recourse or not, I would bluff. I would tell her you showed it to your lawyer and the police, followed by the statement "Do you know how much time you could get for this?". Unless she wants to deal with a fraud and/or forgery charge she has 48 hrs to get your money back to you.

On another note, I always just send cash. I've done it for 20 years and have yet to have the first problem.

 

[DiamondWash]

You still have the address of which it was sent to?

 

[sprocket]

Yes,I have the address and phone number.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Set your alarm clock and call them at about 3:00 AM.

 

[Randy]

I believe it’s called FRAUD. I’d call the Police and press charges against her. Did she actually lose $5 in your changer? I keep track of how much I put into the changer and keep track of what I take out. This way if there is a problem, such as in your case I have record of how much they actually lost. 99% of the time it’s BS they did actually lose anything, so I don’t send anything or respond to their call. I’m with Pat, I always just send cash. That's like almost never, maybe 2 or 3 a year is all.

 

[madscientist]

How did she change the word "Five" into "Fifty" without obviously altering it? I would start with your bank and ask them why they paid it while demanding $5 back. It's their job to catch that stuff before paying out. Once it's their loss, the rest will take care of itself without you having to do anything.

 

[pitzerwm]

Just take it to the bank and fill out a fraud form, they have to return your money. It shouldn't be real hard to show that it was altered.

 

[madscientist]

How did she change the word "Five" into "Fifty" without obviously altering it? I would start with your bank and ask them why they paid it while demanding $5 back. It's their job to catch that stuff before paying out. Once it's their loss, the rest will take care of itself without you having to do anything.

Meant to say "$45 back".

 

[under pressure]

when I saw the title honest customer, I was invisioning a story about a customer returning something or returning extra coins given by your changer?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Depending on where your wash is or where she lives the local police may be interested. Typicaly a visit from them to the perp is highly motivating.

Othe rposters are right. Your bank is responsible for altered items. If she deposited it in her bank they will kick it back. If she cashed it at your bank they will want as much info as possible to file charges.

 

[borumrm]

About a month ago I had a call from a customer at my wash and he told me he had lost $10 in my changer. I had just left the wash after checking and emptying the bill changers. He told me that he put in $10 and it gave no change. I assumed there might be a bill jam, apologized and turned around to go back to the wash telling him I would call him back in a bit. I got to the wash, viewed the video tape and saw a man pull near the automatic, get out, read the sign that has my phone number and call me...so I backed up the video and saw when his car pulled into the wash...he parked right in front of the building, got out and walked to the strip mall next door. In a few minutes he came back walked over to my front door and got the phone number from there (which was my old number and did not reach me - changed that now). He never attempted to use the changer at all...he then drove around the building near the automatic and got that phone number. I called him back and asked when did he lose the money ... he began to tell me that he put his bill in the changer and it made some funny noise and nothing came out...I said I knew that part what I wanted to know was WHEN was it that same day because I checked the changer and there was no $10 bill there..at that point he said Im getting another call I will call you back...I never heard from him. I almost never send cash unless it is a $1. I have special tokens that I send. The token will allow the customer to select any wash in the automatic they want or if they use it in the spray bays will give them extended time. I had a customer that called me recently and told me the wash didn't work and she wanted her $8....I sent her a nice letter along with the token. She sent it back and said she didn't want a token she wanted her money. I haven't heard from her since.

 

[Jim L.]

I talked to my banker (wife) about this. She suggested that you go to your bank and get your checking account straightened out. Then go to the police and file charges to prevent this from happening again.

 

[2Biz]

Do you have Duplicates? (Carbon Copy of the check you wrote) If you do, it will be very easy to prove once you see the photo copy of your cancelled check.

 

[sprocket]

Went to the bank and after they told me I was S O L they made me a copy of the check and I noticed that it was not endorsed on the back. When I asked about it they told me they would get back to me.

 

[mjwalsh]

Just when you think it can't get any better. I had a customer call the other day and say I lost 5 dollars in your bill changer. So what do I do, I mail this woman a check for 5 dollars. When the check is returned to the bank she had changed the amount to 50 dollars and cashed it. Does any one know if there is any recourse I can take or am I screwed?

sprocket,

Too much time passing can be a factor ----- I think Bill P's approach is the best. It seems like in order to cash that check she has an account at a bank where it went into & before the $50 was released to her as cash below the amount she has at the bank. Your bank does a dispute with her bank --- problem established more firmly --- problem probably resolved immediately. Her bank might be the one to turning it over to authorities based on a formal enough affidavit from you.

I had something similar with an overhead boom damaged & his insurance kept it out of the legal system. Your case is different somewhat to that specific hit & run after an accident ---- because it looks like she was deliberate from the "get go" as in fraud. For the sake of everyone --- you don't want that type of activity to get out of hand.

I would have asked her the time when it happened before I mailed the $5 refund just in case she was lying even about the original amount. We have a camera above each changer --- which has helped when someone stated a larger bill when it was only a one dollar bill. We can also use our audit feature on our Standard 600EFs to verify like Randy suggested with his Hamiltons.

Also, we insist on the customer being there in person before giving a refund --- the next time they come in. If they refuse, we figure if they are that infrequent of a customer we have less to be concerned about.

MJ

 

[Jim L.]

sprocket

Sounds like you need another bank. S.O.L. is NOT something that will happen a second time.

Screw me once, shame on you…screw me twice, shame on me.

 

[pitzerwm]

Your bank has a problem with no endorsement. I think that I would start looking for a new bank, and tell the manager that you will be filing a report with the Banking Supervisor of your state. Their "contract" with you is to not disburse your money without a valid check and follow certain precautions, like an endorsement and that the check hadn't been altered. Since you have seen the copy, how easy is it to see that she changed it?

Having been in the banking business, it is the norm for your bank to tell you that you are SOL. With the check cash business, doing $5M a year, I use to carry a copy of the Federal Bank law with me and point it out to a bank manager when I had an issue.

 

[2Biz]

I think you have enough on this to file it with the police dept. Although, I’m sure whoever accepted that check without an endorsement will be happy to make it right with you! I doubt they will want to be drug into court over $50 bucks…What she did carries a felony charge and it will be up to the police department to bring her in...I wouldn't stop till she was behind bars....

The guy we recently caught stringing our changer is doing a year in prison. He actually told the cops it wasn’t that big a deal what he did…(He strung our changer for several hundred $$$) That’s the mentality out there right now! I’m glad the court system thought differently. He now has a year to think about what he did and we have a year to beef up security even more!

 

[rph9168]

If this is the first case for this person don't expect much from the police. About all they will do is take a report and file it. If you want to screw with them a little I would make a copy of the report and mail it to them.

At this point I would go after the money from the bank.