Cheque Dilemma - help!

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

So I had a phone call from my dad (on benefits, low income) asking if Id paid in a birthday cheque from last May this week (Jan 2020). I said no...

Dad rang the bank and asked to find out which cheque it was and to whom etc as he hadn't written a cheque and its meant it took him overdrawn and given him charges and also bounced a payment that should have gone out, with charges...

We've checked our accounts. We definitely paid it in 22nd May 2019 as the money was in my husband's account then, and has the title "dadcheque" on his account.

Where do we stand on this!?

It was paid in 9 months ago. Surely the bank cant randomky cash it 9 months later!?
Can I help dad get the charges back?

I think maybe a jointly-signed complaint letter with the same text going to both the receiving bank and your dad's bank. give a narrative timeline of what happened and what the additional costs and charges to your dad have been due to the slow processing of this transaction. ask them to work out between them which of them is responsible for the delay that put your dad's account into the red and demand that neither you nor your dad should bear the costs of this incompetence.

Has it been paid out from his account twice?

Are you sure it's the same cheque? How strange that it would turn up after such a long time, is that even possible?

I didn't think it was possible but dad just knew it was a cheque for X amount and rang to find out what it was as only time he could remember whas for husbands birthday. It's "only" £30 but to him its a lot and the fees obviously add up when he's on benefits now.

I was going to go intot he bank with my dad and ny husbands statement, next week to find out. My dads really upset :(

But I thought Id find out here first if I can even ask for the charges to be dropped or what was normal. Its normally taken from your account that day/soon isnt it.

Hand even ovcured to me it could be my husband's banks fault rather than mum's oh heck this is complicated.
Theyre both normal banks.

This stuff I find really tricky. And confrontation. From my dads voice he almost doesnt believe we paid it in last year as it sounds so crazy but Ive seen my husband's statement too

Does the cheque number on your dad's statement match the one on the cheque given to you? If there were insufficient funds then the bank would normally return it unpaid although that carries a charge too

You only have 6 months to present a cheque, so you couldn't have cashed it this week even if you'd wanted to. It sounds like a mistake somewhere. Does he know where his cheque book is and does anybody else have access to it?

It was defijitely paid to my husband as my dad rang the bank to find out who it was paid to, and he remembers the amount from my husbands birthday. He genuinely thought we'd hung on to it, found it and cashed it. But we really haven't.

I think we need to go into the bank.

I think he said it was cashed so the problems were
1- he was charged for going overdrawn.
2 - he was charged as another bill dur bounced and was returned when there would have been sufficient finds if my husbands hadn't gone thru.

Husband's just checked his statement for last May and there's no cheque number.

The cheque number shows on your dad's statement. That's how they match it to the cheque stubs

Yep they've told him which cheque it was and who it was paid to. He hasn't kept cheque stubs from ovee 6 months ago, but it does tie in with the only cheque he wrote for that amount.

It does seem to be that cheque. Its really bizarre. It seems the bank paid it in May but took it out 9 months later which just seems really odd.

Ask your bank for a scanned copy of the cheque that was paid in - they should be able to provide you with that. Then you will have proof of when you banked it.

Then you can compare the cheque number with the one that has just been cashed from your dad's account.

Cheques are only valid for 6 months, so if it is the same one it would be out of date and your dad's bank shouldn't have allowed it to be paid.

I think you are over complicating the complaint

Stick to the facts and ask them why this has happened and what the implication were for your dad.

Be clear in expectations - you want information and clarity and ask for them to our things right

When was it credited to your DH's account?

This is MN, there is only one course of action approved.

Cancel. The. Cheque.

(Jokes aside this sounds stressful sorry OP)

It was credited to my husbands account May 2019.
It left my dad's account this week.

Will possibly go to the high street with husband and mum and go to both banks...

Its really stressful as its affected dad and he is feeling resentful of us and it really wasnt us...

Just tell him it can't have been you due to the 6 month rule and that you're investigating it with your bank.

It's up to the bank if they accept a cheque which is dated more than 6 months ago.

I'd raise a complaint with your dads bank as well as your husband's bank as they are where the cheque went and why it took 9 months.

It's not strictly true about a 6 month expiry period, even though this is often taken as a rule/default by banks.

From Money Saving Expert:

"A cheque is valid for as long as the debt between the two parties (i.e. issuer and payee) exists. In other words, cheques don't have an expiration date. However, it's common banking practice to reject a cheque that's more than six months old to protect the payer in case the payment has already been made another way."

Whatever the strict letter of the law, it's definitely not good practice to do the credit in May and the debit in January!

For the sake of harmony, can't you just give him th 30 quid back? Tell him not to give you any more cheques. It's unfair he's taking it out on you and instantly distrustful.

Can you show your dad your husband's bank statement which shows you banked the cheque last year? Then he'll know you're telling the truth?

Have you checked your dad's account to see if a cheuqe also cleared in May 19?

The cheque number isn't going to appear anywhere for the person receiving it, you won't sort it out that way, as others have said ask if a copy of the cheque is available.

You will receive the fees back. I sent two cheques recently for £25.00 each. I don't use the account very often and was shocked to receive an unpaid overdraft notice. When I checked, the recipients bank had cashed the cheque for £247.34. The bank admitted the error that it had been imputed correctly and that there checking system had just been updated or something. I received a refund for the difference and the cost of the charges and fees waived by my bank. The recipient also kept the £247 as the bank admitted liability. All very odd!

Inputted not imputed:( sorry