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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed it took 2 weeks for friend to cash cheque

29 replies

mixedmama · 26/10/2007 09:43

I am being a little unreasonable I know, but just need to say it.

We borrowed a substantial amount of money from a friend whilst we were selling our property, which I am very grateful for.

We gave him a cheque two weeks ago and as such have since been monitoring the account to make sure money is not spent etc.... turns out he has just cashed it yesterday and we are now £60 short... I know it is only £60 and can be replaced, but this has really messed us up this week as DH new job pays on Monday rather than Friday which leaves everything up in the air until Monday...

Suppose I am annoyed at DH company for not telling us, altho he couldve asked but who gets paid on Mondays??? Secondly, why take so long to cash a cheque. I know I should just appreciate he was very patient in waiting for his money and it was more than generous of him to lend it in the first place, but ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

OP posts:
foofi · 26/10/2007 09:45

YABU. Two weeks isn't a long time to cash a cheque! You've got up to six months to do it. I very often don't get near a bank for a week or two.

ScaryScienceT · 26/10/2007 09:48

yabu

milkymill · 26/10/2007 10:45

I think you know it is slighty unreasonable to be too annoyed about this, as you have alreadt expressed the fact that you are very grateful for the loan in the first place. I do sympathise with you though,the same thing just happened to me. I wrote a cheque for dd's nursery fees, and for some reason it took them 3 wks to cash it. It is annoying because it's easy to sort of forget about it, or assume it's already gone. We ended up in a bit of a mess because of it .

laura032004 · 26/10/2007 10:50

No offence intended, but if you were monitoring the acct, surely you'd know it hadn't been cashed.

Perhaps your friend thought they were doing you a favour by not cashing the cheque immediately?

YABU, but I suspect you know that

SeaShells · 26/10/2007 10:51

If you were monitoring the account to make sure the money was not spent then what's the problem? Why are you short? Some banks can take upto 10days to cash cheques so even if he paid it into his account within a few days of giving it to him, would be a reasonable amount of time. You knew the cheque was going to be cashed at some point.

Neverenoughpumpkins · 26/10/2007 10:51

YABU. If timing was an issue then you should have told your friend . He helped you out didn't he-you are being a bit petty imo.

SmartArseCoveredinCobwebs · 26/10/2007 10:51

You've made me feel awful! I often have cheques sitting in my wallet for a couple of months because I rarely go to the bank.

ConnorTraceptive · 26/10/2007 10:52

Yabu but you know that really. Takes me yonks to cash cheques. Give cash next time then you know it's gone and accounted for

demonaid · 26/10/2007 10:54

YABU (although you know that) -- and I also don't see how, if you were monitoring the account so carefully, you hadn't realised that it hadn't been cashed and made sure the money was there to cover it?

Two weeks isn't a long time to cash a cheque, really.

Original poster
mixedmama · 26/10/2007 11:01

I know I am unreasonable ladies... since he was doing a favour. I knew the cheque hadnt gone, but found out today that he only put it in yesterday. I know he can cash it when he feels like it, and also DH new job paying on odd days has just coincided so left us broke for weekend. Just extra stress really waiting for this money to finally leave the account.

OP posts:
Neverenoughpumpkins · 26/10/2007 11:19

Hope you feel better for posting anyway mixedmama!

sKerryMum · 26/10/2007 11:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OrmIrian · 26/10/2007 11:24

Don't mind the odd cheque for a small amt, but I did used to get slightly miffed when CM would save up 4 or 5 cheques for a month and then pay them in all at once. Taught me to keep a very close eye on my statements though - not just a quick glance. Excel is a wonderful thing

katierocket · 26/10/2007 11:27

2 weeks?! that's nothing.

Wordsmith · 26/10/2007 11:28

My BIL took me to task at the weekend because it took me 4 months to cash a cheque for £5.00! And they're loaded too - that's probably why!

lady007pink · 26/10/2007 11:32

I understand your frustration, mixedmama. Once, we wrote a cheque for e500, and they took 6 months to cash it (exactly to the day). 6 months earlier, we had the mortgage money in the account so were writing a lot of cheques to builders which all got cashed immediately, but failed to notice this stray cheque. We ended up paying lots in bank charges and I was furious!
Here in Ireland, when you write a cheque, the recipient tends to pass it on when paying for supplies, and so on. So it can be passed from pillar to post for 6 months before it eventually gets cashed. At least in the UK the cheque must be lodged into the account of the person named on the cheque! Here, you can just go into a bank and cash the cheque provided you write your name on the back of it.

sKerryMum · 26/10/2007 11:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lady007pink · 26/10/2007 11:35

Actually, I prefer to pay by banker's draft now, okay it costs an extra e2 but at least the money leaves your account immediately.

Original poster
mixedmama · 26/10/2007 11:36

shocked at cheques being passed about, that cant be safe surely.

OP posts:
Original poster
mixedmama · 26/10/2007 11:37

lady - am going to remember that about bankers draft. sort of wish i had paid the BACS fee and just got the money gone never to be seen again... never mind. he was a great help, so not holding a grudge or anything.

OP posts:
lady007pink · 26/10/2007 11:41

X-post with sKerryMum.
It's true mixedmama, but I suppose I felt once the recipient got my cheque that was me finished paying him so what happened with the cheque after that didn't worry me. But I'm amazed it can be done. Like sKerryMum said, cross the cheque and it can't be passed on, but the builder's discouraged this when we were building 5 years ago!

nappyaddict · 26/10/2007 12:01

yabu.

i get paid on a monday, sometimes a tuesday.

i have been known to take 3 months to cash a cheque too.

Amani · 26/10/2007 12:04

MM - YABU and you know it

Take it as a lesson learnt - perhaphs pay by cash next time, or a closer eye on the finances.

EmsMum · 26/10/2007 12:07

YABU.
If its a large amount he probably wanted to take it to the bank... and there arent so many convenient banks nowadays.
If it was (for him) relatively small he may have posted it. Could have been stuck in the strike backlog.

nappyaddict · 26/10/2007 12:09

where do you cross the cheque?

am shocked that's allowed. what if a cheque got lost, someone found it and put it in their own account.