Bank lost cheques deposited using express lodgement

gombeen99

Hi all,
I recently lodged 2 cheques to the express lodgement box inside a Bank of Ireland bank branch. I am a BOI account holder but this was not my local branch. I completed the lodgement slip and kept the small tear-off slip for my records. As I used the express lodgment box, this was unstamped. The cheques, worth quite an amount of money which I badly need, still had not been credited to my account 5 days later so I rang and they said they'd look into it. A couple of days later, they rang back and stated that the cheques had gone missing.

They asked me to contact the individuals who issued the cheques in the first place, but I don't want to do this as, at worst it would be extremely difficult, and at best cause serious embarrassment. Despite repeated calls to the branch in which I lodged the cheque & speaking to both the branch manager of that branch and my own branch, no progress has been made beyond them stating that I will have to get the cheques reissued and three weeks later, I still haven't received the money.

I am threatening to close my account and will happily do so, but if I do close it, I'm afraid that it'll make it even more difficult for me. It's the first time anything like this has happened to me, but it shouldn't have happened and their attitude has absolutely disgusted me.

I'd appreciate if anyone has any opinions? Do they have any obligations to reimburse me, or is it "lodger beware" when using the express lodgement facility?

Thanks

unclebill98

One, get the chqs re issued, this is less hassle for the bank.

Secondly, refuse to do so and force BOI to be out of pocket. You have the slip, your on CCTV doing the lodgement and they messed up. You should have at least got a letter from them stating their stance on this. If not make a formal complaint, this does not have to be written. Ask for a final response and then take it on to the ombudsman for them to take it forward. This route will not have your money any sooner.

If you want it quicker get the chqs re issued. Close your account and move on.

Rebel1977

Did you get issued with a receipt when you made the express lodgement ?

If so there should be a time on ut they can check their security video, and also there should be a internal log of all express lodgements made on the day and your amount should appear on it.

unclebill98

BOI don't have the same machines as aib. They have a franking machine that can date your stub but these machines are not exactly well located in the branch and thus not used.

Aib lead the way for quick lodgements IMHO.

amdublin

Have they any record of your lodgement at all??

Ie. Are you saying I put a lodgement slip and chqs in. And they are saying we have no record of that at all?

Or are they saying, we have the lodgment slip, we've lost the chqs.

Are they acknowledging they lost your chqs or are you saying they lost them?

amdublin

unclebill98 wrote: »

. You have the slip, your on CCTV doing the lodgement and they messed up.

How do you know they are on CCTV

unclebill98

I will eat my hat if their not. All banks have CCTV and cash activities are one of the most highly watch parts. I'd be dumb founded if their not.

gombeen99

unclebill98 wrote: »

BOI don't have the same machines as aib. They have a franking machine that can date your stub but these machines are not exactly well located in the branch and thus not used.
.

I have the stub but the franking machine was out of order so it's not dated. The bank have no record at all of any envelope being received. I could ask them to check CCTV for that date and time which would at least show me putting an envelope into the box, and hopefully even putting 2 cheques into the envelope. My partner was also with me at the time so the cheques were definitely put into the envelope and not dropped on the floor or anything. The difficulty I have is that as it's so rare for banks to lose cheques, the individuals who gave me the cheques will more than likely think I was careless and lost them myself, even if they don't say as much out loud. It won't be too bad as long as the bank contact them to explain that the error was theirs.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

unclebill98

Stupid thing is that most of these cameras a motion activated which is ok but then they are time lapsed which makes it hard to see exactly what's happening.

soupdrinker

A couple of BOI branches that I've been in recently do not have an express lodgement box. They have machines that you have to use a business lodgement card or an ATM card to lodge cheques to an account. The machine scans each cheque that is put in and you get a receipt and a copy of each cheque is on the receipt.

Do all BOI branches not have these now???

amdublin

gombeen99 wrote: »

I have the stub but the franking machine was out of order so it's not dated. The bank have no record at all of any envelope being received. I could ask them to check CCTV for that date and time which would at least show me putting an envelope into the box, and hopefully even putting 2 cheques into the envelope. My partner was also with me at the time so the cheques were definitely put into the envelope and not dropped on the floor or anything. The difficulty I have is that as it's so rare for banks to lose cheques, the individuals who gave me the cheques will more than likely think I was careless and lost them myself, even if they don't say as much out loud. It won't be too bad as long as the bank contact them to explain that the error was theirs.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

That's a difficult one.

Very strange they have no record. Yes might be worth asking them to check the CCTV.

But at the same time even if you are on the CCTV that still will not bring the chqs back...

coylemj

soupdrinker wrote: »

A couple of BOI branches that I've been in recently do not have an express lodgement box. They have machines that you have to use a business lodgement card or an ATM card to lodge cheques to an account. The machine scans each cheque that is put in and you get a receipt and a copy of each cheque is on the receipt.

Do all BOI branches not have these now???

No, they're not all yet converted to the new system, it looks like a progressive roll out, probably a small team from head office going around and training the local staff. Deans Grange in Dublin has the new machines which work as you described, the branch in Stillorgan SC still had the post box on the wall for express lodgements the last time I was there a few weeks ago.

Toots

soupdrinker wrote: »

A couple of BOI branches that I've been in recently do not have an express lodgement box. They have machines that you have to use a business lodgement card or an ATM card to lodge cheques to an account. The machine scans each cheque that is put in and you get a receipt and a copy of each cheque is on the receipt.

Do all BOI branches not have these now???

coylemj wrote: »

No, they're not all yet converted to the new system, it looks like a progressive roll out, probably a small team from head office going around and training the local staff. Deans Grange in Dublin has the new machines which work as you described, the branch in Stillorgan SC still had the post box on the wall for express lodgements the last time I was there a few weeks ago.

As coylemj said it's a progressive roll out and AFAIK not all branches will be getting them, only the ones who have a large volume of customers. Stillorgan branch, for example, is usually out the door, and from what I've heard they'll have these machines by the end of June. Other branches might only process maybe 40 express lodgements per day so it wouldn't be worth installing the machines, they'll just stick with the letterbox type contraption.

OP, definitely ask to check the CCTV, in any BOI branch where I've worked there is a camera trained on the express lodgement box. The quickest way realistically would be to get in touch with the issuers and ask them to send new cheques, however I think it's very unfair that you have to do this seeing as it is the branch that screwed up. What you could do is request that the bank send a letter to each person who you received the cheques from, explaining that due to an error on the bank's part, the cheques are missing and asking that they stop and reissue them. I have done this for customers in the past, so it is doable, and from the bank's POV, it's definitely preferable to having to write off the amount of money. It's probably the quickest and easiest solution for everyone.

Kennie1

Toots* wrote: »

explaining that due to an error on the bank's part, the cheques are missing and asking that they stop and reissue them. I have done this for customers in the past, so it is doable, and from the bank's POV.

So its happened before:eek: do you by any chance work in the branch that the OP is talking about;)

Toots

Kennie1 wrote: »

So its happened before:eek: do you by any chance work in the branch that the OP is talking about;)

Dunno what branch he's talking about, but I know a couple of years ago a branch I worked in was posting on a foreign cheque for a customer to another branch, and the cheque never made it. Since it wasn't the customer's fault, we wrote to the drawer on their behalf and asked them to send another one.

It happens more than you might think I reckon, to be honest once there's a human element involved there's always going to be a possibility for error. If someone is processing a batch of hundreds of cheques it's not hard to see how one could go missing. I'm not saying it should happen, but this isn't the first time I've heard of it.

Mr. Presentable

No biggie. Call the issuers of the cheques, explain what happened and ask them to cancel the first and issue a new one. I can't see what's to be embarassed about or why anyone would think it a big deal.

All the nonsense about closing your account, checking cctv is just that - nonsense. Overreactive nonsense.

wmpdd3

Begs the question, what if the OP had lodges €5000 in cash, would you accept, 'Oh that's gone missing'?

Mr. Presentable

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Begs the question, what if the OP had lodges €5000 in cash, would you accept, 'Oh that's gone missing'?

Didn't though.

amen

posting on a foreign cheque for a customer to another branch

this is different. In your case the bank had the actually physical cheque and the bank lost it.

In the OPs case the bank has no record of the cheque. From the banks point of view the cheques could be against an account with a large balance

OP I am not suggesting that you would do this but person could complete a quick lodge envelope say there is a cheque in it, get a letter from the bank and get a new cheque which is then lodged and paid. Some days later the original cheque would also be paid and lodged (hoping that it was not cancelled).

I would never use the quick lodge for substantial sums of payments.

You could try the branch but I would think you are out of luck. Best thing is to contact the cheque owner, get them to cancel the cheque and reissue.