I have banked with the Halifax Building Society for as long as I can remember ~ got our first mortgage through them ~ and even had my pay cheques put straight into my account ~ plus other different savings accounts ~
on the 8th June I went into the branch I always use in Norwich and wanted to withdraw £700.00 ~ was told I could only draw £600.00 ~ but I needed £700 ~ so drew £100 from another account
Spent some in different shops here and there as you would when money burns a hole in your purse ~
Anyway had a bill for £450.00 that had to be paid ~ I gave the cash to Gary to check the amount was correct counting through it he gave me a £20.00 note back telling me it was a forgery ~ I have never seen a forged note and it looked perfectly good to me ~ but Gary pointed out the differences and I could clearly see them ~
I telephoned the Halifax on returning home explaining to them I had no other money in my possession only that which had been given to me at my branch ~ I was told to take the note back to the Branch where I had drawn the money out ~ and my Book showing I had made a withdrawal and they would reimburse me with a nice real £20.00 note
So to~day drove the 15 miles to my branch ~ only to be told No way could they take the note back ~ as they had no guarantee that it came from them ~ I told the girl I could guarantee it did come from them ~ she said she did remember serving me ~ but still would not change the note the Manager by this time was behind her agreeing with her"No can do" Saying I should not have been given that information from the phone call I had made ~
Well now I am an Honest person (sometimes to honest I am told) I have been known to put a few extra pounds in their change when I have done shopping for some old folk just to boast their pension ~
Do I try to palm this note off to some unsuspecting shopkeeper ~ I do not think I could live with my conscience if I tried to do that ~
and I suppose I am hurt to think they did not take my word ~
I know £20.00 isn't a fortune ~ who knows if there were any more in amongst the money that I had already spent ~ I am just surprized that the building society didn't check all their notes ~ and could hand over a forgery ~ to an unsuspecting customer ~ who trusted them implicitly ~ next time I go in to withdraw some cash I am going to make her check every note before I accept them ~
46 comments:
I had similar many years ago when I was on benefits, the post office gave me a bad 10.00 note but I only found out afterwards.......as you say the difference is not noticeable until it is point out........but the post office did exchange it which I would expect of them!! Hope you have another go at the information centre as it is one rule for them and another for the branch in most cases!!!!
How awful for you dear ,we believe you even if the building society doesnt , I would have been angry as well as upset ,thank God £20 isnt the be all and end all for you but it might be to some people,no one can afford to lose £20 just like that .....Jan xx
All the notes look the same to me except the one on the top is darker in color. Besides that they look the same.I would ot be able to tell them apart. Sunny
oh boy.... thats the pits isn't it.... and you went all the way back after the phone call too.... is there someone else you can complain too? I would check from now on too but you wouldn't think you would have too... what is 20 to them after all. Hope your day went better after that ..... Sandra
So sorry about that having happened to you, you think banks would be more careful. I am affraid if it was me I would be looking for another bank and make it know why, they do not like loosing custom. LOve Joan.
This is not the first I have heard Ally of such an incident, my son had the same unhappy experience back in West Yorkshire,only this was The National Westminster Bank!!!!!!!! He too felt just as you do.It is becoming a regular thing!!!!This happened to my doctors receptionist also.They would soon spot the differance if we took one along I imagine trying to deposit it.This is the annoying part.Sorry you have lost your twenty pound,as you say it might not seem much to some people but it is plenty to others.
Regards Astoriasand.
Isn't that just typical of banks and building societies. They're real quick to grab any money they can from you but when it comes to playing the game and handing some back they don't want to know.
I admire your honesty Ally, I couldn't pass it on either. B. x
hopefully you can talk to someone
higher up on the ladder
if you don't get satisfaction then
take your business elsewhere!
Oh no, I wouldn't be able to shop with it either m'dear. How awful though, to lose £20 just like that through no fault of your own. Booo Halifax!!
Sara x
Oh oh oh oh Ally, Ally, this is so
simple it kills me that I'm not
presently in England. You-all's too
too polite! You stand in the middle
of the bank and start shouting,
shouting very, very loudly!! They'd
change your bad note to a valid one
so fast their breeze might knock you down.
If, some recklerss-for-his-career jerk
orders you to leave the bank, continue
your blitkrieg out of the street yelling
at the populace to never enter this rotten
thieving bank! Call the newspapers, call
the local TV station, create a cause celebre
not for the twenty pounds, but for truth
and trust. The bank staff is passing phoney
money.
Barry
Hi Ally, That must have been awful for you, you would think that your building society, knowing that you are a long time customer would give you the benefit of the doubt, or for that matter anyone else with an account. What if the £20 was all you had to get you through the week. The only forgery I had was a fake one pound coin. I decided to try it in the ticket machine in the car park and it worked so I got my monies worth, like you I wouldn`t want to pass it on. :o)
Sandra xxxx
Hi Ally...
So sorry hear you had been given a forged £20.00 note! I know how you must be feeling very well, it has happened to us too! a couple of times! Take Care...
Astra!
http://journals.aol.co.uk/astra1547/astrasjournal
This is shocking Ally, and for the Bank to refuse to honour it is even worse. We're always told to report forgeries so you'd think there'd be some come-back. Could you not report it to the police?
Take care,
This must have been very frustrating to you. Sorry it happened to you. Honesty is always the best policy and you were that. Paula
Dear Ally...catching up on my journal reading...sorry about the bank and money matter...our bank will take the conterfeit even if they didn't give it out...and replace it....they said it was no loss to them...they just turned them into the feds...and they got their money back...and yes...hard to say how many others you gave out...bummer....and we did the same with a squirrel once...daughter and I...we took ours to the vet...and she took care of it...but it is hard when you hit one...I just love all your graphics...like reading a good picture book...LOL...Hugs from KY....Ora
Oh Ally sorry to hear about your troubles with the bank, I thought that all £ notes were checked by the banks on being deposited, obviously somebody made a mistake with that one and like you I would not know what to do with it, what a dilema for you to be in.
take care
Lynne xx
What a dilemna Ally...I really dont know what I would do other than pay that forged £20 back into my hailifax account....mmm bad me?
Ally, how annoying! I cannot believe their attitude to you over that money! And such a good customer too. I would write a very strong letter to the engine and ignore the oil rags!! Linda xx http://journals.aol.co.uk/lindachapmanuk/metamorphing
I think I'd cancel my account and bank elsewhere. I did have an account with the Halifax once but as I never paid in or drew out any for two years they closed the account and kept my money, on their conditions it says they can do that. Luckily it was only around £4 but it could have been more. I'd never bank with them again! Jeannette xx
Ally, what an awful thing to happen. But please don't pass it off to someone, I don't think they'll let you journal in prison. I absolutely would make the bank staff check every bill next time. Like over here, when you go thru the drive-up window at McDonalds, I always sit there and check the contents of the bag to make sure I have what I paid for. Linda in WA
if you feel like spending the £20 just think of our fruit cake/file conversation!!!! i think you should speak to te manager of the halifax or write to head office or go to citizens advice. love Joanne
With a family invovled in banknig I can tell you they really has no choice.
Haivng said that banks are crap.
Hmmmm not impressed with the bank...I'd write to head office if i was you Caff xxxxx
Ally I feel so sorry that the bank did that to you and wouldn't take your word for it that they had given it to you .They don't deserve your custom.£20 is alot of money to have to just write it off .I am quite cross with them on your behalf for not changing it .Sending you a big ((((hug)))xx........Jeanxx
I AM AN HONEST PERSON ALSO AND I AM A GOD FEARING WOMAN SO I AM ALWAYS TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, BUT I WOULD WAIT A WHILE AND THEN GO BACK TO MAKE A DEPOSIT AT THE BANK WITH SOME MONEY AND ADD IN THE FAKE BILL WITH MY REAL MONEY AND MAKE THE DEPOSIT. YOU RECIEVED THE FAKE MONEY FROM THE BANK AND I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE IT BACK. THAT MIGHT SOUND IMMATURE BUT NOTHING IS CHEAP AND MONEY IS MONEY NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT ACTUALLY IS, WHY SHOULD YOU BE SHORT MONEY WHEN YOU WITHDREW IT FROM YOU R ACCOUNT. YOU DID NOT PUT IT IN WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT.
I WOULD GIVE IT BACK IN A DEPOSIT
Oh Ally that is terrible. I can kind of understand them saying you can't prove you got it from them after the event, but if they look at how long you have been banking with them and also look at you - you don't exactly look like a criminal, then they should be ashamed of themselves not believing an honest, loyal customer.
They should check all incoming notes and where they've made a mistake and accepted a forgery then they should deal with the problem and not pass it on.
You should definitely take it higher and make a bit of a fuss about it, maybe tell them you'll go to the local or even national papers = High Street bank swindles OAP (no offence!) type of headline might worry them!
Oh Ally that is just awful! Im so sorry to hear this. I hope it can be somehow straightened out.
Kara
Sorry that had to happen to you Ally, it's awful to feel you're being doubted and you're £20 down as well. Feeling very grrrr towards forgery makers of the misery they cause. ((( ))) Rache
See Ally....that's just one of the many things I didn't like about working at the bank. And it might not have done any good to give it back to the bank in a deposit (even tho I think that was a wonderful idea! lol) Well it would if you did a small deposit..then it would have probably been counted by hand. If the deposit was large and they ran it throught he counter machine it would catch the fraudulent bill. Nevertheless, the bank is never out...the customer is. The bank takes the bill and sends it to fraudulent services and its checked. If it's good the customer gets it back, if not then it's "so sorry customer"!
Another thing...dad gum it...it's your money! You should be able to take out as much as you want. The bank acts like it's their money.
As you know...that wasn't a good place for me!!!! I like my new job much better! Sometimes I feel guilty tho...it's not like real work. It's like getting paid to stay home..I just have to drive a great distance to my new house! :)
Take Care...hugs!
Darlene
http://journals.aol.com/djohn52/AgeingGracefullyWithAllTheHelpIC/
Please DO NOT deposit that
phoney bank note. You'll be
arrested!
Barry
I was reading this yesterday and a thought sprung to mind,I remember distinctly my boss saying to me,when I had only been working at my place for a few months,'if you get a forged note,pass it onto another customer',I think banks are the same,with their 'pass it on' attitudes,Ive had a forged note from an atm machine,so I know it does happen hun,even to the best of us.xxzoexx.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/zoepaul6968/DomesticAbuse/
Sorry you are £20 down Ally. I think it is very wrong of the Halifax to brush it aside like that, I mean they could have lots more forged notes there so it makes sense to protect themselves. I would not be able to pass it on either.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/
Hi, oh what a sad world we live in when decent honest people are getting 'ripped off' daily and for this to happen at the Halifax is terrible, because you have known them so long, been a good customer in every way. The manager should have changed it for you and then taken it to the police.Of course they didn't want people to think they hadn'd done their job properly and checked on a special machine, incase they lose people's custom. I think you should withdraw altogether from them and give your reason. Sorry you had to experience all that Ally.
Rach.xxxx
That is a shame, Ally. But, I'm with you ... I couldn't, in good conscience, pass it off to anyone else, either. My husband and I were just talking about this subject this evening. It seems that he withdrew some fifty dollar bills at the bank just this past week, for a work function, and one of them was found to be counterfeit. No ... the bank isn't going to replace it. I can understand that there are situations that they would be hesitant, or refuse to replace the money .... but with a regular customer in good standing? It makes no sense. I'm just sorry you got stuck with it. Tina
That is disgusting.. I should write to the Ombudsman and demand that you are given a new twenty pound note. It has happened to me with pound coins but not notes £20 is a lot of money to just lose. Love conniex
I would never think to check money given to me by the bank to see if there was a forged bill in the mix. I might start looking now. Each time I spend a $20 in a store, they have a special pen that turns an odd color if the bill is a fake. Maybe I'll just get one of those and stand at the counter marking all the bills the teller gives me. LOL Can you just see her face? Oh, that makes me laugh! Kathy
Don't get me started on banks they hate loosing money. They would of been the same with A £1 coin
That was so wrong! They were just afraid to admit that they allowed a forgery to slip thru their hands!
Take Three:
To foil counterfeiters banknotes
might be printed differently from
time to time. Do you truly trust
the wisdom of the bank employees
who told you it was conterfeit?
If so, why? if that same bank gave
you fake money?!!?
Barry
Oh Ally, that's a terrible thing to happen. Haven't been able to see what other comments you've had about this as AOL seem to be playing up a bit today. How about this though: rather than asking her to check every note, why don't you stand there at the counter and go through an elaborate charade of your own of checking every note. Tell them you'll gladly explain - to the manager.
Ally I'm so sorry this happened to you with the forged note. I too have been a victim in the past. When I was a struggling single parent ~ it's hard to take at ANY time. The Halifax should have treated you better than that. Definitely make them check all the notes they give you next time ~ that'll teach them!! (((((hugs)))))
lots of love Debbie ~xxxxxxx~
http://journals.aol.com/debbiewebb4465/TheLifeTimesofanEssexGirl
I always wondered what would happen if the bank gave you a forged note. I see now your just out of luck!
Terrie
Hi Ally. .Im way behind with the journal reading. Thats typical of the banks attitude. . its not on that you lost £20 .Gosh,look at all the comments you have! LOL. . you are very popular Ally!
I've had to deal with counterfeit bills when I was working in retail. It is surprising when one comes across one for the first time. One of the things I trained my staff's to do was to make sure they handled every bill and didn't just do a quick corner count. Try closing your eyes and having a real bill and a counterfeit placed into your hand. I'll bet you feel the difference immediately.
As a suggestion, late but a suggestion still, you might speak with the manager of the bank and point out to them that if they may have more of a problem than your one bill. If they have tellers that can't detect the difference it is possible that there are more fakes in their possession. You should also point out that they were in error to allow you to retain possession of the counterfeit bill and should have confiscated it. The right thing of course would have been to replace it for a loyal and valued customer of the institution and not dismiss your honest effort to do the right thing.
I hope you were joking about passing the forgery on in shopping. You don't want to be the one caught for a crime. Over here in the US it is a matter of the FBI and I'd imagine maybe Scotland Yard would be the authority in England. You should turn the bill in in any event since even possession of counterfeit currency may be a crime there as it is here.
Robert
The counterfeit bill should have been detected by the bank and traced to the depositer of it. As Cowboy wrote it should have been confiscated by the bank and turned over to authorities to exam and make a record of. I would be upset if it happened to me. I always see stores examining bills and marking them with a marker that turns color and detects counterfeits. With today's scanners and printers there are more small counterfeiters around. I would tell the bank that you will no longer do buisness with them and that you are positive and truthful that you got the bill from them. mark
I misspelled "business" and wanted to correct my spelling so that I learn how to spell properly, lol mark
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