Bank error in your favor

conpewter

Sr. Member
Aug 17, 2010
306
7
Illinois
So I was at the bank yesterday, had gone through two $500 boxes of halves (no silver), kept a few 2009's but replaced those with some halves I keep around to get the total back up to $1000 so I know the machine is right.

When turning them in I told her there was around $1000 in the bag (I'd tipped it over in the car so wasn't sure I'd found them all). She came back and said there was $1110.18. She paid me that and I was a bit confused. I sometimes get odd numbers of halves from random banks that have some, and I'd gotten some rolls over the weekend but didn't think they were in that batch I turned in, but I have a bad memory. In the car I thought it over more and became more sure that I only had $1000 in those two bags. Well I called them later and told them I thought they gave me back too much money but they said they pay out what the machine says, and it said 1110.18 so I let it drop.

Later that night the branch manager called me and said they'd audited the machine, and they knew I'd called in and asked and said that the machine was off. I told him that it was off, probably $110 bucks or so. Thanked me and asked if I was a customer, I told him yes and he asked for me to spell my name. Said they'd just debit our account the difference.

I'm glad I was honest, that's the way I was raised and it is the Christian thing to do. But I am wondering if I hadn't called back in if they'd have known it was I who was overpaid :) So looks like it is not like monopoly, you don't get to keep it.
 

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Smremm

Jr. Member
Sep 11, 2009
45
0
Virginia Beach
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Honesty is always the best policy, although it is a rare quality these days. I'm glad to know there are people like you in the world. I would have done the very same thing (and I'm not even Christian, imagine that :laughing9:). At the very least, you've improved your relationship with the tellers. However, if the only reward you get is knowing you are a good person - that is reward enough in itself. Applause, applause! :hello2:
 

rileyboy

Bronze Member
Jan 15, 2010
1,704
55
Well done! You did the right thing. Now something good will happen
for you. Hopefully it will be a dream box.
rileyboy
 

FCCDFEd

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Sep 29, 2007
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fistfulladirt said:
Yeah, you did the right thing, regardless of the Christian part.

You just bought your self $110 worth of credibility in that bank and you probably will get just about anything you want now from them. Way to go.

Integrity, it's not what you do when someone is watching, but what you do when no one is watching.

By the way I believe the Christian part was the most important part. May God Bless you and your family
 

jim4silver

Silver Member
Apr 15, 2008
3,662
495
What confuses me about this incident is that it seems like it was you that had to tell them how much it was off ($110?). What about the 18 cents?

Did they tell you how much it overpaid or did they go by what you said?

It would seem to me that the only way the machine would overpay one person is if it underpaid another, thus leaving coins that were not counted before but somehow got run in with yours. I don't understand where that 110.18 or whatever it was came from. I can see a machine not counting coins it should but I don't see how it could count coins that didn't exist.

I know some of the machines I had used in the past had shorted me (especially dimes), but I have never had one count in my favor (except for when a coin from the prior person was stuck in there).

Most of the time I don't know the actual count of my halves, so I wouldn't know if I was getting too much or not enough. Hearing about inaccurate machines worries me.

Jim
 

ArkieBassMan

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Dec 17, 2009
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This happened to me on one of my very first dump runs when I first began to CRH. I didn't have an exact count of what I turned in, but it was all halves and close to $700...give or take maybe $20. The teller returns from the machine and said that I had something like (I don't remember exactly) $770.55. My first thought was that some of my halves got counted as nickels or something and that I got cheated. I quickly realized I was over, not short and told the teller that something was wrong - I only turned in halves, and that while I didn't know exactly, I was pretty sure the total should be closer to $700. She said that it was possible that "some coins got stuck in there and yours knocked them loose. The machine says $770.55 so thats what you get." I kinda felt like a thief, but as she put it, "If the count is wrong, there is no way to determine who the machine shorted. Guess its your lucky day." I guess it was. I continued to use that bank every week for months and they never said anything else about it. But, if it could cheat someone else, it could cheat me. I haven't dumped anywhere since without knowing EXACTLY how much I had.
 

Kantuckkeean

Bronze Member
Apr 30, 2009
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Cornfield, IN
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You did the right thing by letting them know. As FCCDFEd said, you just got a whole bunch of credibility at that bank. I did the same thing one time when the machine jammed on the teller, and she dumped halves that had passed the counter back into the hopper for a second round. It was only $18.50, but I figured that they'd want to know. When dumping halves, I ALWAYS know EXACTLY how much I'm dumping. I've read too many stories about getting shorted.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck
 

weighit

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Feb 17, 2007
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Just yesterday I had a huge box of pennies. I went through each penny looking for copper and put those in another box. Decided to pay the 3% the credit union charged to use their machine. Started dumping and the machine just gobbled them all up. Printed out a tally, showed pennies, 9 dimes, 2 quarters & 2 Sacagawea dollars. I only had pennies in the box. I told the cashier the machine made a mistake and gave me too much money. She said happens all the time, you win, don't worry about it. OK, the overage more than paid the 3% fee. I asked if it happens all the time what gets done about it. Nothing, she said, some win, and I guess some loose. Today you win. So I won.
 

ramjet2187

Hero Member
Nov 29, 2005
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Yeah, you did the right thing. Imagine if one of the tellers was being held liable for the shortage. They would be losing money from their paycheck. I don't have any idea if that's the case, but I wouldn't want my spouse to have to make up for a shortage.
 

CHAINCHOMP

Silver Member
Mar 27, 2010
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once i dumped $500 in halves into my dump banks machine, it made some weird loud noises like the halves were spewing all over inside the machine, and i came out w/ $672...i told them, they only gave me the $500 until they audited the bags, and they said the bags were on count, so they gave me the extra $172 ;D i was SOOOO happy!!! they literally paid me $172 to dump :laughing7:
sh*t happens :dontknow:
keep it up and hh!
 

Rich Hartford

Silver Member
Nov 27, 2008
4,291
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:Good job.
About 15 years ago I went to deposit $7000.00 into a new savings account and the teller entered 7 million.
She caught the mistake right away.
So for about 30 seconds I was a millionaire. :laughing7:
HH
Rich
 

ghostbaer

Greenie
Aug 19, 2010
13
0
Stopped in a branch of my credit union a while back. Had $150 in halfs to cash. While they were running them in the counter
I asked for $20 in nickels. Not paying attention (talking to the teller to much) took my money and the bag with the nickel rolls.
Ran some errands and went home. Walk in the house and had a message on the machine from the CU. Please call me problem with the nickels we gave you. What could be wrong. Open the bag and started counting. You guessed it not $20 but 20 rolls. Thought it was a heavy bag. Teller was relieved and not a bad bunch. 1 war , 1 buff, and 4 pre-60. :dontknow:
 

never2late

Jr. Member
Oct 28, 2010
40
0
San Antonio, Texas
Just had a little something like this happen to me yesterday. Went to cash in one box so that I could go pick up the second, kept one roll in my pocket since the roll was loose and I didn't want the teller to spill it and have to wait on her to find/recount the roll. So she thought i was turning in $510 in halves. She gave me $510, but i explained to her that the box was one short. She smiled said thank you and asked for the next customer :)
Sadly no good karma followed me as the second and final box of 2010 was a skunker.
 

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conpewter

conpewter

Sr. Member
Aug 17, 2010
306
7
Illinois
jim4silver said:
What confuses me about this incident is that it seems like it was you that had to tell them how much it was off ($110?). What about the 18 cents?

Did they tell you how much it overpaid or did they go by what you said?
...
Jim

I figured they didn't clear the previous customers count before they dumped in mine, so it said $110.18 and then they added in my $1000.

Thanks for all the encouragement, it really is the right thing to do and I'm glad to hear there are others out there that have had the same thing happen and have spoken up.

Bank said they'd call me back yesterday and tell me how much they deducted from my account, they never did but I saw a $100 debit on my account via the online banking, so I guess they just rounded it.
 

quiksilver

Bronze Member
Oct 25, 2009
1,024
10
Banks are always trying to give me more dimes then i asked for. I tell them i would rather have them smile at me the next time i come in.
 

coinmojo

Bronze Member
Mar 18, 2008
2,484
6
Michigan
Your story is a braeth of fresh air. In the 2 years that I have been reading and contributing here it seems that there are people out there that would not do the same.

In the 4 years that I have been doing this I have things go my way or the other way. when it comes to dealing with coin counters. they are usually pretty accurate. The only problem I have ever had with the machine's are with the dimes being counted as pennies. I never really know the exact amount I have when dumping but it's usually within a couple of dollars. For instance if I do 2k in halves and pull a dozen keepers I would expect to get $1,994.00. But Often the Machine rolls can be of 1 coin in either direction. I have actually had a machine roll that was short $4.00 but only once but 1 coin short is not that uncommon and 1 to the good has happened as well.

So $110.18 is obvious. and you did the right thing IMHO.

I am the kind of guy who has several banks that order for me on a weekly basis and have standing orders. I have become sort of a fixture at these banks and shoot the bull when i'm there. All this talk has a strange effect on some tellers. One time I picked up my 4 boxes of Halves and we talked for about 5 minuts and I carried out my boxes 2 at a time and left. About 1/2 hour later I get a call and it's my friendly teller informing me that I neglected to pay her for the coins........ LOL. Man how embarrassing was that? I drove back over there and paid her the money and both of our faces were red.

Another time I cashed in some Ikes and made a deposit and somehow realized I was $100 short after leaving the bank. I called the bank and spoke to the teller and she said that she would call me back after she audits her till at the end of her shift. She called back to say that she would deposit the $100 into my account. Again too much talking going on. I lost focus and almost shorted myself $100.

So good on you sir and here's to a dream box in your future...

Mojo
 

GrayCloud

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Jan 24, 2008
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We all need to be honest in our dealings. A bank in Louisiana shorted me by $57.00 on a bag of .50's. The lady that dumped the bag made an honest error and I did not catch it till the following week, as I went through the coins. Cost me a trip back to the bank but she did refund the money to me.
 

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conpewter

conpewter

Sr. Member
Aug 17, 2010
306
7
Illinois
GrayCloud said:
We all need to be honest in our dealings. A bank in Louisiana shorted me by $57.00 on a bag of .50's. The lady that dumped the bag made an honest error and I did not catch it till the following week, as I went through the coins. Cost me a trip back to the bank but she did refund the money to me.

Glad you got the refund. I really try to know exactly how much I'm dumping. I keep a couple clad halves laying around so that I can sub in for any coins I need or silver. I did hand over an extra $100 when buying a box one time and the teller gave it back, gotta watch out for talking and not paying attention.
 

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