Money - A subject we all know about. The money game sure is something, isn't it? I'd like to know why, if we don't get our money to the creditors when we're supposed to, we get charged out the ass with fees, our credit goes to hell, and we can basically be ruined. All because we don't get our money where it needs to be and in the time it need to be there. But heaven forbid, when it's the other way around and a creditor, bank, store, whatever, owes us money, time is of no importance to them. In fact, they couldn't care less about giving us our money back.
This is what happened to me. The story itself is kind of amusing because it lends to my airheadedness. :-) I schedule a few bills through the "billy pay" service our credit union offers and really like it and have never had any problems, until last week. It just so happens that a couple of my creditors need checks cut to them, instead of their payment coming out electronically. I have no idea why that is, it just is.
Stupid me, I've been paying my kid's orthodontist through bill pay and quit using the coupon payment book so I really had no idea when the bill would be payed off. Well, the orthodontist's office called me last week and said they just got this month's payment but the account has been paid in full so I didn't need to be sending them anymore payments! haha I must have looked like a real winner to these people, giving away money like it's nothing. I asked the lady to send the check back to me. She said she was going to write "void" across the check and mail it back. Seemed all good and fine to me.
While waiting for this check, I got to wondering how bill pay works, when the check has been cut to a creditor but now is coming back to me. Seemed like the bank could fix it pretty easily though. They know me. They know my bank/bill pay account. They know the money came out of my account. Easy breezy, right? Um....NOT!!! I called today, explained what happened, and told them I now have the check so how can I get the money put back into my account. Oh no, I can't do that. Since void is written across the check, it is void to even me...the person that holds the account to where the flippin' money came from in the first place. What the hell?!?! I'm not a happy camper. Then this lady continues to explain to me that I'll just have to wait about a month, when the bill pay system will generate some kind of message, alerting me this check hasn't been deposited or cashed (Well no shit - I HAVE IT!!). I guess this will then generate a stop payment toward the check and that is when it will get credited back to my account. Are you kidding me? This is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. It's my money, and a piece of paper, called a check, is holding it hostage? And there is no one that can do anything about it? I have to wait for a computer program to realize nothing is being done with this check and then something will happen. Time frame? TWO MONTHS!!!! I just have to laugh - it is absolutely ridiculous.
I think I'll call my mortgage company, my car company, the utility companies, and tell them all I'll get their money to them in a couple of months. We'll see how that goes.
There's so much that is wrong with this and I ~ AM ~ PISSED!
What do you think?! Is this insane or what?
(KA)
