Allearia Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I am so upset! I have been so careful with tracking our expenses down to the penny and we are doing well. The kids go to an expensive nature program that gives me time to work all day on Mondays. They offer a payment plan where you send them post-dated checks for each month. Well they cashed the one for the end of February early! The check is dated 2/28 but they cashed it 2/23. I didn't think the bank would let them do that? We did the same thing last fall and they never cashed any of them early. And now we don't have money for groceries until dh gets paid on Monday and there are some checks I wrote for soccer that haven't been cashed yet but if they are they will bounce :crying: I may be able to pay a couple of bills late but that is obviously not what I want to be doing. I will call but I'm sure that we will just have to hope we get to Monday with what is in the fridge. I'm just venting, trying to get over this so I can get on with my day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Probably not helpful now, but in the future I would refuse to give them post-dated checks. (I thought that was illegal, anyway? Guess not.) I have always refused the post-dated check situation for this very reason. You just can't control when they are cashed. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 That is really annoying! I am sorry.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 :grouphug::grouphug: That stinks! Hopefully you can get creative and stretch what's in the cupboard. If not, does your church have a food pantry. I'm sure if you explained the situation it wouldn't feel too weird. I have heard that post dating checks doesn't really mean anything and that you shouldn't hand it over until you are ready for it to be cashed. If they accept post-dated checks as a rule why wouldn't they just let you hand the check over on the 28th? Seems like it would be easier for everyone that way. Sorry you're having a bad time with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I would definitely call them and complain, though they probably won't do too much about it :glare: Call the bank too, and tell them they should not have cashed a post-dated check. See if they'll extend some kind of overdraft protection for just a few days. Ask what they can do to make it right. Also call the soccer people, right away, and ask if they can hold the checks until Monday. Otherwise you'll be dealing with a ton of bounced check fees, and they don't want to have to try to collect that back from you. I'm sorry, that just really stinks :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I have heard that post dating checks doesn't really mean anything and that you shouldn't hand it over until you are ready for it to be cashed. If they accept post-dated checks as a rule why wouldn't they just let you hand the check over on the 28th? Oh, in that case, that may change my advice to call and yell at the bank. Post-dating means nothing? I never knew! As for why they take post-dated checks, it's a guarantee that they'll see a check. They don't want to chase people down to have them write the next check. I'm like Cyndi though--I've always avoided those things for this reason. I'll be in charge of when you get the check, thank you very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 My experience with banks cashing checks is that they don't look at the checks *at all*. I once had to write a rather large check for a tax payment and the tax people messed up on where the decimal point was. The bank used what the tax people told them rather than what was actually written on the check! It was a mess for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Post dated checks are actually illegal. We can't accept them at church or we could get in trouble with the IRS. As for the bank, they run checks electronically and don't care. They aren't supposed to allow checks more than 6 months old to be cashed...humph...they do that too. No one is paying close attention most of the time. Occassionally, they catch something but not often. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Hey! I have heard of that nature program! My daughter's best friend works there, I'm pretty sure. She and my daughter have participated in Riekes, in Menlo Park, in the past. Great stuff. (Sorry about the check problem. I hope it still feels worth it, though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Do you have someone who can loan you the money to cover it for the weekend? Anything in kids accounts or do you haved an option to pull out cash on your credit card? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 Thanks all... the post dated check thing seemed a bit weird to me. Maybe I will suggest they go ahead and set up a monthy auto-debit type thing... they are a big enough organization that they should set something like this up. I will definitely not sign up again if I have to send post dated checks! I may try to call the soccer club... I sent those checks in at the beginning of January so not sure why they haven't cashed them yet. I guess this is a lesson for me not to be so trusting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Yep, not only is post-dating a check illegal, but the bank is well within their rights to cash it whenever they receive it. Best rule is....don't do it. I hope you can find a way to stop your other checks from cashing before pay day. The $25-$30 fine the bank attaches to each one is not fun. And, if they actually bounce it and don't pay it....expect a fee from the organization to whom you wrote the check as well. The one month where my husband wrote our mortgage check from the wrong bank account was NOT fun. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I'm sorry. :( We've had horrible experiences with post dated check systems, too, to the point where we just don't write checks at all anymore. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Our bank will not cash a post-dated check early - they are not supposed to. Our grocery store will not accept a check with a future date - I've mistakenly written the incorrect date on my check and had to correct it. If the program accepted your post-dated check, and you incur late/overdraft fees, you should itemize them with an explanation and ask them to reimburse your loss. I recently paid our electric bill online, but the program failed mid-transaction so I didn't think it processed. I also did not receive an email receipt as would be expected. So, I repaid the bill. They processed both payments - apparently the IT department noticed the failed attempt and pushed it through. I keep my bill pay account register to the penny, so...I ended up with 3 overdraft charges. Grrr. Anyway, the electric company honored them when I provided the documentation of what happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Yep, not only is post-dating a check illegal, but the bank is well within their rights to cash it whenever they receive it. Best rule is....don't do it. I hope you can find a way to stop your other checks from cashing before pay day. The $25-$30 fine the bank attaches to each one is not fun. And, if they actually bounce it and don't pay it....expect a fee from the organization to whom you wrote the check as well. The one month where my husband wrote our mortgage check from the wrong bank account was NOT fun. :glare: I don't think it is illegal in every state, though I could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Probably not helpful now, but in the future I would refuse to give them post-dated checks. (I thought that was illegal, anyway? Guess not.) I have always refused the post-dated check situation for this very reason. You just can't control when they are cashed. :grouphug: I've never purposely written a post-dated check but the dates on my checks are all over the calendar! I get whole months and years wrong and guess what . . . they don't care. Those checks go through just the same as the ones with correct dates. I wrote once for something like January 8th, 2010 when it was actually something like February 10th, 2011. No one caught it except my husband who thought some money was missing and looked through the scans. I just hate it that that happened to you. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Probably not helpful now, but in the future I would refuse to give them post-dated checks. (I thought that was illegal, anyway? Guess not.) I have always refused the post-dated check situation for this very reason. You just can't control when they are cashed. :grouphug: I used to work at a bank and at that time it was illegal to write a post-dated check. The company was within their rights to cash the check (although shoudn't have if that was your agreement) and the bank has their own standards of within what time frame they will cash a check. Unfortunately, I don't think either of the companies involved is going to do anything to help you. I am so sorry. PS: I just used Cyndie's post as a jumping off point but for the most part it is addressed to the OP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 For future reference if your organization put the check in early and your bank cleared the check, that means the organization could put all the post dated checks through the day they receive them and your bank will clear them. Post dating checks is a bad idea all around. It is always the customer who is hurt by mismanagement never the payee or the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I don't think it is illegal in every state, though I could be wrong. I hadn't heard that it's illegal but I was in a situation like the OP's once and found out the hard way that the date on the check means nothing to the bank. My bank at the time specifically told me there was nothing they could do. In my situation, I was in college and was paying my January rent early before going home for Christmas break. I post-dated the check and told the people in the apartment complex's management office that it was not to be cashed until January. They supposedly had a separate file for this purpose as I was not the only student paying rent early. So when they ignored my request and cashed the check early and it bounced, I raised hell. I deducted the amount of the bounced check fee from my February rent and explained why. To this day that is the only check I've ever bounced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 OP, when you speak to the club that required post-dated checks you can use this circumstance as the very reason that you will refuse it in the future. I think that if every parent knew that this could happen then EVERYBODY would refuse to write post-dated checks. Then they would be forced to change their policies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 OP, when you speak to the club that required post-dated checks you can use this circumstance as the very reason that you will refuse it in the future. I think that if every parent knew that this could happen then EVERYBODY would refuse to write post-dated checks. Then they would be forced to change their policies! I suspect that the organization would then just require all payment upfront then. I doubt they'd be very concerned. IME, they offer the post-dated check as a courtesy, in case you can't pay it all at once. (Not that they I think anyone should keep giving out post-dated checks--I never do, even if it means a discounted fee. I just think the organization won't care much.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I see your point, Melissa and, unfortunately, that probably IS the tack that the company will take. (Can most families afford to pay for the entire year upfront?!) Automatic debit is a bad idea, imo, too. We refuse that as well. There have been too many instances of "oops, we took out double" and more. EEK! We DO set up the type where we can go in and manually approve the payments each month and havn't had a problem so far. I think, though, REALLY, that if other companies can wait to be paid every single month, then this company could, too. I mean, we are paying for almost $6,000 worth of braces by paying them online every month. I guess they somehow live with the uncertainty that maybe next month we will slack off and not pay. (Of course, when they are making that much money I guess they can afford to live with that concern, whereas the nature place makes far less.....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Sorry you are having this trouble, Allearia, it sounds like a real pain in the rear. :( When I was a teenager (with 3 younger teenage sisters) my mom once wrote a check for 20 MINUTES and the bank cashed it. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Thanks all... the post dated check thing seemed a bit weird to me. Maybe I will suggest they go ahead and set up a monthy auto-debit type thing... they are a big enough organization that they should set something like this up. I will definitely not sign up again if I have to send post dated checks! I may try to call the soccer club... I sent those checks in at the beginning of January so not sure why they haven't cashed them yet. I guess this is a lesson for me not to be so trusting. Just a bit of advice....make sure the debit system requires you to authorize the payment. I had a problem with a local kids gym that incorrectly debted my account, and I had to FIGHT with them to give my money back. They wanted to credit me...after the arguments with the owner (100% their fault) I knew I wasn't going back and didn't want a credit there. If you give them automatic withdrawal information/authorization, you can end up in the same situation or worse if they transmit a larger about than you owe....an expected $100 payment, could be put in as a $1000 payment by mistake. I would see if they have a bill pay option, and go with that instead of a auto debit. Another idea would be for them to have a CC on file that they bill it to, and then you pay it off each month. You could use a single card for this purpose and keep the limit set very, very low to avoid any issues. This would buffer you main account from mistakes like this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RahRah Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Post dated checks are actually illegal. We can't accept them at church or we could get in trouble with the IRS. As for the bank, they run checks electronically and don't care. They aren't supposed to allow checks more than 6 months old to be cashed...humph...they do that too. No one is paying close attention most of the time. Occassionally, they catch something but not often. Faith Post-dating checks is not illegal per se - when written, it is illegal to write a check with insufficient funds to cover the check. If you read the Uniform Commercial Code, a bank will take a check regardless of the date. So, if you've postdated a check, and the payee cashes the check, that's the date the funds will be taken from your account - - or if there are insufficient funds, then you'll be in hot soup...to either cover the check and fees (on your account and the payee account) or risk being prosecuted for passing a bad check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 Thanks again everyone - they did call and explain it was an error due to a change in personnel and banks etc. I will be able to talk to them in person Monday so hopefully I can ask them to come up with another option before fall if we decide to continue with the program. I went through the upcoming bills and some I usually pay a few days early aren't actually due until the 28th when we get paid so I was able to set up those payments to come out that day. I can charge a little on a cc for some groceries over the weekend and pay it back on Monday too. It could have been a lot worse, I actually just got a paycheck Wednesday from my part time job that went through otherwise this check would have bounced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Glad you were able to work it out! In the future, if something like that happens again, and you do bounce a check, call the bank and explain the situation. They may be willing to refund at least some of the fees. Also, even if the nature program doesn't offer an online payment option (our dance studio looked into this, but it is fairly expensive and would mean raising their tuition rates), you might be able to have your bank send them a check; that way you don't have to worry about getting it there yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks all... the post dated check thing seemed a bit weird to me. Maybe I will suggest they go ahead and set up a monthy auto-debit type thing... they are a big enough organization that they should set something like this up. I will definitely not sign up again if I have to send post dated checks! I may try to call the soccer club... I sent those checks in at the beginning of January so not sure why they haven't cashed them yet. I guess this is a lesson for me not to be so trusting. Yes, definitely call the soccer club and see if they will wait another week to cash your checks. You don't want to get stuck with a bunch of overdraft fees. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks again everyone - they did call and explain it was an error due to a change in personnel and banks etc. I will be able to talk to them in person Monday so hopefully I can ask them to come up with another option before fall if we decide to continue with the program. I went through the upcoming bills and some I usually pay a few days early aren't actually due until the 28th when we get paid so I was able to set up those payments to come out that day. I can charge a little on a cc for some groceries over the weekend and pay it back on Monday too. It could have been a lot worse, I actually just got a paycheck Wednesday from my part time job that went through otherwise this check would have bounced. Glad it worked out! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I think, though, REALLY, that if other companies can wait to be paid every single month, then this company could, too. I mean, we are paying for almost $6,000 worth of braces by paying them online every month. I guess they somehow live with the uncertainty that maybe next month we will slack off and not pay. (Of course, when they are making that much money I guess they can afford to live with that concern, whereas the nature place makes far less.....) Orthodontists around here will NOT take the braces off if payment has not been made in full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Ay, I was hoping you were in South Florida, but I see you're in Cali. I totally would have hooked you up with some good eats. I hope the other checks don't bounce. What do you have in your cupboard?? Maybe we can help you design some meals to help you stretch until Monday. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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