I got the dreaded letter from the bank that said, "Your account is overdrawn." I couldn't believe it, and I wondered what on earth I had done.
Then I opened it and saw that I was overdrawn by more than $1,000. I was very worried.
When I called the bank, they told me that the $3000 check I had written wasn't enough. Well, I didn't write a check for that amount, but they said I did and told me where to go.
I couldn't believe I had done something so stupid, but when I called the company I had written the check to, they said yes, that was what I had written it for, and my account had been overpaid.
Then we had to start the process for me to get the money I had overpaid back. In the meantime, I had to make a quick transfer or I would have more checks that bounced.
After I covered the check and started the return process to get my money back, I thought there was no way I could have done something that stupid.
So I called the bank and asked if they were sure I had written the check for that amount. The bank employee told me that they do check things like that, but I didn't believe her, so I went to the bank and asked for a copy of the check.
Surprisingly, I hadn't been stupid and written a check for 3000 for only $300. It was encoded wrong by the company I gave it to, and the bank didn't catch it.
So, after the bank told me they were sorry and would make things right, I called the other company back and asked if they were sure it was my fault. She also told me that these kinds of things are always checked. Then I asked why I was holding the check when it was clearly only for $300. She didn't have much to say at the time, and they told me that everything would be fine.
When I talked to her, she said that she just thought it was my fault because if they had done something wrong, one of our banks would have caught it. Yeah, right.
So, most of you would notice a $2,700 difference, just like I did, but if we don't check every month, we might not notice the pennies and nickels.
Because you are the only one who will pay close attention to your account!!
