6 replies to this topic

[ScrubbieLady]

Well, just learned a lesson. Fortunately, not too expensive. Lost $24.00 plus $5.50 to the post office to show it had been cashed.

Let me backtrack. Last summer, we ordered some clothing from a company on the web. Sent a postal money order, thinking it was safer. Well, we were wrong. Now it is December and we don't have the merchandise and cannot get an answer from the company.

So, i go to the post office to find out if the money order has been cashed. Cost $5.50 for them to send in a request for the information. I got a copy of my cashed money order showing an endorsement by someone besides the payee.

So, i call the accounting service. They will send me an affidavit for me to sign and send it to the payee and they will sign if they cashed the money order or not. Then that goes to the post office and if we didn't cash it, the post office will reimburse the original amount of the money order, $24.00 (but it has already cost me $29.50). And I should send the affidavit via certified mail, return receipt requested (about $4-5.00).

But, they have to call me to arrange to send out the affidavit. They called this morning. Endorsement by other than the payee (if the payee is a business) does NOT show fraud. If it there is more than one company related to each other, any of them can cash the money order. After all, it is just like CASH. Actually, according to the woman on the phone, you don't have to put a payee name on the money order since anyone can cash it regardless of how it is endorsed.

So, why buy a postal money order. And they wonder why they are losing business.

[Violet]

I do hope you get reimbursed ! That is awful. I see no reason to get a money order, then. I had no idea. I usually get a cashiers check from my credit union instead.

[MrsClaus]

We had this happen as well. Only when we didn't get the merchandise, I was able to get the money refunded from the postal service. Then someone actually cashed it and we had to repay the postal service even though the person it was sent to did not cash it. The post office didn't care who it was actually made out to and that someone else had cashed it.

[Mt_Rider]

Seems that things must be pretty bad if someone named Mrs. Claus doesn't like the postal service!

MtRider

[Philbe]

Several years ago we had accumulated a large amount of "money orders" that we used when travelling. You would be astounded at the number of employees at WM's across the country that had no idea how to handle them...they nearly always had to call a manager to find out if it was a "check" or "money"...???

[MrsClaus]

LOL! Well Mt_Rider the really sad thing was it did involve something for Christmas.

[ScrubbieLady]

I am still waiting for the affidavit from the po. In the meantime, I looked up the company address on GoogleEarth. Not a sign on the address for either the business I ordered from or the business that endorsed the check. The website is still there but hasn't been updated since 2007. Sounds like a good money maker for him.