Cheques clearing twice???

Innys

Hi

I have a Barclays current account and last week a cheque I wrote for a small amount cleared twice. I don't understand how this can happen as there are two entries on my statement for the same cheque number and amount on the same day. Surely Barclay's systems should make this an impossibility???

Anyway, I went to my local branch today to sort it out. They said someone would call me back (yeah, right). More worringly, the guy in the queue behind me had exactly the same problem for a larger amount, 250 quid. And his cheques cleared on the same day as mine - 2nd July. Coincidence? I don't think so.

So, if you have a Barclays current account and write cheques, it may be worth you checking out what happened on the 2nd of July.

I

Oblivion

Innys wrote: »

Hi

I have a Barclays current account and last week a cheque I wrote for a small amount cleared twice. I don't understand how this can happen as there are two entries on my statement for the same cheque number and amount on the same day. Surely Barclay's systems should make this an impossibility???

Anyway, I went to my local branch today to sort it out. They said someone would call me back (yeah, right). More worringly, the guy in the queue behind me had exactly the same problem for a larger amount, 250 quid. And his cheques cleared on the same day as mine - 2nd July. Coincidence? I don't think so.

So, if you have a Barclays current account and write cheques, it may be worth you checking out what happened on the 2nd of July.

I

Sounds like a classic computer processing error with an overnight file having been accidentally run twice. Such things do still happen. If so, it will have affected lots of people as your evidence suggests, and should be corrected very quickly.

Do you have online banking access and if so, can you see if any correction has been made yet?

Dave.

Innys

I have checked online and the error has now been corrected.

I can't help wondering how many other people may not have noticed the error, though. If it was a case of a file being run twice in error, Barclays should have spotted and corrected the transactions themselves, not wait for people to complain, IMHO.

Lokolo

Innys wrote: »

I have checked online and the error has now been corrected.

I can't help wondering how many other people may not have noticed the error, though. If it was a case of a file being run twice in error, Barclays should have spotted and corrected the transactions themselves, not wait for people to complain, IMHO.

They aren't likely to spot it in reality are they. Come on now. There are thousands and thousands of accounts. Are you really going to want someone to read everyones statements to check things only went through once?

Or read the logs of the transactions made to make sure everything went through once?

Theres no otherway they could have spotted it as it is done automatically using computers.

TighterThanTwoCoatsOfPain

if it was a batch being processed twice they will correct for all accounts in the batch and more than likely check for more instances..

I have known DDs be collected twice because firms transmit the same file twice... hundreds of thousands of pounds... they dont just wait and correct by exception, everyone gets sorted out..

btw - i dont work in the banking industry!

Scousebird_2

Yes-that sounds like the branch work for the day has been processed twice! Not very good!!

Innys

Lokolo wrote: »

They aren't likely to spot it in reality are they. Come on now. There are thousands and thousands of accounts. Are you really going to want someone to read everyones statements to check things only went through once?

Or read the logs of the transactions made to make sure everything went through once?

Theres no otherway they could have spotted it as it is done automatically using computers.

I'm not expecting them to go through every account every day.

BUT when the overnight batches are run, I would hope a log would be maintained of what files had been processed and how many times for each. This control would (should?) identify files processed more than once. They could then initiate an automatic reversal of a duplicated file.

Yes the whole process is done automatically by computer, but that doesn't mean humans don't monitor it - or at least they should.

Mikeyorks

Innys wrote: »

They could then initiate an automatic reversal of a duplicated file.

Unfortunately not. Because they would have gone on to subsequent and dependent processes - so the whole lot has to be untangled. It's rarely as simple as getting out the IT eraser?

By the time you got into Branch it's likely their IT Dept had picked up on it from an unusual instance of bounced cheques / increased incidences of accounts going overdrawn etc. And would have been putting into place curative action. Unfortunately, until they had the whole recovery plan in place, the last people they tell ..... will be the Branches!