Bank refuse postal order

Ms-Money-Penny

Nationwide refused to allow my daughter to pay in a postal order into her account because it was made out to the shortened version of her first name. Are they allowed to do this?

benbranson

Technically, yes they are allowed to as it could be intended for someone else.
In practice though I would expect them to accept it if the name on the PO is an 'accepted' (i.e. general use) shortened version. Common sense should prevail I would think, especially if the amount involved is quite small (which I guess it would be with a postal order).

Rich1976

When I had an account with Nationwide they allowed me to pay in a cheque even though my surname had bben spelt slightly incorrectly.

As the OP says it should be down to common sense. Do you haver another Nationwide near by that you could try paying it into?

Ms-Money-Penny

Rich1976 wrote: »

When I had an account with Nationwide they allowed me to pay in a cheque even though my surname had bben spelt slightly incorrectly.

As the OP says it should be down to common sense. Do you haver another Nationwide near by that you could try paying it into?

I'll tell her to try again tomorrow.

Baldur

I paid a cheque into Nationwide, via ATM deposit machine in branch, which was made out to my middle name & correct surname (I have never been known by my first name to friends, family, etc., and have never had any problems when paying similar cheques into any other financial institution).

It was returned several days later by post with a covering memo indicating that Nationwide was unable to accept the cheque because it was not made out to my full name. I immediately took it and paid it into my HSBC account with no problem whatsoever.

opinions4u

Ms-Money-Penny wrote: »

Nationwide refused to allow my daughter to pay in a postal order into her account because it was made out to the shortened version of her first name. Are they allowed to do this?

The are under no obligation to accept any deposit.

I suspect that it's more likely that the cashier concerned didn't have a clue how to process a postal order and looked to find any reason to reject it!

How much is it for? Can it be cashed at the post office? If not, ask to speak to a member of management in the branch and see if common sense can prevail.

Out of interest, what is the name on the postal order and what is the full name?

Ms-Money-Penny

How much is it for? Can it be cashed at the post office? If not, ask to speak to a member of management in the branch and see if common sense can prevail.

Its for £50.00 and crossed so the Post Office won't cash it.


[ Out of interest, what is the name on the postal order and what is the full name?[/QUOTE]


Aly and Alison, she is known to everone as Aly and the surname is not common.

Will tell her to open an account in the name of Aly

Extant

Ultimately, the receiving official has a duty to ensure that it's going to the right person. If they are perhaps unfamiliar with your surname, if it's uncommon, or might believe Aly to be a man's name (I'm serious), then they're probably just trying to do the right thing.

For the amount of £50, though, it's hardly going to be the world's greatest fraud - I'd suggest just politely asking to see the manager, and explain the situation to them.

From personal experience, does she have a Post Office savings account or an NS&I account? I have deposited Postal Orders in to such accounts with different names to the PO, and it's apparently allowed according to the website (regardless of a crossing).

P.S. Nationwide is a building society, not a bank.

never-in-doubt

Have a read here: Post Office - Postal Orders FAQ

What is the difference between a crossed and uncrossed Postal Order?

The key difference is that Crossed Postal Orders can only be paid into a bank account, except if it's paid into the recipient's savings account or used to pay bills at a Post Office® branch. Uncrossed Postal Orders are as good as cash, this means that the recipient can pick up the cash whilst posting out your items and, in most cases, this means your order will arrive earlier.

Please note: Crossed Postal Orders are no better than Uncrossed ones if you do not enter the recipients name as anybody will be able to enter their details and then bank it. If a Crossed Postal Order has a name printed, then it can only be paid into that person's account. Visit any one of our branches for further help.

So if you have a bill that you could pay, then you could pay Aly the cash..... for instance a credit card, phone bill etc.... pay it this month at PO using the Postal Order as part/full payment....