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Cancelled cheque due to post office non delivery

Is it common practise for all banks to charge you for cancelling a cheque if placed in a birthday card for example and the recipient didn't receive it?

Surely the sender is protecting themselves from fraud being commited.

This happened to my mother who is 89, its easier for her to write one out and walk to the post box at the top of the street and post it but in this instance she was in the post office and she used just a normal stamp.

It never arrived and she sent it in plenty of time to reach me for my birthday last Monday. On Thursday she sent another cheque as replacement and I said if I don't get it over the weekend go and cancel the first cheque. Her second cheque sent in a brown envelope arrived next day posted in the box at the top of her street!

She was charged £12 to cancel it. I feel bad for her she's a pensioner on her own first of all and I'm not living on the mainland to try and argue for her. She see's it that she's lost 12 and not the full amount on the cheque naturally, just seems a liability to me.

Comments

  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 120,314 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Is it common practise for all banks to charge you for cancelling a cheque if placed in a birthday card for example and the recipient didn't receive it?

    Some do, some don't.
    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
  • magpiecottage
    magpiecottage Posts: 9,241 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Normally better to tell the bank the cheque has been lost rather than simply that you want to cancel.

    That way the onus is on them to prevent the possible fraud - for which they are likely to find they must stand the loss.
  • Cee
    Cee Posts: 237 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Will bare that in mind for the future, never did receive the lost card and now my son's new bank card is taking a little longer than it should to come.
    Our postman delivered the other day then came back with a letter for a different house, I think he needs glasses!
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