Paying in cheques via mobile apps - hopelessly broken?

bxboards

Hi

I got a cheque yesterday - I live in a rural area and most of the banks closed down in the nearest town, so cheques are a PITA.

Anyhow I remembered that HSBC offer mobile cheque paying in via the app - hopeever it seems hopelessly broken. After keying in the figure, and taking the front and back photos, the app moaned that the value didn't match the value in the photo (it did!), then it said it had actually been submitted (but nothing showed on the account). I phoned HSBC who said the feature was very new, and to try again. But the app 'knows' I've paid it it, so I couldn't do it again immediately as it would exceed the daily cheque deposit allowance. This was yesterday, I tried again today, and its still not working.

So I then decided to try Halifax, and in this instance I was able to deposit the cheque OK, but it was then returned as UNPAID about 4 hours later. Today I have a letter in the post saying the name on the cheque doesn't match my account (it does!)

Seems that these apps must be using OCR and trying to work out figures and payees from character recognition maybe? But neither seem to work, and just get rejected either immediately in the case of HSBC or hours later in the case of Halifax.

In the end, I've had to go to the next big town and paid it in over the counter, with no issues whatsoever.

Why do banks keep rolling out features that simply don't work? The HSBC lady said I was the first person she's spoken to who tried paying in a cheque via mobile. I did make the point (nicely!) that maybe after the TSB debacle banks should test stuff before making unfit for purpose I.T. changes. As the feature was so new, she had to keep phoning internal departments, non who really knew about the feature, or could help.

Has anyone else got cheque paying in via mobile to work with HSBC or Halifax?

System

My Clydesdale app works fine - must just be a HSBC and Halifax issue.

You can usually use the Post Office, if you can't easily access a branch - just get a some PO envelopes & deposit slips from HSBC or Halifax.

scottishbank

I used HSBC app and worked perfectly. Maybe your picture was not sharp enough? Before I used Halifax app and worked two times and third time my cheque was returned unpaid after few days stating the picture quality was not good enough. Could it not tell me when submitting? It was done using the same mobile as before so go figure. I agree it is a hit and miss.

gt94sss2

I've used both the Halifax and HSBC ones with no issues.

With HSBC cheques paid in this way don't show on your statement until they have cleared (i.e. Next working day).

KxMx

I paid a personal cheque in successfully with HSBC.

But a larger (in physical size) business cheque was unsuccessful. I was told it's a known issue that is being worked on.

masonic

Have had no trouble with Halifax, although I've never tried a handwritten one (the last time I received a handwritten cheque was circa 2005).

darren72

Does anyone know if this feature is available from Santander or First Direct ?

EarthBoy

darren72 wrote: »

Does anyone know if this feature is available from Santander or First Direct ?

Not from First Direct, at the moment, although they may be working on it. Their mobile app is pretty basic compared to some others, so I wouldn't hold out much hope of it coming any time soon.

Don't know about Santander.

Ballard

I’ve just used the HSBC app to pay a cheque into my account without issue. It hasn’t been reflected in my balance but I’m not expecting it to be instantaneous.

If HSBC had accepted your cheque, as they claimed, I wouldn’t have tried to submit it to another bank until I was certain that it hadn’t been accepted by the first.

Hopefully you’ve managed to pay the cheque in by now though.

veryintrigued

Lloyds is crap for this too

Uxb

bxboards wrote: »

Why do banks keep rolling out features that simply don't work?

Unfortunately that's is the way the world works now.
Applies to banks, software companies and virtually any new product.
Use the customer to test the product is the new normal - as retail customers everywhere seem willing to do it for free and are ever more desperate to get the next new thing.

A business can on the other hand test something for a year and have a wonderful solution which is fully bullet proof and error checked at great cost to to them before it is rolled out to the public - but they now have no customers as the punters have all migrated to a lower priced competitor business whose equivalent product "sort of works" - well most of the time anyway. Ryanair being the best example of this.