First Direct cheque app incredibly picky about images

FatherTireseus

This is definitely in the 'vent' category....

I received a cheque for the princely sum of £5.  Having not used the First Direct cheque paying in function on the app before, I thought this would be a good time to try it out.

Having put the cheque on a dark background, as recommended, I have proceeded to take literally dozens, if not hundreds of images which have come up with the various error messages:

- we detected that one of the corners may be folded (none of them are)
- the image created is not in valid dimensions
- we couldn't read the details from the image
- document boundaries detected are not in an acceptable size
- the picture captured is over skewed
- we detected one of the edges is torn or missing (none of them are, unless you count the tiny perforations where the cheque was neatly detached from the cheque book)

I'm trying to capture the image with a new phone (>3 months old) and the camera lens is clean.  I've tried it with the camera flash on, and the flash off, and it doesn't seem to make any difference as I get the range of error messages with both settings.  I'm using the latest version of the app.  I've tried 'dark mode'.  

I suppose at least I had fun having a bet with myself as to which error message was going to pop up next.

It looks like it's off to the bank branch after the bank holiday to pay it in the old fashioned way.....

IvanOpinion

A couple of things to try
- make sure that the light is even across the entire item being photographed (better without flash)
- make sure the background is plain (our expenses app often fails if the photo is taken with a desk as the background  - it doesn't like the woodgrain)

greyteam1959

Post the cheque to first direct.

ComicGeek

I had the same problem with the Barclays app - I found that it was extremely sensitive to light levels, so it only works in natural daylight close to a window on a dark background, but not in direct sunlight or artificial light. 

FatherTireseus

Thanks for the responses.  I was taking the picture on a black background, and on a windowsill with natural light, but not direct sunlight.

I've tried again this morning and the most common error message today is that the cheque is torn or has an edge missing.  All I can think of is that the cheque is drawn on a Barclays account, which has a faint image of their corporate 'eagle' logo on it, which makes one edge of the cheque appear a little lighter.  Still, against a black background, that shouldn't make much of a difference as there is enough of a contrast between the whole cheque and the background.

I did leave a review of the app on the 'Play' store and I did get a response quite quickly, but the best they could suggest was paying it in at a bank branch, the post office, or posting it to them!

Ah, technology, making your life easier right up until the point it doesn't.

nyermen

Out of interest was it a different sized cheque (such as a business one?)
When I got a small refund from my conveyancer it was a business cheque a bit bigger than my own ones, and HSBC’s app just wouldnt have it, I ended up having to sort it in branch.  Different app, but suspect they use the same algorithm for cheque verification.
Edit: I think it was a barclays business account, I remember the light blue (1.5 years ago )

FatherTireseus

nyermen said:

Out of interest was it a different sized cheque (such as a business one?)
When I got a small refund from my conveyancer it was a business cheque a bit bigger than my own ones, and HSBC’s app just wouldnt have it, I ended up having to sort it in branch.  Different app, but suspect they use the same algorithm for cheque verification.
Edit: I think it was a barclays business account, I remember the light blue (1.5 years ago )

Apologies for the delay in replying; it was a cheque from a sports club as a small prize in their monthly draw.  It was a little larger than the 'normal' personal cheque size - actually about the same width, and a centimetre deeper.  It wasn't like the cheques you sometimes get attached to letters which are the width of an A4 piece of paper.

Chordeiles

From (recent and very limited) experience:  Eventually you will take an image that the FD app tells you is acceptable.  Five days later the cheque value not arrived in account.  Now I check "what happens if a problem" and the answer is that "we’ll contact you using the postal address you’ve given us".  What a spectacularly silly application of "new technology", surely this could only happen at First Direct ?