Friday 18 January 2019

Beware $ counting machines don't always get it right...

This week I came across an interesting situation whereby I went to the bank to withdraw some money to send overseas.

The bank gave me my requested amount in $50 notes which was weighed on the bank's money counter and I was able to see the amounts that I had requested on the money machine counter.

As I was busy to go back to work I didn't ask for the money to be manually counted (my mistake!) and took the counters word for it.

I asked that all the dollars be placed in the bank's plastic money bags and sealed it so that there wouldn't be any lost between the two venues that I would be travelling from/to.

However, when I went to another bank, some 15 minutes later to exchange the dollars to another currency, the other teller opened the sealed money bag, started counting the dollars and we both saw a $10 note slip out amongst the other $50 notes.

I was surprised and instantly thought that it was a mistake of either $10 over or the note replaced a $50 note, it was the latter. I decided that it would be difficult to prove otherwise, continued with the transaction as I had a busy schedule ahead and decided to write it off as a stern warning to always check it manually next time.

A few hours later, I discussed the situation with another bank teller and her considered opinion was that the bank in question would show a $40 deficit at the day's end. I decided to go back to the former bank, discussed it with the teller of whom I had withdrawn the monies. She assured me that she would get back to me at the end of the day after balancing their tills.

The teller did get back to me, later in the evening, and explained that there was no shortfall of $40. I then decided that I would go to the bank the next morning to investigate further and when I returned the next day I was told that when checking the weight on that particular machine between a $10 and $50, that they were the same and she promptly gave me $40 in return.

Just a stern warning and reminder, to myself, to not always take the word of a money counter against what you can see with your own eyes, otherwise it's your word against theirs...

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