Wachovia Bank
Queen St.
Lancaster Pennsylvania 17602
U.S.A.
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- Phone: 800-4684
- Web:
- Category: Banks
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Wachovia Bank Fee to cash checks drawn on Wachovia Lancaster Pennsylvania
1Author
2Consumer
2Employee/Owner
The $5 charge foisted on persons seeking to cash checks from individuals or businesses with Wachovia checking accounts is inappropriate. I wonder if it could not be successfully challenged legally.It's important to realize that the fees are being applied to Wachovia checks. If you write a $30 check to your handyman from your Wachovia account and the handyman then walks into Wachovia to get his cash, he is going to get $25 from Wachovia. $30 will be debited from your account. Wachovia will keep $5.
I am no attorney but as I understand it, a check is a written order to a bank to pay the amount specified from funds on deposit. As a Wachovia customer, you and Wachovia have agreed that Wachovia will pay out funds as requested in written checks.
According to the Uniform Commercial Code that governs the issuance and negotiation of negotiable instruments, which checks are:
1. The promise or order to pay must be unconditional;
2. The payment must be in a specific sum of money, although interest may be added to the sum;
3. The payment must be made on demand or at a definite time;
4. The instrument must be payable to bearer or to order.
5. The instrument does not state any other undertaking or instruction by the person promising or ordering payment to do any act in addition to the payment of money.
In my opinion, Wachovia is altering conditions 3, 4 and 5 with its practices. My experience was as follows. A $120 check was written out to me on a Wachovia account. I walked to the bank and was told that I needed two 2 forms of ID, would have to be fingerprinted and would be charged $5 if I did not have a Wachovia account.
I pointed out that it was a Wachovia check. The teller responded that the account holder could request that check cashing fees be waived (another topic obviously). I agreed to pay the fee, was fingerprinted, IDd, and handed $115. I was then handed a "Funds Availability" receipt with the "Other" box check and "$5 Check Cashing Fee" handwritten.
I later called the payee and advised them to change banks.
Kevind
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
Click Here to read other Ripoff Reports on Wachovia Bank
REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
1Author
2Consumer
2Employee/Owner
Updates & Rebuttals
#1 Employee
AUTHOR: Striderq - Columbia (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, January 24, 2008
POSTED: Thursday, January 24, 2008
isn't very good, as most banks do charge non account holders to cash checks.
As far as violating the items you mentioned, nope doesn't fit.
#3 Paid when you demanded, that is when you went in to cash it.
#4 Made out to you, so you could cash it.
#5 the "instument" is the check. The check did not demand you do anything further to receive your money.
Should have cashed it through your account and then you would not have been charged this fee.
#2 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Markus - Los Angeles (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, March 01, 2008
POSTED: Saturday, March 01, 2008
The wachovia employee comment cracks me up. Because a lot of banks charge a fee does not make it right.
The contract between the issuer of the check and the bank it is drawn on can't be any clearer. Pay to the order of... there is nothing to be questioned.
Any fees should be between the account holder and the bank.
It is this split personality of banks to on one hand abandon low-icome and minority communities and on the other hand to profit in fringe-banking like cash checking. If banks don't want to cash checks anymore tell your account holders so and print in big letters on top of the check: For deposit only, Not to be cashed. In Europe this is very common and nobody can say: I did not know....
I understand if there was a limited amount per person per check and if the bank would ask for a 24 hour notice if it were to exceeded.
#3 Employee
AUTHOR: Striderq - Columbia (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, March 02, 2008
POSTED: Sunday, March 02, 2008
is the fact that the person cashing the check is not a Wachovia customer. The person with the account is a customer. If the OP wanted to, they could have deposited the check into their account and not been charged the fee. And just because others banks charge this fee does not make it wrong. It is a standard fee charged by most if not all banks to cash checks for nonaccount holders. The OP was told of the fee before cashing the check and accepted the fee by cashing the check. No ripoff, nothing wrong.
#4 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Markus - Los Angeles (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, March 02, 2008
POSTED: Sunday, March 02, 2008
I am not missing the point that the person cashing the check is not a customer. The person that issued the check is your customer!
It would be like charging the recipient of a letter again after the sender has already paid the postage.
I know banks do it, some don't. It does not make it right. I might be legal, it might be in the fine print but it does not make it right.
The taker of a check should not be herassed to open an account have an account or anything. Just give him the money like your customer (the issuer of the check) has asked you to do. If it is such a burden tell your customer upfront: We do not want to cash your checks!
