Bounced Check!

[Kristinn Leifsson]

Just recently I had trouble with a bank.  I left a bill with the client for
a good bit of money.  One month later I saw that it wasn´t in.  I called
the client and she was taken a little aback.  Apparently the bank clerk
messed up and put the money into an account numbered 2359 instead of 2539
or somesuch... this they discovered after a week or so of looking through
their stuff.  

So I got the money, and ten days later I got the money... again...
Apparently there were two banks involved in the transaction, that is, my
bank and the bank that the customer uses and both of them, for some reason
not known to me, rectified the mistake.  I called back;

I
"Yes, hello, my name is Kristinn Leifsson."

SHE
"Good day Mr. Leifsson."

I  
"I´m calling to inform you of a transaction onto my account which was made
by mistake."

SHE
(In a superior kind of tone) 
"Well, I can check this out now for free, but in two weeks we will start to
take a fee for this service."

I
(In a mock humble kind of tone)
"Even if it´s a mistake made on your behalf?"

SHE
(In a little bit of a more subservient kind of tone)
"Well I might let you off the hook on that one"

After ten minutes of searching she finally listened to WHAT was being said
and found out that I wasn´t the bad guy and was actually saving them a
great deal of boring backtracking work.

SHE
(In an astounded, respectful (even a little amorous) kind of tone)
"Oh, Mr. Leifsson, you´re letting me know that this money IS NOT supposed
to be on your account oh you are some MAN you are something special if only
more people would be the same way the world would...


And thus, I triumphed.

Kristinn Leifsson
Reykjavík, Iceland   







At 20:34 19.3.2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Be diplomatic!  Advise them that the check you wrote for service was
>returned by the bank.  Did the BANK make a mistake?  Then procede to work
>with them to get payment.  99% of good customers will appologize all over
>and work with you.  If the phone is disconnected and etc, hopefully you
>state has laws against  this and you can put out a warrent for their arrest.
>
>Ken Gerler
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Arthur Sacco Jr. <peep@mail.massed.net>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2000 8:07 AM
>Subject: Bounced Check!
>
>
>>
>> List:
>> How about some discussion on how one calls a client to explain their
>> check bounced. How diplomatically can it be handled?
>> Thanks Arthur
>>
>
>