You turned it into a third party check!

[Whiskey]

I went to walmart to cash in a money order I had bought on the 26th. Id addressed it to my landlord, then when I realized I needed the money, i crossed out their name and wrote mine above. Mind you, my signature (which is very legible) was right below that line. Six am I go and they tell me a cashier can cash it. Before I get to the cashier a different manager says the money center has to cash it, but they will do it. Okay, i drive back home, wait an hour and go back.

Now I'm told, because I put my name on it, its a third party check. The solution? I can go to a convenience store and pay 10% to cash it. Its YOUR damn money order, with MY NAME on it, MY SIGNATURE AND I WILL SHOW YOU THREE FORMS OF ID WITH MY NAME ON IT.

I might be in the wrong, but holy shit, i only have so much gas. Why didn't someone tell me it wasn't cashable at SIX AM instead of having me DRIVE BACK.

[Teskeria]

When you need to cash in a money order you have made out to someone else, you do not cross out their name and write in yours. You take the money order and the receipt part to the place you purchased it at. On the back you write 'not used for purpose intended' . Then you sign your name. They write your ID information and return your money. (Why yes, I HAVE had to do that a few dozen times when my husband was out to sea, the allotment wasnt due and something came up where I had to rob Peter to pay Paul ASAP)

[Whiskey]

You take the money order and the receipt part to the place you purchased it at. On the back you write 'not used for purpose intended' . Then you sign your name. They write your ID information and return your money.

Why can't I still do this?

[Dave1982]

I don't know if it'll help, but if you can't cancel/refund it, you might try going to your bank and seeing if they'll let you deposit it. Since it's a money order there's no question about it bouncing, so maybe if you explain to the branch manager what happened and show him your ID to prove it, they'll let you put the money back in your account.

[Whiskey]

I don't know if it'll help, but if you can't cancel/refund it, you might try going to your bank and seeing if they'll let you deposit it. Since it's a money order there's no question about it bouncing, so maybe if you explain to the branch manager what happened and show him your ID to prove it, they'll let you put the money back in your account.

I just got back from doing this. They wrote "not used for intended purchase" and had me initial where I wrote my name. I'm more pissed that they wasted my gas driving to and from wal-mart for this shit. Their stupid reason didn't even hold up. The branch manager said it was fine, they probably just didn't want to deal with it.

My bank doesnt open till 9. I wanted to get down and pay my electric bill ASAP. I hope its actually due tomorrow because I dont have enough available funds until that MO clears tomorrow morning.

[Dave1982]

Is the bank where you went first? I'm not entirely clear on that.

[Whiskey]

Is the bank where you went first? I'm not entirely clear on that.

I went to walmart where I bought the money order first. At six am when I was told they'd cash it, I just needed to do it at the money center. I went back at 7:30 when the MC was open and they said no. Before I was told to do it at the money center ANOTHER supervisor said a cashier could just cash it out for me.

[Kheldarson]

Ah...hi. This is the board's Money Center rep I think (although that ends soon yay!). Here's the unfortunate thing that most people don't know with our money center's: the supervisors don't know the rules. And our hands are tied by both Wal-Mart and MoneyGram policies. Policy the first is that we can't cash any money orders but one's printed at Wal-Mart. Policy the second is that there can't be major changes like the one you made Whiskey. MoneyGram won't give us a safe-to-cash number if that's there. And somehow they always know even if I haven't mentioned it on the phone yet. It's weird.

[Whiskey]

And our hands are tied by both Wal-Mart and MoneyGram policies. Policy the first is that we can't cash any money orders but one's printed at Wal-Mart. Policy the second is that there can't be major changes like the one you made Whiskey. MoneyGram won't give us a safe-to-cash number if that's there. And somehow they always know even if I haven't mentioned it on the phone yet. It's weird.

Like I said, I'm more pissed about my gas being wasted. if they had just said "Moneygram are kind of dickholes about it, try your bank or a check cashing place" in the first place I wouldn't have cared. Wouldn't a check cashing place need the safe-to-cash number as well? Neither the cashier or the sup said anything about policy. She actually said "money gram doesnt like this." Like I give a shit what they like.

I need a snack, i'm hungry and cranky now. Maybe I'll go get a pastry and stop by the vet to see if my cat is dying of parasites or whatever.

[Kheldarson]

Don't know what a check-cashing place does or needs. I do know that most other cashiers and sups have no idea what MoneyGram policies. Although it does sound like the sup knew so therefore should've explained it better. Sorry for my erstwhile distant co-workers.

And you should totally go find a muffin.

[Whiskey]

And you should totally go find a muffin.

Bavarian Creme donut and a pint of chocolate milk all the way

[Bright_Star]

I didn't know you could cancel a money order made out in somebody's name & get back the money you put on it. I thought once you made it out then that was that.

[Kheldarson]

That's the point of writing "not used for intended purpose". It tells me, the agent, that you changed your mind or something came up. But you can't scratch out the name of the person you made it out to. Otherwise I have to start thinking scam or fraud.

[bankworking]

You are lucky your bank would cash it for you. Mine won't. Sure, we'll cash OUR money orders for the person who bought them with the "not used for purposes intended" note on the back, but if you've already filled out someone else's money order, we can only send you back to wherever you bought it from. And apparently some places make you fill out a long form and have the money refunded to you by mail over the next couple of weeks.

But yeah, you should never cross out the "payable to" section. Keep a look at your account. Most likely,the money order will process just fine, but it could end up getting rejected because of the cross-out, which is why people get up-tight about it.

(Pretty rare though. Most checks aren't processed individually, and as long as the computer that scans them in can read the numbers correctly, a particular check or money order will only be questioned if there is a flag on the account that funds it or if someone puts in a dispute about it.)

[Astrokitty]

Sucks getting so many different answers that make you run back and forth.

*hugs* *cookies*

I hope your kitty is better soon. *headbutts* from my furballs.