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So today I had a customer come up wanting to cash a $300.00 Money Order she had received from her dad in the mail. One problem, we don't cash Money Orders. Well, we kinda do. If the original purchaser wishes to return the Money Order and has both receipts then we cash it in order to give them their money back. But that's it, we only do returns. Company policy. It makes sense, we have no way of verifying money orders in our system, so cashing them is just too much risk.
Customer was getting frustrated because no one would cash it. Not even the bank she has an account with. Which is weird, I've never heard of a bank not taking a money order. That was a bit of a red flag for me. Not too mention the amount and that she has both receipts and wasn't the original purchaser. Yeah, not only was this against policy, there were just too many red flags.
I told her our policy, and that I couldn't cash it. She then went to the supervisor and one of the managers. Who then asked me about it, because they're not as familiar with it, and when I explained the policy and showed them where it says it in our toolkit they backed me up.
She left and I thought it was over. Nope. She had called the store her parents originally bought it from (another store with our company but in another district), and said the person at that store said I could cash it, and said I should call them and they'll explain it to me.
I proceeded to call the store and talked to a bookkeeper from the other store.
OtherStore: "You know you can cash it. She has both portions of the money order and the receipt right?"
Me: "uh, yeah she does."
OtherStore: "Then go ahead it's fine."
Me: "Uh no, company policy says we don't cash money orders. We only take returns from the original purchaser. That's the policy we were told at those meetings a few months ago. This is from corporate."
OtherStore:"Yeah. Well you can talk to you District Front End Manager or the um District Trainer if you want, but ours said we can do it.
Me: "Yeah well, the people from CORPORATE at the meetings said no, we don't do this.
OtherStore: "Your still not gonna cash it?"
Me: "Uh, no. It's against policy. I'm not cashing this.
OtherStore: "Alright are you the manager?"
Me: "No I'm the Lead Bookkeeper"
OtherStore: "Well let me talk to your manager."
Me: "Ok"
once I transferred him to a manager (the original one had left by this point so now another one is involved) I then called my District Trainer (she's over the accountants) and told her what was going on.
DT: "Uh, yeah no. We can't cash that. We only do returns with the original purchaser. That's in your toolkit"
Me: "yeah I know. The customer had me talk to the store it was originally bought from and the Bookkeeper there is trying to tell me it's ok. And he's making a bit of a fuss about it."
DT: "What store?"
Me: "XXX, over in [other DT]'s District."
DT: "Yeah that's downtown. Yeah no we can't cash it."
Me: "Well she's wanting to know where she can cash it, even the bank won't take it."
DT: "What? The bank wouldn't deposit it?"
Me: "No. I thought that was weird. The bank told her to cash it with us."
DT: "That is weird, banks usually take money orders. If they wouldn't take it, somethings wrong."
Me: "ok thanks!"
DT: "No prob."
The customer gave up after that. The manager that took the call, then called me a little later wanting to know what was going on. I explained it to him, and he agreed it sounded fishy. And when I told him DT told me not to cash it he said "Well if DT backed you on this then I'm not worrying about it any further."
After I got off work I had to call DT about something else and the discussion got back to the money order.
DT: "Oh I called [other trainer]. She said she told her store to go ahead and take care of customers. I told her 'uh guys that against policy. You can't be doing that."
Me: "Wow really. Yeah, the bookkeeper was telling me it was ok. But I'm not listening to a bookkeeper from another store. He told me I could call you if I wanted."
DT: "Yeah no. I'm would never tell you to break policy."
Me: "yeah that's what I thought."
(Um I think I might have gotten that other trainer in trouble....that happened....)
So glad management on every level back me up on this. IDK why a bookkeeper on the other side of Houston would think I would break policy because he said it was ok. Who does he think he is?
Customer was getting frustrated because no one would cash it. Not even the bank she has an account with. Which is weird, I've never heard of a bank not taking a money order. That was a bit of a red flag for me. Not too mention the amount and that she has both receipts and wasn't the original purchaser. Yeah, not only was this against policy, there were just too many red flags.
I told her our policy, and that I couldn't cash it. She then went to the supervisor and one of the managers. Who then asked me about it, because they're not as familiar with it, and when I explained the policy and showed them where it says it in our toolkit they backed me up.
She left and I thought it was over. Nope. She had called the store her parents originally bought it from (another store with our company but in another district), and said the person at that store said I could cash it, and said I should call them and they'll explain it to me.
I proceeded to call the store and talked to a bookkeeper from the other store.
OtherStore: "You know you can cash it. She has both portions of the money order and the receipt right?"
Me: "uh, yeah she does."
OtherStore: "Then go ahead it's fine."
Me: "Uh no, company policy says we don't cash money orders. We only take returns from the original purchaser. That's the policy we were told at those meetings a few months ago. This is from corporate."
OtherStore:"Yeah. Well you can talk to you District Front End Manager or the um District Trainer if you want, but ours said we can do it.
Me: "Yeah well, the people from CORPORATE at the meetings said no, we don't do this.
OtherStore: "Your still not gonna cash it?"
Me: "Uh, no. It's against policy. I'm not cashing this.
OtherStore: "Alright are you the manager?"
Me: "No I'm the Lead Bookkeeper"
OtherStore: "Well let me talk to your manager."
Me: "Ok"
once I transferred him to a manager (the original one had left by this point so now another one is involved) I then called my District Trainer (she's over the accountants) and told her what was going on.
DT: "Uh, yeah no. We can't cash that. We only do returns with the original purchaser. That's in your toolkit"
Me: "yeah I know. The customer had me talk to the store it was originally bought from and the Bookkeeper there is trying to tell me it's ok. And he's making a bit of a fuss about it."
DT: "What store?"
Me: "XXX, over in [other DT]'s District."
DT: "Yeah that's downtown. Yeah no we can't cash it."
Me: "Well she's wanting to know where she can cash it, even the bank won't take it."
DT: "What? The bank wouldn't deposit it?"
Me: "No. I thought that was weird. The bank told her to cash it with us."
DT: "That is weird, banks usually take money orders. If they wouldn't take it, somethings wrong."
Me: "ok thanks!"
DT: "No prob."
The customer gave up after that. The manager that took the call, then called me a little later wanting to know what was going on. I explained it to him, and he agreed it sounded fishy. And when I told him DT told me not to cash it he said "Well if DT backed you on this then I'm not worrying about it any further."
After I got off work I had to call DT about something else and the discussion got back to the money order.
DT: "Oh I called [other trainer]. She said she told her store to go ahead and take care of customers. I told her 'uh guys that against policy. You can't be doing that."
Me: "Wow really. Yeah, the bookkeeper was telling me it was ok. But I'm not listening to a bookkeeper from another store. He told me I could call you if I wanted."
DT: "Yeah no. I'm would never tell you to break policy."
Me: "yeah that's what I thought."
(Um I think I might have gotten that other trainer in trouble....that happened....)
So glad management on every level back me up on this. IDK why a bookkeeper on the other side of Houston would think I would break policy because he said it was ok. Who does he think he is?
Too bad we really could've used that $1600...
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