MisterPinstripe Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,545560,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a16:g2:r4:c0.058795:b27486676:z0 Wow... Incredible idiocy. TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man born without arms says a Tampa bank would not let him cash a check because he couldn't provide a thumbprint. It was supposed to be a quick stop at the Bank of America. "I said, 'I'm going to run over downtown on my break, cash the check and bring the cash back.' No big deal," Steve Valdez said. "It turned out to be a very big deal." Valdez said he was cashing a check from his wife, who has an account at Bank of America. But the teller told Valdez she needed a thumbprint in order to cash it — it was company policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnFoRcEr_uPu Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I can understand the beginning of checking with a supervisor on how to proceed, but if she actually said "whatever" after his comment and the disability act, that's what really gets me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Thats cold blooded...... "Im sorry sir, we are going to need a finger pri... Oh... ok, in that case we will be unable to process your transaction. Come back when you obtain the propor means of identification, thank you and have a good day. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RammsteinSkins Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 "Yes. Grow some arms and come back". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 12th Commandment Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Worse, sign up for an account here and we'll let you have your money. That it went that far, IMO, is an indicator of just how inflexible and uncaring the large banks have become. I'll only bank local for the rest of my life or until there's The Bank and I'm left with no choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 "Yes. Grow some arms and come back". Or get a prosthetic arm with prosthetic fingerprints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toe Jam Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Please put the source (FOX News) in your thread title and post a couple of paragraphs from the story in your first post. Thread title should read: FOX News: No thumbprint, no check cashing, bank told armless man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techboy Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 My normal rule is that in 99% of these cases, things are not as ridiculous as they seem. Classic example: McDonald's coffee lawsuit. The exception that proves the rule which I normally mention is the dry cleaner/pants/judge lawsuit, but this may well be number 2. It's hard to imagine what these people were thinking. Perhaps they are afraid to set a precedent that will allow scammers to cash bad checks, solely because they cut off their own arms first? I don't think this is really Bank of America's fault, though. It sounds more like an issue with inflexible underlings caught in a beauracracy. It's kind of on the level with the guy that Social Security thinks is dead, and when he tells them he's alive, they demand proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins0756 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 What the article failed to tell was whether he was cashing a Bank of America check or not. Reading the protocol they went through I am about 90% sure it wasn't. In those cases the teller was right to refuse to cash the check (although if what he is claiming is true then she shouldn't have acted that way), but regardless if he's cashing a check not drawn on that bank and he is not the account owner you can't cash it or you have to go through a process to verify their identity. I work at a bank trust me these sob stories happen all the time. We don't require a fingerprint, but most of the time we have to refuse cashing the check. Instead of having some knee jerk reaction to the article, investigate it and learn a little about how a bank operates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 So, if he had no arms, then how did he "hand" them the check ? Something is fishy here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins0756 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 He had prosthetic arms lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toe Jam Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Even if the teller was a jerk, I don't think this is a discrimination issue. Policies are policies. Bank of America is a business and they have to minimize losses too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buford T. Justice Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Could the bank physically not cash the check? Meaning, the system won't allow them to proceed unless they a thumb print or are they just now willing to ignore the rule. Also when did banks start requiring a thumb print to cash a check? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 12th Commandment Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I read an article that said it was a check from his wife's account with BofA and he'd cashed them before. They told him this time for some reason that they would only cash it if he opened an account or if his wife came in. Apparently his wife couldn't drop what she was doing and they had hardly provided any motivation for opening an account with them (that's actually pretty ballzy to even suggest at that point) so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toe Jam Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Also when did banks start requiring a thumb print to cash a check? If you go into a bank where you don't have an account and want to cash a check, in my experience, they need a thumb print. I'm not sure what the rules are for known spouses of someone with an account, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishtw Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Well they next check he'll be cashing won't be from his wife, it'll be from Bank of America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Why couldn't they just scan his retina, instead ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 What the article failed to tell was whether he was cashing a Bank of America check or not. Reading the protocol they went through I am about 90% sure it wasn't.In those cases the teller was right to refuse to cash the check (although if what he is claiming is true then she shouldn't have acted that way), but regardless if he's cashing a check not drawn on that bank and he is not the account owner you can't cash it or you have to go through a process to verify their identity. I work at a bank trust me these sob stories happen all the time. We don't require a fingerprint, but most of the time we have to refuse cashing the check. Instead of having some knee jerk reaction to the article, investigate it and learn a little about how a bank operates. Sorta OT question for ya I had my bank refuse to Deposit:doh: a two party check w/o the other party's signature being verified by his bank. I had to have the president of that company(who endorsed it originally) take the friggin check to his bank and have it stamped verified THEN deposit it in my account. Have you ever heard of such??? I could understand a hold or something ,but that was BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyphenatedbren Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Well they next check he'll be cashing won't be from his wife, it'll be from Bank of America. Since he's not an account holder they'll need fingerprint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmySmith Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Obviously a scam, they should have slapped him in handcuffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boofMcboof Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 The bank should've taken his toe print. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyphenatedbren Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Obviously a scam, they should have slapped him in handcuffs. How is it obviously a scam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 How is it obviously a scam? Whoosh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins0756 Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Sorta OT question for yaI had my bank refuse to Deposit:doh: a two party check w/o the other party's signature being verified by his bank. I had to have the president of that company(who endorsed it originally) take the friggin check to his bank and have it stamped verified THEN deposit it in my account. Have you ever heard of such??? I could understand a hold or something ,but that was BS. Let me clarify. Your president wrote you a check off of his bank and gave it to you to deposit into your account at a different bank? And then they would not cash the check because his signature was not "verified"? What was the amount of the check and the two banks involved? I would probably be able to respond with a better explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins0756 Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Could the bank physically not cash the check? Meaning, the system won't allow them to proceed unless they a thumb print or are they just now willing to ignore the rule.Also when did banks start requiring a thumb print to cash a check? A non client can cash a check drawn off that bank. However most of the time banks will not cash checks by non clients for checks not drawn off that bank. So whether or not he was the husband makes no difference. The banks have to go through their policies and procedures although I've never heard of a thumb print being required, I suppose Bank of America requires one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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