I did three shops for ACL back in May, and the reimbursement date was to be June 25, via check. It usually only takes a week at the most for the checks to reach me, so I waited a second week before reaching out via email. This was the reply:

Hi xxxxxxxx,

I checked our registry and I am showing that check #xxxxxx in the amount of $105.83 was reimbursed to you for the following shop:

5/13/2018 Lunch xxxxxxxxx $30.83

5/5/2018 Dinner xxxxxxxx $40.00

5/1/2018 Dinner xxxxxxxxx $35.00



It was disbursed on 6/25/18 to the address that was reflected in your shopper file:

xxxxxxxxxxxxx



If this is not your correct mailing address (wrong, typo, or missing unit number), please log into your shopper file to make changes so future checks are mailed to the correct address.

We ask that you allow 30 days from the date of the check to reach you or to be returned to us. If by that time you have not received the check (and it has not cleared our account), we will be glad to submit a stop payment / reissue request. Please be advised that once a stop payment has been placed on the check, it will no longer be valid. Therefore, if you receive the check within the 30 day waiting period and do not inform us by 7/25/18, your bank will assess a returned check fee if deposited/processed, which will NOT be reimbursed by A Closer Look.
_________________________________


My eyes honed right in on the part where it says *(and it has not cleared our account)*. So, if it has cleared, what then? How do I go about proving that I wasn't the one who cashed the check? At the end of four weeks, any possible video footage will most likely be deleted. But I don't want to make waves, so I hold my tongue, and wait. The following email was sent to me this afternoon:



Hi xxxxxxxx,

I checked our registry and I am showing that check #xxxxx in the amount of $105.83 was reimbursed to you for the following shop(s):

5/13/2018 Lunch XXXXXXX $30.83

5/5/2018 Dinner (Sat-Sun) xxxxxxxxxxx $40.00

5/1/2018 Dinner xxxxxxxxxxxxx $35.00


It was disbursed on 6/25/2018 to the following address:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Our records show that it cleared on 43276.



If you have further questions, please let us know.



Thank you,

Daphne Bernstein

Operations Support Specialist

A Closer Look, Inc.
________________________________

The date she says the check cleared is incorrect, so I'm unclear as to when it was processed. I went online and brought up all my deposits (I only have one bank account for cashing my MS checks), and took a screen shot. I emailed the rep at ACL immediately, and sent her the screen grab, which clearly shows that the check was not deposited to my account. I am now in limbo to see what happens.

In this day and age, I am surprised that MS companies even deal with paper checks. I worked in a bank for several years, and 90% of companies have chosen the way of Pay Pal and ACH payments for this very reason. I work for a couple of other companies that pay by check only, and this has always been a major concern. $105.83 may not be a lot of money to some, but I had to come out of pocket for those shops, and I was counting on the money going back into the account so that I could complete future shops. I'm also a single mom with two teens, and no other income, so this cuts deep. It's money I could have spent elsewhere, in hindsight.

I have enjoyed working with ACL, and to be fair, this is the only problem I've had with a payment in over six months. Still, this may be the end of the line for me. I live in a semi-rural area, and for whatever reason, the mailman seems to deliver someone else's mail to our box at least once a week. Usually it's meant for someone on the other side of town, but once in a while, I find myself knocking on a neighbor's door and having a nice chat. I would hate to think that one of my neighbor's did this, as we are a tight knit group here. I much prefer waking up to an email that says my PayPal or checking account balance have magically increased, which negates the need to drive into town to the bank to make a deposit.

Anyway, if anyone else has had this happen, I would like to know how it was handled. For those of you looking to work for ACL or any company that only pays by check, just a little something to consider going in.

The company will get a copy of the check once it has been cashed, ask for it or a digital copy and go to the bank where it was cashed. It may be fraud but one thing to remember, all banks have recordings so do it as soon as you can in case they get rid of the recordings within a certain amount of time

Yes, as Msaddict said, get a copy of the check, someone else might have stolen it and cashed it. If this is the case, you should deal with the bank that cashed it. Go in with your id and a copy of the check and tell them you never received/cashed it. They will probably have you fill out a fraud report and might even ask that you fill out a police report, but you should be reimbursed in the end.

I recently had a lost check from ACL. They waited a month, then said they will be sending me another one. But in my case, it was not cashed. Good luck.

This sort of thing has happened to me very infrequently and whenever it did, after waiting the amount of time needed to have the check cleared, whichever msc has come through as promised with a new check. But this is a good warning for shoppers who cannot afford to wait beyond the original check date.

What, it cleared on April 32, 1976?

@spaztck wrote:

Yes, as Msaddict said, get a copy of the check, someone else might have stolen it and cashed it. If this is the case, you should deal with the bank that cashed it. Go in with your id and a copy of the check and tell them you never received/cashed it. They will probably have you fill out a fraud report and might even ask that you fill out a police report, but you should be reimbursed in the end.

Good luck with that. If it was cashed, kiss it goodbye. And consider doing business with a company with 2018 payment methods.

I was met with total silence today. ACL had all day to make contact, but no one has reached out. I have always received a reply from someone within a few hours, even if it's just to say, "Hello, I got your email, I'll get back to you when I have an answer." I'm not feeling very confident at this point.

Maybe you should call them instead of more emails and ask for a copy of the check so you can start fraud proceedings.

They didn't happen to notice that the date they cited for the check clearing is impossible? Sigh....

Yes, I'd call them to find out how that's possible and ask them to double check that date, plus send you a copy of the cashed check.

Don't rely on getting video footage from a bank unless you are willing to pay them for pulling it. They call that "research."

@Msaddict wrote:

The company will get a copy of the check once it has been cashed, ask for it or a digital copy and go to the bank where it was cashed. It may be fraud but one thing to remember, all banks have recordings so do it as soon as you can in case they get rid of the recordings within a certain amount of time

Although, if you have a copy of the check, you know which bank cashed the check, and you can prove you are not the one who cashed the check, this would be part of a fraud investigation and the bank may be required to provide video footage in order to determine which teller cashed the check and what procedures the teller followed in cashing the check. If the teller cashed a check without proper documentation, that makes the bank very liable for the amount of the check and any damages. That potential liability may make the bank much more willing to do a little "free research" to protect themselves and build a fraud case.

Ok, so here is an update. I called and spoke to Daphne last Thursday, and she said that the person I needed to speak to was out of the office until Monday of this week. I asked what the policy was for handling the situation, and she said it would be done on their end; their bank would open a fraud investigation. I received an email from Daphne today stating that there had been an error, and that the check had not been cashed after all. A replacement check will be mailed out on August 9th. What a relief!

I just want to send out a sincere thank you to Daphne for staying on task and taking an interest in helping me see this through.