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Doc Safari
12-18-17, 11:02
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-17/ups-loses-familys-850000-inheritance-offers-refund-32-delivery-fee


UPS Loses Family's $850,000 Inheritance, Offers To Refund $32 Delivery Fee



One Canadian man says he’s broke because one of the country’s largest banks has refused to refund a $850,000 bank draft that was lost by UPS during a routine delivery.

However, UPS, which claims it conducted an exhaustive search for the lost package but still turned up empty-handed, has at least offered to refund the $32 delivery fee.


Taylor’s brother, Louis Paul Herbert, said they were finalizing the details of her father’s will last February and ent to a local UPSstore near Cornwall, Ontario, where he was expecting a package from his sister containing his share of the inheritance in a bank draft. But, according to Newsweek, the package never arrived.


Taylor sent the money through UPS from her lawyer about 270 miles away in Georgetown, Ontario, so Herbert wouldn’t have to worry about picking up the money. She obtained the bank draft in February after she said the bank advised it as the safest way to send the money. We imagine the bank is probably rethinking that particular piece of advice.

TD guaranteed Taylor and her husband, John, that the money would be replaced if the draft was lost, she said.


UPS has apologized for losing the package. But, at the same time, mistakes happen, it said.

“While UPS’s service is excellent in our industry, we are unfortunately not perfect. Occasionally, the loss of a package does occur,” spokeswoman Nirali Raval told CBC. “Our records indicate that our team followed UPS protocol and an exhaustive search for this package was completed by our Operations and Security teams. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the package."

According to Newsweek, the bank is refusing to refund the money unless Taylor signed an agreement to pay them back if someone cashes in the lost draft. She signed the agreement, but says the bank “never paid anyone a dime.” The bank also demanded she let TD put a lien against her house if the draft was cashed, but she refused.

“If the bank really wants indemnity, then UPS should sign it,” she said.

TD sent CBC a general statement that “before we can agree to a replacement or reimbursement, we need appropriate security to be in place."

Herbert said he has maxed out his credit cards and desperately needs the money.

“TD has the money. The money is actually sitting in an account with TD. Nothing has been stolen. It’s there. That’s my inheritance,” he said, adding that if he had the cash, “I would have been retired.”


My take: As much as I hate UPS, this guy should have known better.

VARIABLE9
12-18-17, 11:04
Sorry, mail a $850K check without insurance? Pretty stupid.

Dist. Expert 26
12-18-17, 11:25
That's next level retardation.

Somewhat on topic, UPS thought it was a good idea to leave a $800 motorcycle helmet sitting under my mailbox...which is 1.5 miles from my house. The driver marked it as "delivered to front door" on the tracking information, so I thought they lost it. Needless to say I was not a happy customer.

AKDoug
12-18-17, 11:29
Seems weird that the bank would do this. We once had a bank cashiers check traveling to another bank with an employee. The amount was low six figures. She got in a car wreck, but not seriously injured. However, her purse was lost in the ensuing confusion. The bank that cut the check had zero issues canceling the check and issuing a new one for a very small fee. It's not like I can walk in and cash a check that size anyway. No bank is going to cash it without a pretty thorough check of your ID, and even then you'd probably be required to have an account in your name at that bank anyway. Maybe things are different in Canada.

sundance435
12-18-17, 11:35
This is weird. Why would you ship a check in that amount instead of a wire transfer?

chuckman
12-18-17, 11:40
Maybe things are different in Canada.

They use the metric system for God's sake. They are really screwed up up there. ;)

Yeah, seems like they would have sent it in a more secured way.....

_Stormin_
12-18-17, 12:12
This is weird. Why would you ship a check in that amount instead of a wire transfer?
My guess is only that they didn’t have the account information to do the transfer. Only a fool would pay $32 to overnight a check when the wire is a couple dollars more and same day if done early enough to have caught the UPS driver for an overnight.

tb-av
12-18-17, 13:47
As dumb as it all sounds the bank has a point... I'm sure they need to assure that the lost check -can't- be cashed before they can issue a new one. Maybe that takes time.

It sounds just as much like the family could be scamming someone as does the banks fault.

So for $850K the girl couldn't drive 270 miles or figure a way to do a wire transfer. It would be interesting who else knew what was in that envelope and just how many people could have placed hands on an overnight envelope... or basically why can't UPS find it. Considering the contents, it just doesn't seem like your typical lost overnight envelope... especially to travel 270 miles.

Honu
12-18-17, 15:07
I smell internet I want my 5 minutes fame story

bp7178
12-18-17, 15:10
Sorry, mail a $850K check without insurance? Pretty stupid.

Epic level stupid. Like a bank transfer wouldn't be the most secure? Or, get your dumb ass in a car and make that 4 hour drive. Its only $850k...

fledge
12-18-17, 15:33
A wire is cheaper than overnighting a bank check. And clears faster. That the bank didn’t recommend this fails the sniff test of the story.

Diamondback
12-18-17, 15:43
Seriously... I use wires when I drop a mere three grand on a new laptop, why wouldn't they on a 3/4-mil inheritance transfer? The twenty buck fee would be a pittance at that tab...

austinN4
12-18-17, 17:22
I'm sure they need to assure that the lost check -can't- be cashed before they can issue a new one. Maybe that takes time.

This exactly. There are procedures for reissuing lost bank checks.

Doc Safari
12-18-17, 17:25
I really do believe people are stupid enough to send an $850,000 check by UPS.

VARIABLE9
12-18-17, 17:28
Epic level stupid. Like a bank transfer wouldn't be the most secure? Or, get your dumb ass in a car and make that 4 hour drive. Its only $850k...Like who hasn't travelled 300 miles to buy a $850 AR15?:lol:

Diamondback
12-18-17, 17:30
Like who hasn't travelled 300 miles to buy a $850 AR15?:lol:
Depends on how many stops I can pile on along the way and justify the mileage...


I really do believe people are stupid enough to send an $850,000 check by UPS.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is genius has its limits."--Albert Einstein

flenna
12-18-17, 18:25
Epic level stupid. Like a bank transfer wouldn't be the most secure? Or, get your dumb ass in a car and make that 4 hour drive. Its only $850k...

Really. That kind of money I would have driven to the bank no matter how far and let them out it in my hands.

MegademiC
12-18-17, 22:32
I thought checks were not cash. If I lose a check, I cancel it and write another, what’s the big deal?

What did I miss? That said, $800k, I’d drive. I’ve driven 300+ for less.

sundance435
12-19-17, 07:51
I thought checks were not cash. If I lose a check, I cancel it and write another, what’s the big deal?

What did I miss? That said, $800k, I’d drive. I’ve driven 300+ for less.

A bank check is not a traditional check. The funds themselves are basically on that piece of paper; unlike a traditional check, the bank doesn't keep the funds in an account waiting to be drawn, so there's nothing on which to reissue another check. The bank has very little liability once the check leaves its possession. If someone else cashes it, in many instances, you're screwed - short of going after the fraudulent casher themselves - you might also be able to make a claim against the entity that accepts it if they didn't perform any due-diligence on the person cashing, especially for that amount, but, again, the issuing bank has little liability. Granted, that's how it works in the U.S., but I would assume it's similar in Canada.

tb-av
12-19-17, 08:41
A Bank check is drawn from the banks funds, but I believe it can be cancelled. I think they usually have a "good for days" on them. ...and the casher can and will call to verify funds. So there is still a lot of potential to get the money back. I would certainly think any bank cashing that check would call to verify before cashing. But this could take months and that check is basically made to be guaranteed cashable on the spot.

That's how the scam works.. I send you a BC for $1000 and tell you to go cash it. Keep $600 and send me $400. The BC cashes out of bank funds instantly... that's it's purpose. Next week the bank realizes the check was no good for whatever reason. So they pull $1000 from your account, since you cashed it. So you just lost $400.

I'm thinking the bank looking at this is saying we have no one on either end that can cover that $850K.

ETA: of course this check is written to John Smith so only he could cash it.. So I assume the bank is worried he would cash the new one, then find the old next day and cash it. Then split the scene.