Old Navy = the suck

[mith]

About two weeks ago, my sister took me shopping (because if I go on my own, I just look at computer games and don't buy anything useful ). We stopped at Old Navy, because she wanted to look for some stuff for herself, and I ended up buying a t-shirt.

The shirt was $7.57 with tax, and, while I had the cash, I wrote a check since my dad was going to put money in my account (I won't get my first paycheck until September sometime). They did this electronic thing that I had never seen them do before, where they get the check information, apparently so they don't have to manually deposit checks; however, the way it was explained, it would work just like a debit card, so I figured that if my account didn't have any money, they would tell me, and I could pay with cash.

It doesn't work like that though; it goes through the next day. And so, before my dad had put money in, it went through, and bounced. The bank tried to charge me $25 for it. My dad sorted things out, and convinced them to give me back the $25, and the $7.57 went through the next time they tried to run it.

I thought that'd be the end of it, but apparently Old Navy also has a fee for returned checks, and even though it went through the second time, they then tried to take that fee. Well, instead of doing it right then, like would be sensible, they waited until *after* I had spent money on food and my phone card (both of which would've just said "nope, can't do it" if there hadn't been money), and so *that* bounced. They didn't run it until 9 days after the initial incident, and so I just got the thing from the bank about it yesterday. Since then, they've run the thing again, and so now there was a $26.56 (why this number, I still haven't figured out) returned check charge and two $25 fees from the bank.

So, had my dad not been friendly with one of the bank employees, I'd be paying $109.13 for a shirt. It's an ok shirt, but it's not made of gold or anything. (You can see it in the Mini-Con Texas thread, btw.) As it is, I'm paying $34.13, and am very annoyed. So, uh, yeah. Just thought I would share that.

[Ataraxy]

Lesson learned: Next time just pay cash if you have it.

[mith]

Indeed. Or I'll just pay cash period. I only use checks when my dad is paying and he hasn't put the money in yet.

[MatthewV]

Places like WalMart also do electronic checking...don't use checks these days unless you have the money in the account at that exact moment anymore...

[Death Mage]

Or keep a safety net like I do. I've got more money in my checkbook than I let myself know. That way, if I go over, it still doesn't bounce.

[i_h8_evil_stuff]

But...

...how can that work, if you KNOW that you have more than what's written down?

*is reminded of a Sealab 2021 episode*

[robichelli]

It's quite obvious isn't it?

------------------
I'm always right.......Except when I'm wrong

[HyToFry]

What the hell is a check? Those things you pay bills with?

[Beartalon]

Banks here don't even care about the date on a cheque anymore. If it's postdated and the person you gave it too cashes or deposits it early, too bad. Even if it bounces before the date, the writer (who had nothing to do with cashing or depositing date) is still liable for the non-sufficient funds charge.

[extropalopakettle]

Are banks supposed to care about the date on a check? I always thought the date was supposed to be the date it was written, and not the date after which it can be cashed.

[Logain]

mith, it sounds like the whole electronic check debits suck...not Old Navy

Anyway, start charging everything, then you have no worries about early withdrawals from a checking account. And all credit cards allow you to link your checking account to them online, so at the end of each month's credit card statement, you pay the credit card off electronically on the internet from your checking account

[Matthew]

next time use the nice little "Nerdware" button to do your shopping.

[HyToFry]

ahem:

[mudbuck]

Since that shirt cost you more than the retail price, I wonder what'll happen if you try and refund it?

[Old Navy Store Clerk]

That will be $20.00 please. We charge a re-stocking fee!!

[crazycellist]

Having spent a summer working at Old Navy, I can't say I have any great love for them myself. They knew they'd need lots of people for the tax-free weekend, so they hired everyone who applied all summer, and gave all of us very few hours, just so they'd have us all committed for that one weekend. In all it wasn't exactly what I wanted in a summer job.

[Beartalon]