How mad would you be if your debit card was declined?

Imagine...





Right after you made a lump sum deposit into your bank (from an out-of-state check made out to you), you are at some checkout. The clerk says your card is declined after she tries at least four times. There are people waiting to check out behind you. You ask her to borrow a phone book to call the local bank to see what the matter is. She brings a phonebook back to you and excuse yourself around the corner so others can check out.


When you call Well's Fargo local number, no one picks up and you get a squeaking sound in your ear. So instead you call the 1 800 # on the back of your debit card. You get a moment of dumb music before a young guy representative answers.


He tells you your resent deposit won't be available until tomorrow. No one from the bank bothered to explain why this is.





How mad are you right now?





A) Swearing mad.


B) Mad, but in composure.


C) Only a little mad / irritated.


D) Doesn't bother me.


E) I would've known it wouldn't be available until the next day.|||I would of been A) swearing mad! That has happened to me and it is embarrassing! I didn't learn until after it happened. When you open your acct. the bank should let you know these things. Sorry this happened to you, I don't blame you for being mad. Next time, cash the check out first and then deposit the cash. Most tellers will ask you if you want this options (at least at the Wells Fargo Bank here) but if they don't just let them know you want this done.|||E.





Out of state checks never are immediately available and few local ones are either. When you deposit a check you almost never receive the full amount of the deposit until the bank collects on the item. This is explained in your agreement you signed and appears on the signs at the ATM and on the receipt you received. Most banks will grant $100 immediate credit to allow you to make purchases/withdrawals before the check is collected.|||Actually, I would've known that out-of-state checks are not necessarily in the account until the 3rd day.





The reason that they don't tell this to everyone directly, is because it is often written on signs around the bank, stating things like "Deposited funds may not be available for immediate withdrawal", or something along those lines.





Banks used to float checks for 5 days, until the Fed gov't reined them in a little and told them to clear the checks faster.|||I would not have used my debit card immediately after making a deposit from an out of state check because I understand that it takes a couple of days to process before the money becomes available. I also would not have called the bank from the store. I would not have done anything you did so I would have nothing to be mad about. Consider this a learning experience.|||Not at all.


Checks take time to clear.


YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT.





if you want to be a grownup, bunnydoll, you need to ACT LKE ONE.|||E)





Most people know that when you deposit money it is not available for immediate use. It takes a while to clear. Often times more than one day.|||something like that happened to me before while buying textbooks for school, so I'm going to have to go with E)


yay|||~~For me it's E) I would've known it wouldn't be available until the next day.~~|||E, because I worked in banking and understand the actual process. But, even before I worked in banking I was aware of this.



Though, depending on the circumstances around my account history, how the deposit was made, and what type of check it was (a paycheck from a known company vs a personal check), my answer may vary because of the different guidelines for these items.



ETA, if the check was written for that amount, you're lucky that it's just going to be available next day and isn't on an extended 11 day float waiting for the funds to clear the account, since usually a high dollar out of state item triggers red flags on banking systems and per the law they do have the capacity to hold the funds on a high dollar item to ensure that it won't be returned unpaid.|||E. Most banks do this. They only give a certain amount of money until the check clears. At a Boeing Employee Credit Union (BECU) they give $500 credit to any check you deposit (unless it was under 500) and wait for the check to clear. At Space Cost, (what I'm currently using, but won't be for long) They give a $50 credit to that, and hold the check for 2 weeks while it clears. Which is stupid seeing as Chase, you take a picture of the check with the phone to deposit it! And with Wal-Mart, you can go in, they run it through a scanner, and they give you the money.





Every bank is different though. I'd suggest finding a bank you like, Wells Fargo has always been one of the worst, (so I hear from friends using it.)