[6t7gto]

I sold a part and the buyer sent me a postal money order. No big thing right?
Read my experience with it. This is the email I sent to the buyer.


Well I went to the PO this morning to cash your money order. They didn't have $400.00 in the drawer and couldn't cash it.
I asked how do I know it is good?
2 postal employes held it up to the light and said the watermark is there, it's good. But they didn't have the cash to cash it.
Sooo, I took it to my bank and Barb cashed it immediately.
I questioned her on how long before I would know if it it is good or not.
She said maybe a week.
Now follow me on this....
I have $400.00 dollars in my pocket from cashing this m.o.
As her and I talked, she decided to call an 800 number to verify the m.o.
The BS automated system says it is not in their system.
So I give Barb back the $400.00 and leave the bank with the M.O.
I go back to the PO and ask them to verify that it is good.
Again, same clerk, says it is good.
I asked what if you were able to cash it (still don't have $400.00 in the drawer) and it was bogus.
She said the postal inspector would be knocking on my door.
I told her, Great, now I'm out the part and the shipping.
OK, sell me a money order for $400.00 and I'll give you this one.
She said she couldn't because she doesn't have 400.00 in her drawer.
I asked when she would know it is good.
She said when she enters it in the system, it would tell her it is good.
I said, then enter it into the system and verify it is good and then abort the transaction and i would take it to my bank and cash it.
She said she couldn't do that.
I had her call the 800 number to verify it, never did get a straight answer on that.
She said to find a PO that had $400.00.
I had some errands to run and stopped at another PO.
First clerk didn't have 400 but maybe 2nd clerk did.
Joe,the clerk, held it up to the light and verified the Benjamin Franklin watermark.
He was ready to cash it when I told him my saga.
Hechecked with the supervisor, who said to call the 800 number.
Well, lo and behold, the 800 number system is down.
So here I sit typing you my experience for today with our wonderful US postal service.
I have the 800 number and I will attempt to verify the M.O.
No offense to you, but I owned 3 check cashing stores for 20 years and I am a little gun shy.
Another thing, the PO where you purchased the MO is listed on the MO. I asked the clerk if they could call that PO and verify it. Nope, WE can't do that. she said. But I could call some 800 number and get the number for your PO.
I'll let you know how I make out calling the 800 number.
David


p.s. I got the 800 number verification line from the PO. Called and the MO was good.
Took it back to the first PO and she had enough money in her drawer to cash it.
Oh, and when I went back to the PO, the clerk told me she got chewed out for trying to verify the MO on the phone.

[2002Z4CSS]

And just think...this is only one part of the government that Obama is in charge of.

[poncho447]

I have cashed hundreds of postal money orders at my local post office, never had a problem.

[Region Warrior]

Never had a prob cashing postal mo's at my bank.
Even over a $1000.

[GTOnly70]

So why send the email/complaint to the buyer? His fault? It seems the more appropriate recipient would be the USPS.

[6t7gto]

I didn't have any problem cashing it at my bank, either.
Just when I questioned whether it was good or not and it was not in the system, yet.

[6t7gto]

Wasn't a complaint to the buyer. I just wanted to share my experience with the post office.

[Greg Reid]

He was ready to cash it when I told him my saga.

That'll teach 'ya...lol

I've found that the Post Office's system for tracking or verifying anything is very slow. The tracking number they give you is only good if something is lost..and really lost. The number will not be in the system for quite some time after the package has been mailed. Maybe a week or so. Usually, it's arrived by the time the number is in the system.
Probably the same for the M.O.
That said, I've never had a problem with a Postal Money Order. My post office told me that they generally have 6 or 7 grand in cash on the premises at any given time....and this is a very small P.O. we're talking about.

[Doug]

USPS is currently at the limit of their "borrowing authority" and is operating on short cash reserves. probably why cash drawers aren't stuffed full. (just another symptom of Republican union busting/ private enterprise efforts to kill the psot office)

[GTOWAGON]

I use nothing but postal money orders sometimes my local post office dosent have enuf to cash a large one but they just have me come back later in the day. Postal money orders are the only form of payment I have NEVER had a problem with

[RATTCRUSHER455]

been taking them for 20 plus years and cashing them at the post office as well as my bank and will always accept them... way better than pay pal ........ and for the record obama has as much to do with the runnings of the u.s. post office as i do being ex usaf have to do with the defense department budget. yes the gop lost get over it, when the gop can field real choices instead of the crap they have for the past 8 years maybe i will vote for them again

[GT182]

I wouldn't have asked if it was good or not, also wouldn't go to the PO to cash it. I always go to the bank and cash PO MOs.

When I send one, I use the free MOs we get from our bank. No hassle as they check to see if you have enough money in an account to cover it... even if you use cash to get it. Never had any problems, nor have I heard back from anyone that cashes one. Win Win all around, and no problems or worries.

[Pontiac Slim]

tip, if your going to cash a money order go late in the day. I'm a retired USPS worker and we were not to start the day with more then $50.00 in the $ draw. We also had a list of bogus/stolen money orders..
I never had or heard of the issues you had.
Pontiac Slim

[66Post]

It never occurred to me to go to a post office to cash a postal MO, I've always gone to my bank. Thought they where good as "gold", (ASSuming they weren't counterfit) now I'm finding out that they are no better than a regular check??? My opinion of the federal government just went down a couple more notches.

[Ed Fitzgerald]

I sent out a bank MO (CDN) that I paid cash for. Sent the 8th of Dec to Georgia it was cleared by the sellers bank (Ameris) on the 20th of Dec. So the money now is in the hands of his bank (in their system) and as of 3 days ago the seller tells me that he still hasn't got the money in his account. Now he thinks this is my problem and the fault of the MO. Do you believe your banks are that inept. When I contacted the Ameris bank and gave them the info they couldn't track the account or MO. Ed

[6t7gto]

This is the phone number to call to verify a USPS money order...

1-866-459-7822

Evidently, the phone number the bank has is not the same as I heard Barb giving voice recognition to the computer she got connected to.
The above number, I just entered the serial number, the amount , and the 5 digit code for the PO that issued it.

[6t7gto]

Ed Fitagerald,
I check my account on line.
One day I had an extra $800.00 in it.
I suppose it was keyed in wrong by the teller.
Once it made it to corporate it was promptly taken out of my account.

[Ed Fitzgerald]

67 GTO, the money is supposedly no where to be found. I paid out 200.00 cash to my bank. Their MO is like a certified cheque. When it gets cashed they are insuring that the money is there. Seller took it to his bank and deposited it. Now once my bank released the money from their internal system (Dec 18/12) to Ameris's banking system then this should have been the end of the story. Now both Ameris and the seller blame each other. However I'm out 200.00 and the seller tells me that he feels he got cheated. I went to my bank and followed the MO tracking #'s to Dec 18/12 when it was cleared into Ameris's system. Once the MO was released in Ameris's system my bank says I'm SOL. In any event I was going to start using USPS MO's but it seems there is no fail safe way to get money to people. Or is it people being less than forthright and using excuses. Ed

[4spdT37]

CASH is KING!!!

Electronic wire transfer from acct to acct.
Once it's deposited, it's there.
Simply open a secondary acct at your bank, and as soon as the seller tranfers the $ into your acct, transfer it over into your regular acct, and terminate the acct used for the transfer.

Safe,instant, and no hassles.

[PonchoV8]

USPS is great for me. They often don't have much cash until later in the day because everyone uses a debit card now. Just wait until the afternoon to take it. I've never been refused and I use them frequently. I send more than I receive though.