Something so simple, the other day, turned into a monumental neon sign for me. I try to keep my family in natural health care products, but one daughter and sometimes my Mom insist upon paying. I tear up my daughter's checks, but Daddy doesn't like to refigure his checkbook, so when I know Mom is sending a check, I just send extra product . . . It's how we roll. Anyway, none of the family interaction was the bad experience. The bad experience came at the bank, Arvest bank. For years I avoided Arvest bank, simply because some of the major shareholders are also the major shareholders of Wal-Mart. I really didn't want to be a part of the big corp connection, but . . .
When I began an online business, and online booksellers began carrying my books, everything changed. In order to transact business online and accommodate clientele, a Paypal account seemed essential. In order for online booksellers to sell my books, they insisted upon an account for direct deposit, so . . . all of a sudden, Arvest didn't seem so bad. It was already part of the big corporate order and I could keep my internet business out of my personal business, to a point. I am well aware, somewhere behind the curtain, it's all connected. I'm sort of a cubby hole kind of thinker, so Paypal, amazon, and internet book sellers could all have access to an Arvest business account and my personal account in another bank, would stay as personal as the banking system allows. Business accounts are about the only free accounts at Arvest, anyway, so my personal business is preferred elsewhere.
Mom had made the check out to me, personally, rather than my business. Since it was for product though, I wanted to run it through my business account, to make sure I didn't overlook it, regarding my income taxes . . . My attempt at honest business integrity turned into a prohibited banking procedure. Remember the days when someone could endorse a check made out to them, and give it to another person. They were called two party checks and I had no idea that option no longer existed, or least is not an option at Arvest Bank. Now this was no anonymous or questionable two party check. I am the authorized signature on the business account, so I thought I was simply signing over a personal check to be deposited in a business account in which I am authorized to make deposits as well as write checks.
The young man at the drive through window informed me, they could not cash the check, nor could I deposit it in the business account. When I made inquiry as to why, the response was; 'it was simply bank policy.' I informed him, I had not received the memo. His suggestion is what put me over the top. He suggested I take the check to Wal-Mart . . . I hope my expression gave him a clear indication of what a profoundly stupid idea I found that to be. It was then, I realized, there really is more going on here, than meets the eye . . . How can a store process a two party check, while a bank cannot? If in fact, Wal-Mart accepted my two party check, which I haven't been to a Wal-Mart in over a decade, but if the Super Center did, why would they not have the same problem I was experiencing?
My first thought after all this was to just tear up the check and deal with Daddy, but I decided to see if I could run it through my personal account. No problem, no questions, no hassles. I had a bit more business to tend to, and then headed back to Arvest bank to make a sizeable withdrawal. There's simply no reason to let them use my money, when I have no say over $20.00 in the account. I walked in and asked the minimum balance required to maintain a business account. The poor teller thought I wanted to open an account. We quickly resolved that misunderstanding and the young man who had mis-dealt with me earlier slinked back into the shadows of the drive through . . . The reality was, even with the written policy regarding accounts, the teller and the manager could not tell me how much was needed to maintain the account at no charge. I had my check book in hand, ID, which they required twice . . . and I don't use a debit card or bank online. I can't even imagine what I'd gone through if I didn't have my very own paper trail in dealing with this situation.
I wrote a check to reduce the account balance and that required my ID again, as well as what I considered a strange processing procedure. This is the same bank, where an employee informed me I needed to use their online banking. When I told her I preferred a paper trail, just in case; she actually stated that "banks don't make mistakes." I believe that was before the BailOut was given. Now this situation wasn't over a huge sum of money, but what I considered was the fact it also wasn't my only option. What if that $20.00 check was actually needed to put food on the table or gasoline in my car and what if that Arvest account was the only one I had? Would I have had to take my "two party check" to Wal-Mart to buy my food?
