$35 + $15 = $50

I picked my bank only because it was one of the two financial institutions located in both Alabama and Arizona. Normally, I am very pleased with my bank. This level of satisfaction is because I don't go into the branch near my home. Doing so only causes heart palpitations and annoyance akin to what Mr. Smith usually brings me. I bank at the branch about eight miles away. It isn't that the people at that branch know me, but they seem to be competent enough to do their job.

Recently I broke my personal edict and opted to go into the branch nearby. I brought in my bank bag, which had my deposit slip and the checks already processed and ready to go into my account. I always clip these together so there is no confusion. On this day, I handed the teller my deposit bag and let her take care of business.

"There's a check missing," the teller told me as she began processing my deposit. Missing? Holy cow! After a lot more "holy cows" and a lot more panicking, I retraced my steps, hoping I had just dropped it. No luck. I had to call the tenant.

"Hi, I got your rent check but lost it. Could you stop payment and send another one. Immediately?" Yea, I looked that stupid.

Last week, the teller called me. She found the check. It was behind her computer. How it got there is anyone's guess. She send me the check back with a "letter of apology" which said, "Enclosed is your check. Mistakes were made." She didn't say, "oops," but that was the gist.

Meanwhile, my tenant deducted $50 for stop payment fee. As he wasn't planning on having to stop payment on his first check, his new rent check was less the fee. Fair enough. It wasn't his fault.

Today I went to my normal branch, armed with the letter of apology, the old check (returned from the teller) and my new check which was $50 less than it should be. I wanted to be reimbursed. To me this is cut and dry. The bank teller lost the check. The tenant deducted the money for the stop payment. The bank owes me the difference. My normal branch saw it my way. The branch where the teller works did not.

Ms. Manager called me. She informed me she would reimburse me $35, but not the $50 stop payment fee the tenant paid. Was she serious? Yes, she was. Does this make sense? No it doesn't.

Although Ms. Manager had readily admitted the teller was at fault, she wasn't budging. I had heartily given my opinion of her concession. She thought I was being unreasonable in not taking her gracious offer of $35 for a $50 loss. Let's face it. I didn't put the check under the teller's computer. I can't even reach the teller's computer from where I stood. My tenant's stop payment was a reasonable course of action. I even explained I had to loose credibility with my tenant (who has never met me) because of an error with her employee. "Yes, but the teller sent you a letter of apology," Ms. Manager explained.

Around the twelfth time she and I played this game, I gave up. There gets to be a point where $15 isn't worth quibbling over. I was there. I wanted off the phone. I wanted to go on with my day. I figured I would later on send a letter to the bank, along with all of the relevant details and express my displeasure. If the bank saw fit to do something at that point, yay me. Right then and there, I just wanted Ms. Manager out of my life. "Do whatever you need to do." I told her, just wanting to end this call.

Suddenly as if the last several minutes had never happened, she said, "I will reimburse you the $50. But, I don't feel good about this." To me, it isn't a matter of feeling good or bad. It is a simple math problem.

Perhaps Ms. Manager felt generous or maybe she had a psychic premonition I was planning on tattling on her employee. Whatever the reason, she changed her mind and I got what was owed to me.