US Post office... wtf?

[PTK]

My SO cashed a money order (USPS money order) for $70 today. From MT resident, to MT resident, all info filled out, she has an MT ID, it was made out to her full name, etc.

Lady behind the county hems and haws for a good 20 minutes, calling a certain "stolen MO line", "just to check", has the manager look it over, has the manager look at her ID, so on.

This is the THIRD time this has happened. What gives? She's not a thief, these aren't high-value MOs, she has an in-state ID, the MO is fully filled out...

They don't do this to me. They simply take a peek at my ID, then hand me the cash.

Who could we even talk to about this? 

[CNYCacher]

FWIW, by bank treats a postal MO as cash upon deposit.  Instant credit to the account.  I imagine that also means I could cash the MO there if I wanted.

FYI, it's BoA, YMMV

[mellestad]

If you figure that out, let me know.

I never get the third degree but people always seem to hassle my wife when she does things like this at banks and stores.

Maybe our SOs just look shady?

[roo_ster]

If you figure that out, let me know.

I never get the third degree but people always seem to hassle my wife when she does things like this at banks and stores.

Maybe our SOs just look shady?

Possibly it is because I look like I could put the hurtin' on someone and my wife, at 5' nuthin, doesn't.

[41magsnub]

I dunno....  I don't think I'd want PTK's SO pissed at me.

[Tallpine]

Because she looks a little bit furrin'  ?   

[zahc]

Last time I took 2 USPS money orders to the Post Office to get them cashed, the cashier lady wouldn't cash one of them, because it "looked fake". Sure. Somebody's going to write me a fake $10 money order. I asked her to show me what, exactly, about the money order looked fake. She wasn't taking the bait, because obviously she was just making it up, and insisted I would have to take it to the main post office and show them. I took it to a local Chase branch and they cashed it without any problem.

[PTK]

Well, that's that, then. F taking the MOs to the local PO. They can PO, indeed. :D

[Tallpine]

Maybe the fed.gov is trying to reduce the deficit by selling MOs and not redeeming them? 

[PTK]

Ok, further information. I just got a call back from the manager that I WISH I had recorded... it was along the lines of "well, some people don't look right, so we have to make sure the MO is legitimate, and at the same time we record license/ID numbers and check to see if you have any warrants."


....what....the....heck.

[Hawkmoon]

FWIW, by bank treats a postal MO as cash upon deposit.  Instant credit to the account.  I imagine that also means I could cash the MO there if I wanted.

FYI, it's BoA, YMMV

My bank (a small-ish regional bank) treats all money orders, including USPS) as checks. They are accepted for deposit with a hold on the funds for three business days. The money is available to you after that but, if the MO proves to be a counterfeit, the bank removes that amount plus a penalty fee from your account.

Best place to cash a postal money order is the post office. Is the original post taking about a bank, or a post office?

[Hawkmoon]

Ok, further information. I just got a call back from the manager that I WISH I had recorded... it was along the lines of "well, some people don't look right, so we have to make sure the MO is legitimate, and at the same time we record license/ID numbers and check to see if you have any warrants."


....what....the....heck.

Unless they do that for anyone redeeming a MO, it's called "profiling" and "discrimination." I think your SO should file a discrimination lawsuit against the USPS.

Seriously.

[PTK]

Best place to cash a postal money order is the post office. Is the original post taking about a bank, or a post office?

Post office.

Unless they do that for anyone redeeming a MO, it's called "profiling" and "discrimination." I think your SO should file a discrimination lawsuit against the USPS.

Seriously.

They absolutely, 100% certainly do not. How would we file such a lawsuit? She's fuming mad, since the wait made her late for work, as well.

[MillCreek]

I was unaware that the Post Office has any capacity to check warrants, except perhaps for the US Postal Inspectors. 

[mellestad]

Unless they do that for anyone redeeming a MO, it's called "profiling" and "discrimination." I think your SO should file a discrimination lawsuit against the USPS.

Seriously.

Yea, at the very least they should have a policy that clearly outlines how they establish identity and check for fraud.  I really doubt the policy says, "Section 3b: If clerk gets 'hinky' feeling, clerk must harass law abiding citizen."

[PTK]

I was unaware that the Post Office has any capacity to check warrants, except perhaps for the US Postal Inspectors. 

That's pretty much my issue, yep.

Yea, at the very least they should have a policy that clearly outlines how they establish identity and check for fraud.  I really doubt the policy says, "Section 3b: If clerk gets 'hinky' feeling, clerk must harass law abiding citizen."

Agreed. They do NOT check me when I have a MO to cash, they simply glance at the name on my license, the name on the MO, and hand the money over.

I dunno....  I don't think I'd want PTK's SO pissed at me.

True enough. You still need to see that girl shoot, one HELL of a scarily good shot. Fast, too.

[Balog]

Once again illustrating that interaction with fed.gov should be avoided when possible.

[PTK]

Yeah...

[AJ Dual]

Does she still have a sort of .alt/urban mode of dress?

Maybe that and being/looking "young" is what's setting of the Bozeman MT postal drones funny-o-meter and not the race thing...

Not that it makes it any more right, just trying to understand the underlying pathology here. 

[PTK]

She fits in with the local college kids, of which there are a LOT. She does, however, look a lot younger than 20 (as her ID says), especially if she's dressed for work as she is. People come up at least one time a day and ask if she's old enough to be working at Costco, apparently! :D

But, as you said, still doesn't excuse it... 

[mellestad]

Outside of talking to a lawyer, you could write an open letter discussing your frustration and the apparent lack of legitimate procedures over the process.

Make sure and list recipients as Local post office, federal postmaster general, state congress critters, local government officials, head of postal workers union, ACLU (if so inclined) etc.

Hand deliver a copy to the head guy at the local post office, mail the rest out to the listed people.

If your SO is a member of any protected classes, make sure to mention them in the letter.  I'm not sure if mentioning a potential civil suit would be good or bad.  Once drafted, might want to run it by someone lawyerish.

[PTK]

Well, she's a girl, part Indian, part Korean, part black (not African-American, since her dad's heritage traces back to Jamaica or somesuch...), so... yeah, that seems like a good idea, at the least.

[red headed stranger]

I have had a post office clerk say that a USPS MO "looked funny" to them.  It was because it was printed up with a different machine type than they use at their location.  

There are a few different types of ways that they print up MO's depending on the post office, or if it is a contract unit, or even an overseas APO that might make it look differently than the ones they ares used to printing up everyday at their teller window.  This may or may not be the reason they looked at the MO funny.  

[PTK]

I have had a post office clerk say that a USPS MO "looked funny" to them.  It was because it was printed up with a different machine type than they use at their location. 

There are a few different types of ways that they print up MO's depending on the post office, or if it is a contract unit, or even an overseas APO that might make it look differently than the ones they ares used to printing up everyday at their teller window.  This may or may not be the reason they looked at the MO funny.   

Strangely enough, this MO was from this same post office.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

It could have something to do with her looking like a local college kid.

One of my college roommates made a sport out of petty financial fraud.