Posting letters

[conny]

If I was paying someone by cheque I would get them to sign a receipt to say that all work/goods were complete and they had received payment in full.

Write the cheque number on the receipt and give them a copy. If they then lose/destroy it accidentally thats their tough luck. If you paid them in cash you would not be expected to reimburse them if they said they had lost it.

 

[Dextraneous]

But you can see the dilemma - when paying cash the "money" has left your pocket/bank account and you cannot use it to exchange further goods/services. A lost cheque means that you still have access to the cash to exchange for further goods/services.

Indeed, back on the subject of the thread - what if the envelope had a cheque in it? Has the vendor been "paid"?

 

[ajstoneservices]

Some years ago it was reported that a large number of cheques made out to the inland revenue had gone missing in the post. The cheques turned up having been cashed in the name of a yolande revenue. I don't recall whether hmrc agreed that payment had been made or not but an educated guess would be no.

 

[JBR]

I would just stick it through the nearest letterbox like a postman would.

I'm assuming that your use of nearest 'letterbox' rather than 'post box' was intentional!
Certainly, that's what our local postmen do - at least we receive letters for other addresses, sometimes in places quite remote from us. I expect that the reverse is true as well. I'm still waiting for a cheque from Nigeria for £5,000,000 that I expected five years ago.

Nearby neighbours are confident that we'll pass their letters to them, but anything more distant gets put back in the post box. Which begs the question: Don't postmen realise that failing to deliver mail to the correct recipient means that they are increasing their workload in the long run?

 

[footprints]

Fairly straightforward you are not paid till the check has cleared, as in the case of a bounced cheque.
OK the customer has tried to pay you, but in no way has the bill been settled, if so all those "I put the cheque in the post" customers would get off scot free

 

[securespark]

I'm still waiting for a cheque from Nigeria for £5,000,000 that I expected five years ago.

You and me both, mate!!

 

[Gibbo84]

I found a letter on the floor once. I posted it.
I think most decent people would.

Especially more so these days as most people wouldn't post a letter unless it was particularly important.

 

[EddieM]

If I was paying someone by cheque I would get them to sign a receipt to say that all work/goods were complete and they had received payment in full.

Write the cheque number on the receipt and give them a copy. If they then lose/destroy it accidentally thats their tough luck. If you paid them in cash you would not be expected to reimburse them if they said they had lost it.

No word of a lie, I lost a cheque for 40k once

 

[misterhelpful]

No word of a lie, I lost a cheque for 40k once

Would that have been the day before I changed my name to 'Ed Diem'?

I'd post the letter.

 

[conny]

If I was paying someone by cheque I would get them to sign a receipt to say that all work/goods were complete and they had received payment in full.

Write the cheque number on the receipt and give them a copy. If they then lose/destroy it accidentally thats their tough luck. If you paid them in cash you would not be expected to reimburse them if they said they had lost it.

No word of a lie, I lost a cheque for 40k once

Having thought about it, (because its years since I wrote a cheque to anyone), I suppose if they claimed to have lost the cheque I would write another one, less the cost of cancelling the first one. Why should I be out of pocket for a tenner or whatever, because of their 'misfortune'?

 

[EddieM]

If I was paying someone by cheque I would get them to sign a receipt to say that all work/goods were complete and they had received payment in full.

Write the cheque number on the receipt and give them a copy. If they then lose/destroy it accidentally thats their tough luck. If you paid them in cash you would not be expected to reimburse them if they said they had lost it.

No word of a lie, I lost a cheque for 40k once

Having thought about it, (because its years since I wrote a cheque to anyone), I suppose if they claimed to have lost the cheque I would write another one, less the cost of cancelling the first one. Why should I be out of pocket for a tenner or whatever, because of their 'misfortune'?

No that's completely understandable. I did feel a bit of a noob to be fair. (and a little worried)!