Question by Valentine_21477: Are we responisible for a stop payment check at a check cashing store?
We live in CA and recently has some work done by an unlicensed contractor (yes we know big mistake). We paid him when we thought the work was completed and turned out it was not done. We put a stop payment on the check. In the meantime, he went and took the check to a cash checking store and cashed the check. The check cashing store tried to deposit the check and of course it is coming back stop payment. The check cashing store has now sent us a letter saying we went into their store and cashed this check and are now responsible, which first is wrong because we didn’t go in there. When we called to tell them we put a stop payment on the check, they are saying we are responsible. Shouldn’t it be the guy who took the check in? We told him we stopped payment on the check and he needed to return the money.
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Answer by elmo o
in general, the casher is responsible.
it sounds like the check cashing place is trying to recover anything. what they are saying is bull.
i would hard line it.
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I would say first of all- consult a lawyer!!!! But I don’t think you owe that check cashing place anything!
There are a number of items at play here. The check cashing store should have called the bank to make sure the check was legitimate before they cashed it – at that point they would have learned there was a stop payment issued on that check. The contractor is at fault because he took that check to a place he hoped would cash it knowing it was not a good check. That is called fraud and he can be charged. You are not at fault here – those two parties are solely at fault. You need to go to your bank, have them draft a letter on letterhead to the check cashing site explaining that a stop payment had been issued on that check on (insert date) and that they have been informed the recipient of the check was aware of the stop payment at the time he took the check to the establishment. You are NOT responsible to the check cashing store – somebody there made a huge mistake and are trying to cover their own butt by getting the money back from you. The employee could actually be made to pay the store back for failure to verify funds. You can also file a complaint with your local police department, and I would definitely file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Licensed or not he has to abide by the law, and he isn’t.