I was working for a client last year who got lame, and I quit, but not before following through on my contracted work. I invoiced and to shorten this up, finally (five months late) sent me a check just last month. The check was, by the way, Canadian so I lost money on it, me being in the U.S. but I was sick of this client so I took the loss, cashed it, and it seemed fine.

Half a month later I’m looking at my balance in my account and notice two large fees. One from my bank and one from the foreign exchange end of my bank PLUS the Canadian check was returned so that money was gone from my account as well.

It cost me something like $50 in fees to work for them. PLUS I still haven’t been paid. My point here though is about the check fees. I called my bank and told them, I’ve never even had an overdraft fee, and this fee is not even my fault so please return it. They did. Then I called the foreign side of my bank and they said, we can’t return the $35 fee, because their check bounced so you have to work that out with whoever gave you the check.

If you’re doing business with people in another country, your bank can possibly charge you fees that won’t be returned if those people pay you in dud funds. I had no idea I could be punished for someones mistake, or I should say their sloppy foreign banking skills.

Long story short, if you’re dealing with money from someone in another country, and you don’t totally trust them, it might be smarter to request funds in a money order or by PayPal. My issue is getting worked out, but trust me, it’s been nothing but a huge flippin’ hassle.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy