Feeling super aggravated because school sent me a "balance due" notice. $25 for supplies. You know, the check they asked for in August, that I paid in August, that by some miracle actually cleared my bank account in early September! (Sometimes those checks don't clear for many months).
So, fast forward to mid-April, now you want to try to collect it again? Gah.
It doesn't help that I can write separate checks and be clear as day in the memo, but things will never get to where they are supposed to go. This was just the first time it was something, "mandatory."
On the same day we got a field trip permission slip with cost labeled $8.50. Um, seriously? We paid $60 in August for field trip costs, too. I presumed in the last minute rush (field trip is in only 2 days?) that somethine was missing. Usually a note will go with that saying, "if you want to come too, this is the cost." & will usually detail the lunch plan and stuff. I don't really think they will try to collect $8.50. But if so, I will be annoyed.
Hey, we donated $250 from the kindness of our hearts. Can you just deduct it from that? Will wait until June next year, to be generous. Let the nickel and diming be done, first.
I know, I know - I am an accountant. Can't use my kind hearted donations for mandatory "supply reimbursements." Just the way they do it since they can buy all the supplies in bulk - instead of having everyone buy their own supplies. IT's nice when it works.
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From past experiences, I am sure I could direct them to find my check quite easily, BUT decided to see what I had to do to get a canceled check copy from my credit union. Maybe consider myself lucky? Something I haven't had to do in a few years - since switching CUs?
FREE. Online request. I checked Quicken last night to see when I paid it. Then scanned online bank statements until I found when it cleared. Noted the check number (I am kind of bad about using proper check #s in Quicken. Just use the "next number," I really only write checks for the school in this day and age). With info in hand, completed online request for free check copy. Well, that was easy. Will arrive in the mail a few days - dh can finish clearing this up.
I griped to dh about how I Was going to have to write 4 checks next year since combining this check spelled disaster. Wouldn't you know - when I looked it up? I hadn't combined it. I figured they would be slow. What more do you want than a check for $25, "SUPPLIES" clear as day in the memo, and to send it back with the form it was requested. Nothing I can do about their idiocy. I really love that they didn't bother to tell me it was missing for 8 months. I suppose next year I will just write one check for both kids, for all fees requested, because it's not like following directions and being clear reaped any benefit.
I sent some specific donation last year that didn't make it to the right place. I never would have known except I verbally agreed and someone asked me a few months later if I had forgotten. (Um no - sent in a check the day you asked???) Gotta love it.
Stupid stuff, but it put me in a bad mood.
& I learned that it is easy to get a copy of a check. That is the bright side in all this. (I can just go online and print them if they are newer than 120 days. I was initially bummed that this was too far back, but it didn't hurt much to track it down, all the same. Phew!).
Until next year...
P.S. I am sure you can attribute some of my bad mood to the fact that it is April 14th... Unfortunately, April 16th doesn't look much better - my deadlines end April 30th. I do think things will rachet down a bit after tomorrow though. Right now the bane in my side is some random state use tax April 15 deadline. Seriously??? Whose bright idea was this? I haven't finished that stuff because my very few tax clients are full of last minute drama. It's been a day, that is for sure.
Free check copies
April 14th, 2010 at 08:53 pm
April 15th, 2010 at 01:15 am 1271290518
April 15th, 2010 at 07:33 am 1271313183
I know from the non-profit side that we always read the memo line on the check.
April 15th, 2010 at 06:22 pm 1271352137