Giving out check card info = giving out a blank check?
 

I had to get an amplifier packed and shipped. Not having a car, my only options were have the UPS Store send someone to pick it it and have them pack and ship for me or find someone who was willing to let me use their car. It turns out my friends are all protective of their cars, as I would be if I had one, so I called up the UPS Store.

The UPS guy said that they wouldn't know the total until they brought it back to the store. There is no way for me to get over there, well unless I got a Taxi. He said I could just pay by giving them my credit card or check card number, or by giving them a blank personal check and they would take care of it.

I don't have a credit card, and my thinking was a blank check is just a terrible idea. So the obvious choice was just giving him my check card info... but then I thought wouldn't that be the same as just giving them a blank check?

I asked if they could just mail me an invoice and I could mail them a check, but the guy started into this "What, you don't trust me?" thing and he said "How do I know your check will clear?". In short, I eventually gave him my check card info. I asked about a reciept as he was getting into his truck, and he said he'd call me when he got back to the store with the total. He called me up 15 minutes later with the total - $122.85, and he said he'd mail me a reciept. (yeah he can mail me a reciept but not an invoice...? He said he wanted to get this packed and shipped right away for me)

So now I'm stuck with the feeling that I've just given the UPS store a blank check. Am I just being paranoid or are they going to loot my checking account? Since I didn't know the total I had to pay, is there a difference between giving out my check card information and letting them take care of the rest vs. giving them a blank check?

with check card you can contest any amounts that you did not authorize.

totally different than a fiduciary instrument (check) with your signature on the bottom.

However, with a credit card, you're only liable for a maximum of $50 of fraudulent charges if your account is stolen. There's no such protection with a check card.

On the other hand, a business like a UPS store handles probably hundreds of credit and check-card transactions every day. I wouldn't sweat this too much. It's not like you gave your check card number to Guido to buy a fake ID.

good point, one should remember that it varies from state to state and institution to institution.

check with your bank to make sure what you are liability is.

My experience here is that this is absolutely incorrect, and having money returned to you is much more complicated then contesting the amounts and will likely involve binding arbitration or civil litigation with a criminal defendant. Not the bank. This is also true for your bank account numbers. With your aba/routing number and account number or check card number, NO PIN or signature required, you can have money withdrawn from your account, and should you want it back, or it be unauthorized, you will need to involve law enforcement. I do not believe that banking institutions have any liability

Same is true for a paper check with a forged signature. Banks are not required to, take no responsiblity for, and DO NOT check your signature card on file at your bank branch before paying a check...EVER. Again, money gone, you don't contest it, you need to fight, involve law enforcement and litigate to get it back.


Re-reading the original posters questions, you could find additional charges down the road, but this is true for EVERY TIME you use your check card or write a check.

I would be comfortable with the UPS store too...if something went askew with an employee they would likely take care of business.


That is what credit cards are for...your protection.

be smart,

-bear