While a ‘stitch in time saves nine’ for most issues, one New Jersey resident’s 31-cent problem turned into a $25 fee. The irony is that Reddit user Affectionate_Item_51 didn’t owe this 31 cents; their local internet provider owed them. In their post on r/mildlyinfuriating, Affectionate Item sold their home, and the handful of pennies was an overpayment refund from their ISP’s final bill. Considering how small the amount is, it’s not hard to reckon why OP never deposited it.
However, for some reason, the provider really, really wanted Affectionate Item to deposit the $0.31 and has allegedly been sending messages since April asking them to deposit it. “So I went ahead and had them reissue the check so that I could do so,” OP wrote. Little did they know that doing so would cause some drama with their bank, Schwab.
OP’s Bank Charged Them a $25 Fee Because of the Issued Stop Payment
“The provider issued a ‘Stop Payment,’ triggering a $25 fee from my bank, Affectionate Item explained. Fortunately, Schwab reserved it without hesitation, but the fact that measly 31 cents owed to OP turned into a $25 fee they had to pay was absurd yet comical. “I’m anticipating another 31¢ check to show up soon and restart this whole debacle,” Affectionate Item joked, and thousands of Redditors found the situation pretty silly as well.
“They literally set a trap for you,” remarked a commenter. “If they try to get you to deposit another 31¢ check, tell them they can just mail you the three dimes and a penny instead,” suggested a second user. “Corporate America in a nutshell,” wrote a third. “$25 fee for returned check is crazy. My bank doesn’t even charge a fee for this,” shared a fourth.
In the end, though, Affectionate Item got their money back, so it all ended well. Still, no one can blame them for being mildly infuriated to be bothered for months on end to deposit a couple of pennies, only to be suddenly charged around 80 times what was owed to them.
