mukiha wrote:I once had a heated discussion with some bank managers about the penalty for a bounced cheque. My point was; Why was the bank established in the first? Answer: to provide banking services.
If that is the case, then what service has it provided a customer when it levies a charge for a bounced cheque?
After 30minutes of argument, I managed to convince them that the bank has no right to penalise any wrong-doing; that is the duty of the courts of law!
The bank has no right to punish anyone for immoral behaviour; that is the duty of parents!
Therefore; the bank MUST provide a service in return for the penalty charge. For example, call the customer to advise on the status of the cheque... and perhaps ask the customer to go to the bank and correct the problem immediately [same day].
Some of the managers argued that such action would be too expensive. My response was: then charge more, charge Sh10,000 instead of Sh3,000 for a bounced cheque - but make sure you give a service in return!
I am yet to find out if they implemented my suggestion.
From a bank's point of you, this would be quite cumbersome, and you have to employ a whole dept to call all the a/c holders of bounced chqs. The charge is like a self regulating pain not to issue a chq when there are no funds...well not all customers do this intentionally, but they probably forget.
Where I am, one cannot even think of bouncing a cheque, coz that means swiftly going to jail, but equally the penalties for bouncing are not exorbitantly high at the banks.