Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

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Matthew Robinson
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Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Matthew Robinson »

Most of us suffer from locals' obsession with next-to-perfect US$ notes from $20 denominations upwards.

A tiny tear in a note, scarcely visible to a microscope, will have many locals throwing it back in your face. (Good Grief! Notes are paper; what do they expect?)

But now I warn you all to beware of a fairly recent trend: financial institutions, banks and MFIs, are allowing their individual cashiers to accept or reject notes depending on their "age".

I've just had two $100 bills (from a total of $1,000 received from a bank) rejected by an MFI when I went in to deposit into my savings account.

"Too old" said the cashier.

"Are they forgeries?" I asked.

"No, they're just too old."

"Does your MFI have a brochure, or any literature, saying at what age notes are acceptable or not?"

"No. We don't have."

I queried this with the XYZ Head Office which confirmed it was "internal policy" to allow their cashiers to make their own decisions.

Thus, one cashier of XYZ MFI at one branch might accept your creaky "old" note; another XYZ cashier working at another branch might not.

In my view this is an Alice-in-Wonderland situation about which one can do little. Except have a moan here.

("Fairly recent trend". I've lived and banked here for 16 years and I don't remember notes being arbitrarily rejected like this until about two years ago.)
Burger Time
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Burger Time »

Why don’t you say how old they were? At a minimum President Franklin needs to have s big head
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newkidontheblock
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by newkidontheblock »

ACLEDA cash deposit machine rejected 2 notes. Crisp, newly minted Benjamin Franklins taken directly from the bank, flown to Cambodia for deposit. Initially rejected 4 or them. Still can’t wrap my head around it.

Anyways, missus tells me don’t sweat it. Easily used or exchanged for smaller bills elsewhere.
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John Bingham
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by John Bingham »

Nothing new about this, I had similar problems with old notes in Tanzania years ago. Their machines only recognised notes of certain series and some I brought were too old. I managed to get rid of a couple when some cops robbed me at gunpoint one day, which gave me some satisfaction knowing they wouldn't be able to exchange them, the cunts.
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Ravensnest
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Ravensnest »

John Bingham wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:20 pm Nothing new about this, I had similar problems with old notes in Tanzania years ago. Their machines only recognised notes of certain series and some I brought were too old. I managed to get rid of a couple when some cops robbed me at gunpoint one day, which gave me some satisfaction knowing they wouldn't be able to exchange them, the cunts.
that is a tale I'd like to hear more about.
Still here, in country...
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Yerg
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Yerg »

Pretty sure I mentioned this before. From experience, some places in Cambodia no longer accepting notes pre-AD 2000. I bought my currency from a Travelex in Oman, came to PP in June. One $50 note was refused countless times as it was pre-2000. Nothing at all wrong with the note. Just it's age.
Multipox
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Multipox »

Matthew Robinson wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:54 pm ....
I've just had two $100 bills (from a total of $1,000 received from a bank) rejected by an MFI when I went in to deposit into my savings account.

"Too old" said the cashier.

"Are they forgeries?" I asked.

"No, they're just too old."

....
I changed some Bulgarian leva into US dollars at a local bank in Sofia not long ago.

Then when I tried to change it in another country one bill was repeatedly refused because it was too old. Had a lot of trouble but managed to fob it off eventually.

That must have been why the Bulgarian lady teller was so talkative and cheerful, to distract me from looking at it.

I'll get even with her someday.
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SINUS
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by SINUS »

John Bingham wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:20 pm I managed to get rid of a couple when some cops robbed me at gunpoint one day, which gave me some satisfaction knowing they wouldn't be able to exchange them, the cunts.
god! how could you do that? :)))
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Duncan
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Duncan »

SINUS wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:50 am
John Bingham wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:20 pm I managed to get rid of a couple when some cops robbed me at gunpoint one day, which gave me some satisfaction knowing they wouldn't be able to exchange them, the cunts.
god! how could you do that? :)))



That bitch called ''Karma '' will take care of it.
Cambodia,,,, Don't fall in love with her.
Like the spoilt child she is, she will not be happy till she destroys herself from within and breaks your heart.
Matthew Robinson
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Re: Beware - US Dollar Notes not accepted

Post by Matthew Robinson »

Burger Time wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:02 pm Why don’t you say how old they were? At a minimum President Franklin needs to have s big head
Because the actual age is in fact not the salient point apparently: it's the 'new' condition of the note that the cashiers check and then arbitrarily accept or reject.

Look at the front of relatively-new $100 note. There's a blueish stripe running most of the way down the middle, yes?

If this stripe is slightly worn, even on a new note, the cashiers may not accept it.

This is precisely my point. How can ordinary customers know what is acceptably 'worn' and what isn't?

Ridiculous for a country that is supposed to be modernising fast.
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