MJF Associates, Inc

Thank you for forwarding the attached complaint regarding our processing of checks for *** ***, and requesting our response.As you noted, there are two sides to every story, however, we regret that *** *** did not give you a couple of details that would have helped you
understand our position.These are quarterly payments for homeowner association duesAll owners are billed quarterly for their duesThe bills are mailed around the first day of the quarter (1/1, 4/1, 7/1, and 10/1) and are due by the 25" of that month, and past due if not received in our offices by the last day of that month (We allow this five day grace period).The issue is over postdated checksThis homeowner has repeatedly sent in postdated checks for their homeowner association duesThis has caused us a serious problem in that the association's bank tellers will not accept deposits containing postdated checks, and reject the entire deposit as a resultIf the check is postdated just a day or two after we receive it, we have set it aside in the past, but we have repeatedly sent her notes and returned her checks asking her to discontinue sending postdated checks, as we cannot be responsible for tracking them in house, and waiting until the date of the check to deposit them.I've attached the most recent exampleAs you can see, she mailed this check to us, certified ?nai, on 11/16/The check inside is dated 11/22/In this case, our next deposit is 11/22/so we can process this checkHowever, the one in question, back in July, was postdated several days after we received it.When I talked to her back in July, I explained that we could not accept the postdated checksShe told me that I was wrong, and that I could, I told her that no, the bank will not accept them in our deposit, and therefore we could not process themI also told her we could not hold them and track them in house to wait until the date of the check to deposit themI explained that virtually no companies who process checks will do that, and referenced utilities, credit card processors, etcas an exampleShe said in the complaint to you that I wasn't able to give her an answer when she told me she had not been informed previously, but what I told her was that I didn't know why she did not remember or understand the notes that our accounting department had sent her, On the last note that we sent her, returning her check, we told her that we would no longer return them to her, but would shred them to eliminate the possibility of accidentally depositing themIt is unclear to us why she wants to postdate them, unless the funds will not be in her account until the date of the check, which means that the check would bounce if it was able to be deposited before the check date.When owners send us checks, we need to be able to process them and deposit them immediatelyOur policy is to not accept postdated checks for the above reasons, and we have repeatedly explained that to this owner, both on the phone, and in notes to her this year.I've also attached some information relative to postdated checks that may be of interest to you as well as her.Please pass on to her the fact that we cannot accept postdated checks because of the aforementioned reasons, and that she needs to submit checks properly dated and ready for depositWe need to receive these checks by the due date, and definitely by the last day of the month of the statement to avoid any late feesShe could also use her on line bill pay with her bank, and they will send the checks in such a way as to have us receive them on the date of the checkPerhaps this would be another option for her