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Checks And Balances
At the computer store where this clerk works, many of the suppliers insist
on being paid C.O.D. So it's no surprise when the delivery truck driver
asks for a check.
But there's a problem. "One of our suppliers installed an automated
shipping system that printed the labels for the delivery company," he says.
"They tied the system to their accounts receivable so that any prior
balance would be added to the C.O.D. amount of any current order.
"Trouble was, we had just returned a defective shipment and had a credit
balance. Our next order was for less money than the credit balance. The
system dutifully looked up our balance and printed the C.O.D. tag."
For -$38.47.
Which leaves the clerk and the driver scratching their heads. The driver
knows he can't hand over the shipment without a check. But a check for a
negative amount makes no sense.
"I called my bank and asked what would happen if I wrote a check for
-$34.87," says the clerk. "The branch manager laughed and said it wouldn't
go through their system, so go ahead. I wrote the check, gave it to the
driver and he left."
Then the phone rang. The bank manager had checked with his IT people and
they told him the bank would deposit $38.47 in my account when the check
was processed. They were in a panic!
Fortunately, the delivery company tore up the check when the driver checked in.
I wonder how much the bank spent making sure their software would no longer accept a negative amount on a check.
In 1995, each American used an annual average of 731 pounds of paper, more than double the amount used in the 1980s. Contrary to predictions that computers would displace paper, consumption is growing.
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Albert Einstein
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