Claire Wilson
AN American visitor’s holiday funds ran short when banks and hotels around the coast refused to exchange his traveller’s cheques.
Brian Guthrie, from California, bought American Express traveller’s cheques with him during a visit to his daughter in Bellair.
Guthrie said: “I bought them for safety, really, to save me carrying a wedge of euros around with me during my holiday.
“Nobody mentioned that I might have issues exchanging them here in Spain. I tried to change them in a number of banks, and when I had no luck I went to a couple of hotels, but they said no as well.”
He was finally able to find a bank to change the cheques, the BBVA Algeciras branch.
“The clerk said I could cash the cheques there, but there was a really long queue and I needed to drive my daughter to the ferry terminal.
“They told me I would be able to cash them at any branch of BBVA so decided to go to the local branch later in the day.”
On arriving at BBVA Estepona, however, he was told they wouldn’t be able to exchange the cheques.
“In the end I drove back to the Algeciras branch and was finally able to get my money. It’s ironic, really. The advert says ‘don’t leave home without them’ but in my case it would have been better if I did!”
Customer service in Spain lol.
Fred! Your comments are lol too, keep them coming! :)
Be careful what you wish for.
It is always important to do your homework before traveling. In the states they always tell you it is better to use a debit card because traveler’s check are becoming obsolete and you get a better exchange rate. They stopped using that “don’t leave home without them advert” like 10 years ago.
In the past year or two, there have been a number os frauds using traveler’s checks. Somebody in the UK sends you a job offer, contracts you and provides you an advance to rent a car and start work. That person sends you the dosh as traveler’s checks, and when you deposit them into your account, forward a certain amount of $$ to the designated car rental or other (false) business, you are then notified by the bank a week later that said checks are false/counterfit and you are out both that amount, plus bank charges and without wanting to, you have laundered about 1000 euros…not enough to get the police on your case, but enough to make a small hole in your pocket. So now, the policy is to not accept such checks. After all, it is the 21st century, you & your credit card can go to the local ATM for several hundred euros a day…easy peasy!!