What would you have done?

Yup, real life story. This happened to me.

I wanted to cash my refund check from college. I also had to pay rent that day. My refund check was $1100. My rent was $550 (Yeah, rent is high here). I wanted to withdraw $580, pay rent, and still have a little extra fun money for myself.

I went to XYZ bank. The teller greeted me and I presented her with an evelope. Inside the envelope was the following: (1) The refund check, (2) My deposit slip stating that I wanted $580 back and wanted to deposit $520, and (3) a post-it note stating in what denominations I wanted my cash back and asked her to put the money in the envelope I'd given her.

She studiously went to work. After a few minutes, she handed me back the envelope with the deposit receipt and the cash inside. I thanked her and went to my car. I drove off.

When I got to a stoplight a few blocks from home (XYZ bank is only an 8 minute drive from my house), I counted out the money. I counted $600 cash back. I counted again. $600. Again. $600. She had given me too much. I checked the deposit receipt, and she had deposited $520 into my account. This was clearly an error on the teller's part.

What would you do? Take the money back or keep it?

 Click me if you want to find out what happened.

I don't work on a sliding rule system like most people. This is money for which I am not entitled. I take it back.

I went back to XYZ bank and asked to speak to a manager. The teller, having recognized me, tried to intercept me before the manager came out of his office. But the manager was a bit too quick. I asked to speak to the manager in his office. The manager ordered the teller back to her post.

In the office, I told him what had happened and that I wanted to "make things right". I never explicitly stated that I wanted to give back the $20, since, in most firms, the customer is always right and he would have taken it had I said I wanted to do that. Hey, I'd like that money for myself too.

Surprisingly, the manager told me to keep the money. He said to just consider it a bank error in my favor. Had I not said anything, they would have contacted me about the error and deducted the missing portion from my account. However, since I was honest enough to bring it back, he told me to keep it.

I thanked him and left. I don't know what happened to the teller. Hope it wasn't anything too harsh.