[Buckshooter]

Last month I filled out my renewal forms and sent them back to ATF in Atlanta with a check for $30.00. I checked the right boxes, crossed all my t's and dotted all of my I's. I sent the local LEO a copy. A few days later my bank says ATF withdrew $90.00 form my checking account. I called ATF in Atlanta and they transferred me to Virginia. The girl on the phone insisted that ATF doesn't make mistakes. Ha Ha. She wouldn't even bother to try and help me. She kept saying ATF could not withdraw more than what I had written on the line. I don't have check copies. I told the bank about this and they sent a trace back to ATF. I can't believe they stole and extra $60.00 from me and the dodo on the phone insisted I am wrong without even checking for me. Make sure if you send in for your license renewal that you only keep $30.00 in your account and tell your bank not to pay anymore than what you wrote on the check. I doubt I ever see my $60.00 as they are all in denial up there. I knew the government was broke, but I didn't think they would get money from innocent people this way. If they ever refund my money I will come back here with a post stating so, but don't hold your breath. Like the lady said, "We are never wrong."

 

[greyheadedguy]

You should get a copy of the check. The "legal" amount that they can take from your account is the amount written on the second line of the check where you write out the dollar amount. If that has been altered and does not have your initials, that is fraud and your check is proof. If it has not been altered someone needs to give you $60 back.

 

[Billofthenorth3]

Last month I filled out my renewal forms and sent them back to ATF in Atlanta with a check for $30.00. I checked the right boxes, crossed all my t's and dotted all of my I's. I sent the local LEO a copy. A few days later my bank says ATF withdrew $90.00 form my checking account. I called ATF in Atlanta and they transferred me to Virginia. The girl on the phone insisted that ATF doesn't make mistakes. Ha Ha. She wouldn't even bother to try and help me. She kept saying ATF could not withdraw more than what I had written on the line. I don't have check copies. I told the bank about this and they sent a trace back to ATF. I can't believe they stole and extra $60.00 from me and the dodo on the phone insisted I am wrong without even checking for me. Make sure if you send in for your license renewal that you only keep $30.00 in your account and tell your bank not to pay anymore than what you wrote on the check. I doubt I ever see my $60.00 as they are all in denial up there. I knew the government was broke, but I didn't think they would get money from innocent people this way. If they ever refund my money I will come back here with a post stating so, but don't hold your breath. Like the lady said, "We are never wrong."

The IRS used to cash checks mistakenly sent to them, being the gov't there is no one going to stop them. Probably the best you could do is try to embarrass them on the local news and write your elected officials.

 

[milprileb]

Sounds like you wrote a check for $30 and the bank paid out more than $30 ?

My bank would fix that , have you gone to see branch manager? If this were the case
all the time, Kroger and other places could drain your checking account using any check
you write out.

 

[cpw]

Last month I filled out my renewal forms and sent them back to ATF in Atlanta with a check for $30.00. I checked the right boxes, crossed all my t's and dotted all of my I's. I sent the local LEO a copy. A few days later my bank says ATF withdrew $90.00 form my checking account. I called ATF in Atlanta and they transferred me to Virginia. The girl on the phone insisted that ATF doesn't make mistakes. Ha Ha. She wouldn't even bother to try and help me. She kept saying ATF could not withdraw more than what I had written on the line. I don't have check copies. I told the bank about this and they sent a trace back to ATF. I can't believe they stole and extra $60.00 from me and the dodo on the phone insisted I am wrong without even checking for me. Make sure if you send in for your license renewal that you only keep $30.00 in your account and tell your bank not to pay anymore than what you wrote on the check. I doubt I ever see my $60.00 as they are all in denial up there. I knew the government was broke, but I didn't think they would get money from innocent people this way. If they ever refund my money I will come back here with a post stating so, but don't hold your breath. Like the lady said, "We are never wrong."

Go after the bank - if the check was for $30, that is aall they can legally deduct from your account.

 

[jjjxlr8]

This certainly sounds like a bank error.

 

[curly1]

Bank error indeed.

 

[Buckshooter]

C&R License

I did go to our bank and they said ATF used electronic withdrawal from my check and that they sent a trace on it. I don't understand how someone can electronically withdraw more than I wrote the check for, and then ATF not wanting to even try and find the problem for me. If I don't hear from them soon I will talk to Jim Demint, my Senator here in SC. He will get something done.

 

[milprileb]

You are probably at the Sen. Demint level to get the refund resolved.

I would still go to bank manager , lay it out and then poke your hand out and ask for the sixty bucks
they negligently released from your account. If he blinks, tell him to get his supervisor on the phone
and push the issue politely but firmly to have them do right. Oh and do tell them you will publish this
all on internet and let the public know if they don't do your right.

 

[Clyde]

There are some legal remedies - talk to your attorney.

They don;t do electronic withdrawals, they use electronic processing.

 

[The Expert]

Electronic or not, they will still have a scanned image of that check to compare with the actual deduction. Don't let the bank off the hook so easily.

 

[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

Regardless of whether or not the bank made a mistake the ATF apparently got the money.

Write (Don't bother calling or emailing) to:


In the letter put in the details and make it short and to the point. Politely ask for your $60 back. Include a copy of your application and of the bank statement about the check and electronic transfer. They'll be glad to give you one. Do not fuss or fume or elaborate, please. A good letter form would be:


Federal Firearms Licensing Center
244 Needy Road
Martinsburg, West Virginia 25405

Dear Sirs,

On (date of application) I sent you an application for renewal of my Collector's FFL with a check for $30. My bank has informed me that you received $90 instead of the $30 license fee the check was made out for.

Please correct this mistake and refund the extra $60 to my account. Copies of the application and bank statement are enclosed.

Sincerely,

Your name
Address.

If this fails to get a response in a month I'd send a copy with enclosures to your congressman and senators, complaining, politely, about the brush-off you got in the call and the lack of response to the letter.

As a retired federal bureaucrat I can assure you that it'll raise an amazing amount of fuss and furor at the ATF. Congress can yank their leash any time they want. You NEVER ignore a congressional request and since everyone is a constituent to a representative and 2 senators you'd best respond to the public any time they put something in writing and on the record ASAP.

BTW, the Atlanta address is obsolete. They moved in 2008.

 

[greyheadedguy]

Even if you are going to write this letter you need the proof from the bank and that should include your original check and the records for the wire draft.

That being said, the problem is the bank's. They are they steward of your money and they are only authorized to issue the funds that you have approved. If somebody maxes out your credit card, you call the bank (or issuer of the card) and report fraudulent activity. If you write a check and somebody washes the check and rewrites it for a different amount you contact the bank and report fraudulent activity. This is fraud how ever you look at it and needs to be reported as fraud. If you call the bank and cannot get action, speak to their supervisor, if they won't do anything, ask to speak to their supervisor. This is the bank's problem, they violated your trust and if they are not willing to fix this, I would move my accounts. If you can't trust them with your money are you going to leave it there? Inaction is telling them that you have no problem with the bank losing and fraudulently spending you money. What bank is it, if they are watching over their customer's assets that poorly, I don't think I want my money there?

 

[curly1]

Yes I would start going up the chain at the bank first, let them get the money back from ATF after they credit your account.

 

[robertmcm]

Sorry to hear about this. The government steals from us everyday. I have to agree that there is some sort of mistake here.

I would submit that you let your C&R expire instead of renewing. It seems that renewals take longer (so I have been told). When I get my renewal form, they want to know how many guns I bought and sold. I just let it expire and apply for a new one. Once the new license is issued you must start a new bound book. The old bound book for the expired license is not required to be kept. Any sort of inspection would consist only of the firearms bought under your current C&R.