Two weeks ago, I realized I was out of checks. So, I went through my bank’s webpage to reorder checks. Of course, I made sure they would be printed with my new address. I’ve never had a problem reordering this way, and I certainly didn’t expect to have a problem this time.

I was told the checks would arrive November 3rd. They didn’t. So I got in touch with Clarke American, the check printing company, and was informed:

The order was shipped to the previous address on November 3, 2008. Check orders requiring address changes cannot be placed online due to our security procedures.

And yet, Clarke American’s website allowed me to place an order, with my new mailing address on the checks, without at all, at any time, informing me that I needed to call them. And then, to top it all off, they shipped the checks to my previous address!

Seriously: what the fuck? To top it all off, to contact Clarke American via the phone, or through their chat function, requires me to have my routing number, which I certainly don’t have at work. So I’ve replied to their e-mail to me, and I’ve contacted my bank directly to apprise them of the situation, but I’m both really furious and angry, and really fucking scared at the moment.

If you can’t place a check order with a change of address, why did you allow me to do so? I don’t get this. I hope this is all resolved. According to the USPS tracking information, though, whoever is living in my old apartment has had my checks for three days now.

I am not amused.

UPDATE:

Because, for some silly reason, I needed my routing number to get in touch with Clarke American, I left work early, missed the bus, finally got home, and spent about twenty minutes on the phone with people from Clarke American and my own bank. I’m not quite sure where the issue was — apparently my bank provided the incorrect shipping address (yet the correct address to print on the checks) — but I’ve been repeatedly assured by my bank that, should the checks mailed out be turned in for payment, no payment will be provided. I think I’m still going to close out this checking account and open a new one, however.