An Ashbourne man was left with a fistful of dollars when the bank he bought the currency from refused to change them back when he returned from holiday in Florida.
Last week Alan Owens took $101 he had left over from the family trip into the local Permanent TSB branch where he has an account and where he had originally bought them only to be told they wouldn’t accept them back as although they sold dollars they didn’t buy them back.
The trip took place in 2007 but as he works night shifts Alan is asleep during bank opening hours and had forgotten about the cash until he found it again last week
Astonished Alan was then left with a few dollars more than he wanted so he changed tack and sailed on down to the Ashbourne Post Office only to discover they wouldn’t give him the stamp of approval either.
Undeterred he returned to PTSB hoping to explain his case and meet with a different response but they were not for changing either their minds or his money.
Now he is left with a few dollars more than he needs.
He told Meath Live, ‘ I went to Florida in 2007 with my Mother, Brother, Sister, Girlfriend and four others and bought a substantial amount of dollars in the PTSB where I have my account.
‘As I work nights doing any transaction during the day is awkward but some time ago I found the dollars and thought, happy days I’ll get them changed in the bank.
‘I have tried twice in this branch of PTSB to change them back and they 100% refused to change them to Euros and also to transfer the amount to my personal bank account held in PTSB Ashbourne saying they will not handle any foreign currency at all, “Only Euros”.
‘I thought the post office might do it but had no luck there either.
‘It baffles me as surely some other customer of theirs would be travelling to the States at some stage they’d hardly be stuck with them.
‘I have no plans to travel to the USA at present so the dollars are useless to me’.
PTSB have not responded to requests for a comment.
An Post said in a statement, ‘An Post is by far the biggest provider of foreign exchange by cash in card in the country.
‘Travellers heading abroad can avail of our FX service in their local post office and stock up on dollars in cash or with the An Post Money Currency card and all commission free.
‘If you have Dollars on An Post Money Currency card we will gladly convert that to Euros however we do not buy dollars at the post office counter. This has never been part of the An Post FX service.’
