Investigation order
The investigation order is an order that can be given to your bank in connection with transfers or the post in connection with parcels or registered mail .
This becomes necessary if the original order did not reach the recipient. This can be for a variety of reasons. As a rule, however, recipient data was incorrectly specified or transmitted.
If a transfer was made in favor of incorrect account details and the recipient bank cannot assign the amount to a current account or account holder , the recipient bank is obliged to transfer the amount back. In this case, an investigation does not need to be issued.
procedure
You can place an inquiry directly with your bank or post office. This is only possible as a client. In the banks, the orders are usually processed by the payment transaction departments. These then send a corresponding request to the recipient bank, which gives the requesting bank a response.
Prices
Banks
It is undisputed that the bank may not charge bank fees for investigations if the error lies with the bank or the recipient bank. The extent to which the bank may charge fees if the customer is responsible for the incorrect transfer (e.g. due to illegibly written receipts or incorrect information) is disputed. A lump-sum fee for the processing of inquiries is inadmissible according to a first-instance judgment of the LG Frankfurt / Main on June 24, 1999, ( Az. 2/2 O 46/99), even if the customer was the fault. In practice, fees are often charged for the investigation, provided there is no banking error. In technical terms, the bank invokes the polluter pays principle .
- The German bank calculated (as at: December 6, 2014) 15 euros for a search request.
- The Postbank requires a flat rate (as of 24 January 2013) 21 euros for a search request.
- The savings bank charges a flat rate (as of June 5, 2013) 8 to 25 euros for an investigation. The amount varies depending on the savings bank.
post Office
At Deutsche Post, filing an inquiry for postal items is free of charge. The company decides whether this application will be granted.
