Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing
machine and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket?
When you rescued your trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white?
People who live in Britain needn't despair when they made mistakes like this
(and a lot of people do)! Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team
called Mutilated Ladies which deals with claims from people who fed their
money to a machine or to their dog. Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money!#
A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiance, John, runs a successful
furniture business. John had very good day and put his wallet containing
$3,000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and Jane went
horse-riding. When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave
oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiance's wallet as well. Imagine
their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to
ash! John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet and the
money to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the
Mutilate Ladies! They examined the remains and John got all his money back.
'So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money
back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank. 'Last year, we paid $1.5m on 21,000
claims.&