💡 Lemonway allows you to accept cheque payments issued from a French bank account. This article explains how the process works, the associated statuses, and what to do in the event of an anomaly or a dispute.
⚙️ How does it work?
❗ What happens in case of an anomaly?
📋 Main cheque statuses
🚫 What to do in case of a cheque dispute?
⚙️ How does it work?
The payer makes the cheque out to Lemonway and sends it to you, or sends it directly to Lemonway with your company name written on the back of the cheque.
The payer must also write on the back of the cheque:
- The external ID of their payment account, or
- The transaction ID if the cheque was pre-registered on your Dashboard.
Lemonway then verifies each cheque against the following criteria:
| Criterion | Detail |
|---|---|
| Validity | Signature, date (less than 12 months old), city, amount and payee |
| Amount consistency | If there is a discrepancy between the amount in figures and in words, the amount in words takes precedence |
| External ID | Payment account identifier written on the back of the cheque |
| Transaction ID | For cheques pre-registered in your Dashboard environment |
| Matching | Between the cheque issuer and the holder of the payment account to be credited |
💡 Via the API — For more information on how cheque payments work via the API, please refer to our dedicated documentation. Processing times depend on the date the cheque is received and postal delays.
❗ What happens in case of an anomaly?
If an anomaly is detected, the cheque is either destroyed or returned (if the anomaly can be corrected). Blocking anomaly cases are:
| Type of anomaly | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Partially torn cheque (e.g. cheque number truncated) | Destroyed |
| Missing payee or amount | Returned |
| Missing signature | Returned |
| Incorrect date | Returned |
| Corrections or crossings-out on the cheque | Returned |
| Missing Lemonway reference (and cannot be added) | Destroyed |
📋 Main cheque statuses
You can track the status of your cheque transactions directly in your Lemonway Dashboard.
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| ✅ Completed | The transaction was successful. The amount has been credited to the target payment account. |
| 🕓 Pending | The cheque is being processed by our banking partner. The status may change to Completed or Error. |
| ❗ Error | The transaction failed. The amount has not been credited to the target payment account. |
| ❌ Chargeback | The customer has disputed the payment. Learn more about returned cheques. |
⚠️ Note: For Crowdfunding and money pot (cagnotte) platforms, the cheque issuer must be the holder of the Lemonway payment account.
📌 A successful transaction does not appear as Completed
In rare cases (anomaly in the banking information submitted to Lemonway), a cheque that has been debited from your customer's bank account may appear in your Dashboard with a Pending or Error status.
If this occurs, please contact us with the following information:
- The cheque amount
- The cheque number
- Proof of debit from the customer's bank account
🚫 What to do in case of a cheque dispute?
If a customer informs you of a cheque dispute, here is the procedure to follow:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. Contact the bank | Ask your customer to contact their bank to obtain the details of the dispute (reason: loss, theft, etc.). |
| 2. Loss / theft declaration | The declaration certificate is held by the cheque issuer's bank. Only the issuer can provide it to you — Lemonway does not hold this document. |
| 3. Contact Lemonway | Open a support ticket providing: the cheque amount and number, the transaction ID (Dashboard), and any supporting document provided by the customer. |
⚠️ Important deadline: The time limit for receiving a returned cheque is 60 days from the date of encashment. In the event of a returned cheque, the corresponding amount will be deducted from the payment account concerned. If there are insufficient funds, a transfer from your reserve account will be made.