Tracey Shannon thought Scotiabank was passing the buck.

Actually, $282 worth of American coins.

"My 15-year-old son's father is a long-distance truck driver who frequently goes into the United States," Shannon told us. "He has been bringing Kyle back American coins and Kyle has been saving them. Recently we rolled them and took the money to our bank. We simply wanted to deposit the $282. We did not care about exchange rates. But our Scotiabank branch in Stoney Creek would not accept our money. They told us they have no way to get rid of this amount of coinage. If the money had been in dollar bills, they would have accepted it."

Angry and still disbelieving, Shannon went to a number of other financial institutions and fared no better.

"This kid has saved up this money over a long period of time and now they're telling him he can't use it," Shannon said. "I just don't think that's fair. Money is money, is it not?"

Well, yes and no. In previous columns we've explained that consumers and retailers don't have to do business using Canadian dollars. You can use any currency you wish. But, you both have to agree on the currency you are using.

This issue received considerable publicity when the Canadian dollar soared higher than its U.S. counterpart. Suddenly, Canadians wanted to use American money to make purchases. Many stores were slow to adjust exchange rates. Some insisted on making Canadians use Canadian dollars, even though the Canadian price for the goods was much higher than the U.S. price.

The manager of the Scotiabank on Highway 8 told Action Line the decision to refuse Kyle's U.S. coins was bank and not branch policy.

And a Scotiabank public affairs officer explained the bank has different rules for different communities.

"In border communities such as Niagara Falls, Fort Erie or Windsor, Scotiabank has made special arrangements with U.S. banks to handle settlement of U.S. coins," Joe Konechy told Action Line. "However, other bank branches do not have agreements with U.S. banks to process U.S. coins. Practically speaking, the volume of U.S. coins presented at those branches is low, while the cost of administration and shipment of large quantities for settlement in the U.S. is prohibitive."

The bank has settlement agreements with U.S. banks for the settlement of U.S. notes.

In case you're wondering, even Money Mart outlets in Hamilton do not accept U.S. coins.

Deposit that for future use.

If you have a consumer problem, call 905-526-4665 or e-mail amacrury@thespec.com. Not all calls and letters can be answered.