We can all use a little change but this Montreal bank turned away $800 in coins

Change can be a scary thing. Just ask a Montreal bank who turned away a man who tried to deposit $800 worth of coins.

Julien Perotte brought his collection of rolled up loonies and toonies to a Laurentian Bank branch but was told the bank wouldn’t accept the money. He said when he asked the teller to repeat herself he was told to go to a pharmacy, grocery store, SAQ or depanneur.

He then looked into changing his coins at a Coinstar machine but didn’t want to use it due to the 12 per cent charge.

“I do understand society is changing but the coins are not changing. They’re still there. It’s not pennies, it’s just regular coins,” he said.

He said he had been collecting the coins for the past year and had been a Laurentian Bank customer for 15 years and worries other banks will follow Laurentian’s lead in not accepting coins. In the meantime, Perotte said he is looking to change banks.