Retiree ‘in shock’ after Canada Post finds missing $300K inheritance cheque

Louis Kavaratzis was in shock when he got a phone call from Canada Post Monday telling him that a piece of registered mail — which contained a certified cheque for $301,560 — turned up weeks after it had gone missing.

“I felt a big sense of relief, yet I’m still frustrated, very much. Last night I didn’t sleep one bit,” Kavaratzis said Tuesday. “[But] I won’t rest until the cash is actually in the bank.”

The missing envelope contained money left for Kavaratzis in his late father’s will. It was sent from his father’s estate by his brother, George Kavaratzis, through registered mail on July 25 from Campbellford, Ont., to Ayer’s Cliff, Que. But the cheque has seemingly vanished, with the brothers spending nearly every day since trying to track it down with Canada Post.

After CBC News reported on his story last week, Kavaratzis says the local post office in Ayer’s Cliff rang him up at 6:30 p.m. on Monday saying they searched the office again and found the missing envelope behind a drawer reserved for registered mail.

“When they removed the drawer, they found my registered mail … [that] supposedly had fallen on the back of the drawer,” Louis said.

He says he rushed to the post office as soon as he received the call to retrieve the envelope.

“I was in shock, I didn’t know what to say. I looked at it, I opened it in front of them to make sure it was the cheque.”

Missing cheque found Monday

In an email to CBC News Tuesday, Canada Post confirmed the cheque was delivered to Louis late Monday afternoon but did not provide any further details on why it had gone missing.

Canada Post had said when the issue was brought to their attention, it conducted a “thorough search” of its facilities.

The Crown corporation previously apologized to the brothers in a statement for the “unfortunate and frustrating delivery experience.”

In Ayer’s Cliff, mail is delivered to residents’ mailboxes located inside the Canada Post office. Louis got a notice in his mailbox on Aug. 3 that he had registered mail to retrieve, but had said when he went to the counter to pick it up, it was missing. 

Thinking he was out more than $300,000 when the piece of registered mail seemingly vanished, Kavaratzis, 57, said the then-missing inheritance would ruin his retirement plans.

But with the cheque finally in hand now, he says he plans to deposit it as soon as possible.

‘Why didn’t they look there before?’

His brother, George, says while he is happy to learn that the cheque had been located, he wondered why it wasn’t spotted in the initial searches of the facilities.

“Unbelievable, what a relief,” he told CBC News Tuesday. “I am extremely happy for my brother, that he’s getting his money.

“It seems a little fishy to me to be honest. Why didn’t they look there before?”

Before finding out the cheque was found, he said Canada Post sent him a cheque refunding him $12.22.

“I guess that was their way of apologizing.”

George, who is the executor of his father’s estate, said he initially chose to send the cheque through registered mail because it provides confirmation Canada Post received the item and proof of delivery by requiring a signature by the recipient. Now, he says he is reconsidering using the delivery method to avoid future situations like this one.