Bill paying methods

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Five years ago it still wasnt surprising to me. Today its very surprising.

Inertia is a powerful force. People tend to do things the way they always have.

I find it equally amazing to see the line of cars at that bank drive-up windows on a Friday.

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by Grand Banks By the way, I'm highly amused by the number of people who still use checks...

GB, th, whoever...

Just ended a 27 year career with a check printing company. Went to work there right out of the military and my USAF buddies asked me back then what the heck was I thinking, since checks were going away within a couple of years. Although there are any number of competing bill payment methods, checks are still hanging in there. The number of non-government checks written in the US continued to increase each year until they exceeded 60 billion around the year 2000. They have since declined at a rate of 3-5% per year.

Old habits die hard...or is that car batteries?

REW

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I just replaced my car battery. I dont think there was a connection as I paid by atm card for the new one...hmmm...

I guess there is inertia in everything. I probably react to it more because my bank was one of the first to come out with atm cards in the area and I got one right away although I was mighty suspicious of it at first. I think it was around 1985-86ish.

[brewer12345]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo! GB, th, whoever... Just ended a 27 year career with a check printing company.* Went to work there right out of the military and my USAF buddies asked me back then what the heck was I thinking, since checks were going away within a couple of years.* Although there are any number of competing bill payment methods, checks are still hanging in there.* The number of non-government checks written in the US conitued to increase each year until they exceeded 60 billion around the year 2000.* They have since declined at a rate of 3-5% per year. Old habits die hard...or is that car batteries? REW

REW, is that Deluxe you are talking about? What do you think of DLX as an investment?

[MRGALT2U]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo! GB, th, whoever... Just ended a 27 year career with a check printing company.* Went to work there right out of the military and my USAF buddies asked me back then what the heck was I thinking, since checks were going away within a couple of years.* Although there are any number of competing bill payment methods, checks are still hanging in there.* The number of non-government checks written in the US conitued to increase each year until they exceeded 60 billion around the year 2000.* They have since declined at a rate of 3-5% per year. Old habits die hard...or is that car batteries? REW

Back in the mid 70s I ran an envelope manufacturing company. The big fear in the industry was the "paperless" office. Paper and envelopes looked to become
obsolete and then we would be out of business. 30 years later, enevlopes and
paper are still in great demand. Anyway, "conventional wisdom" may be
conventional but it is seldom "wisdom".

JG

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by brewer12345 REW, is that Deluxe you are talking about? What do you think of DLX as an investment?

I would not invest in either of the two publicly tradaded companies in the industry, Deluxe (DLX) or John Harland (JH). Both are trying to move away from checks as their core business, but neither has a history of successful diversification.

REW

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I'm highly amused by the number of people who still use checks

When we moved out of the city to this rural area, we saw someone pay for a cup of coffee with a check! That's when we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Could be worse.

We live in a town thats about half populated with people who live and work at the local air force base. As they move around a lot, they end up with a variety of local paperwork.

I remember being in line behind a woman who had an envelope full of various ID's and drivers licenses from all around the country, mostly expired. Along with a checkbook with a different address somewhere completely different, drawn from an out of state bank. For a sub $5 grocery purchase we waited about 15 minutes while various management and sub-management people pondered her case. I was somewhere between screaming and walking out and throwing the $5 down and telling her to take her stuff and go when they firmly decided that they would not take the check and she magically produced a five dollar bill herself.

Thats when I first learned that at least in many places in california, that an expired ID is not an acceptable form of identification. What? You become someone else when the date on the ID goes by?!?

[Austin_Explorer]

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Originally Posted by Grand Banks You are far, far, far more likely to have your check stolen, one of the handful of people keying in the info to do it wrong, or some other manual handling mistake than having a problem with an electronic funds transfer.* And the latter is far, far far easier to fix.

And the ease with which some can take the routing number from your check and suck money out of your account is pretty scary. Checks are a last resort for me.

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For a sub $5 grocery purchase we waited about 15 minutes while various management and sub-management people pondered her case.

I know that lady -- she shops here.

[unclemick]

Relatives of those dork brained jerks work at the bank. My Mother has been banking there longer than any of the current employees - they wouldn't cash her E bonds because her Passport and drivers license were expired - proper ID and all that rot. La license would be ok.

So in my musty, misty files I found her Birth certificate - WITH RAISED EMBOSSED SEAL - and proceeded to get an ID only La license - which they didn't want to grant because the docter put the Finnish nen ending on the surname.

Lucky for all - I'm totally full of it - 'see 1916 Michigan, obviously a German docter by HIS name - what does he know about spelling'. Sweet young thing checked a couple data bases on her computer(like me) and granted the ID.

One of my doughnut shop buddies recently went round and round with a bank - because they didn't want to accept his permanent military retired ID to open an account.

Expect more looney toon stupidity to come as we go up the learning curve of the Patriot Act.

[FlowGirl]

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Originally Posted by th Could be worse. Thats when I first learned that at least in many places in california, that an expired ID is not an acceptable form of identification. What? You become someone else when the date on the ID goes by?!?

Recently, during a night out drinking a 37 year old friend of mine was almost turned away from the bar because her ID was just barely expired. I couldn't believe they were we giving her a hard time - the ID looked just like her and there's no way she looks under 21.

On the other hand my husband's driver's license has no picture on it. Our home state issues no picture licenses to active duty military because you might be holding the same card for 20 or more years, and they figure you might not always resemble your 18 year-old self. It's supposed to be used in conjuntion with a military ID, but several bars have let him in using the license alone. Go figure.

[VoyT]

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Originally Posted by Cut-Throat I find it equally amazing to see the line of cars at that bank drive-up windows on a Friday.

* * *Have to admit, my DH is resisting direct deposit .. mainly because the company has had some late deposits in the last few years, leaving co-workers in a panic over bounced auto-payments.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Actually my favorite check writer is the one that stands there staring blankly at the register until the total is wrung up, then starts fishing in the purse for the checkbook.

After all, her name may have changed during the transaction, the store may have been bought out, another day might have transpired, or she might have decided at the end not to make the purchase...

[Austin_Explorer]

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Originally Posted by VoyT * * *Have to admit, my DH is resisting direct deposit .. mainly because the company has had some late deposits in the last few years, leaving co-workers in a panic over bounced auto-payments.

My DW's employer charges extra for direct deposit. How messed up is that?

[LovesLife]

I was behind a woman at Sam's club once who tried to use a different checking account than the one on the membership. The manager and other staff members were trying to locate "something" at the membership desk so that they could accept her check. Finally, what seemed like forever, they came back just as her stupid cell phone rang. She was bumbling around trying to write her stupid check and carry on a conversation. I said in a loud clear voice, "Hey lady, get off the stupid phone and finish your transaction. I've taken enough of my time waiting for you." If looks could kill, but she did get off the phone.

[Nords]

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Originally Posted by LovesLife I said in a loud clear voice, "Hey lady, get off the stupid phone and finish your transaction.* I've taken enough of my time waiting for you."* If looks could kill, but she did get off the phone.

I've had people stop dead in the middle of the grocery aisle to answer calls and wave their arms around while blocking traffic.

It turns out that no one objects (well, only one) if you use the front of your shopping cart to ever-so-gently nudge them out of the way.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

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Originally Posted by Austin_Explorer My DW's employer charges extra for direct deposit. How messed up is that?

Very. State of california used to charge you a 'convenience fee' to renew your license or registration on-line. As a result, pretty much nobody did it. Finally somebody figured out the DMV was the one getting the convenience of not having to handle a piece of mail and a check and they took the convenience fee away. They should have been giving you a $5 discount to pay online.

It still costs money to send in your tax returns electronically, unless you prepare them completely online using one of the free tools, none of which I've found are completely free or can do both a federal and state return without retyping all the info into the state one.

Nords - my favorite appears to be a california thing as I dont remember seeing it in any other state I've lived in. You walk alongside the cart, tugging it along with you, preferably while your 5-7 children dance around the cart. Periodically stop when you see something interesting and new (like pasta sauce), park the cart on one side of the aisle while you stand next to it, and read the ingredients for a good 3-4 minutes while a half dozen people give you the evil eye. "Let me help you...there are tomato's onions and garlic in the goddamned jar!" is what I want to scream.

I usually dont bump the person, but I drive right into the back of their cart and push it out of the way, which sure startles the hell out of them. Never looked back to see the expression on their face. I sometimes get a very muted and annoyed "EXCUSE me" to which I loudly reply "NO". Then everybody laughs. Then we all go out together and get ice cream and reminisce.

[VoyT]

* Loves life ... last Christmas I was at the post office mailing packages. The line is out the door. At the head of the line, some woman is carrying on a cell-phone conversation -- too busy to walk to the open window.
* * *None of the six people behind her moved, so I said, "Lady, you're next."* She slammed the phone shut (probably hung up on the person) and screamed, "Why don't you calm the hell down? Happy holidays to you!"* She was about to say something else when the elderly woman next to me yelled back:* "I bet you're one of those rich gals who doesn't have to get back to work!" (she was wearing an expensive-looking leather coat )
* * This apparently startled Ms Screamer enough (or maybe it was the chorus of Yeahs! farther down the line) that she shut her mouth and took care of business.

[LovesLife]

VoyT,

I think a lot of people just don't realize how ridiculous they can come across to the public. Either that or they just don't care. Case in point, someone talking on their cell phone, via headset, in a store. Looks like they are having a conversation with themselves.

LL