Community Chat

[Nonametoday]

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@Love to Run wrote:

There are more businesses in my area that don't take checks than those who charge more for electronic payments. There is one fish market we use that takes cash only, but if I had to pay more to use an electronic payment I would shop elsewhere. Particularly for large ticket items because I choose to use the consumer protections offered with a credit card. We would never pay cash or check for a major purchase, if something goes wrong we would have little recourse.

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@Love to Run 

We would never pay cash or check for a major purchase, if something goes wrong we would have little recourse.  

And that's the problem with big corporations, i.e., Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Safeway, mercantile department stores, etc., running the little guy (Mom & Pop stoes) out of business.  We had a recourse when it was Mom & Pop. They lived across town.  Their kids went to school with ours.  They knew us.  They knew when we bought something if we returned it, it was because it was an invalid purchase.  We don't have that any longer and the reason we have to be guaranteed to use a credit card for that validity.  Just like on-line business whereby one has to jump through hoops or go through mazes to return something and we don't get our postage back or part of our puchase price is deducted or we are charged an upcharge for everything...now with cell phones and shopping internationally, we don't know our neighbors.  Our children don't know our neighbors' children, we don't know our pastor.  He is part of a big mega church.  We have funerals where the dead bury the dead.

[Regal Bee]

We had our dryer repaired last Friday and it was $400. If we had used a credit card, it would have added another 3% to the bill. Needless to say, we wrote a check. 

[Icegoddess]

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@NYCLatinaMe wrote:

@Icegoddess   This goes with a comment I made earlier on a different thread, the companies offer different things to different people.  I did not pay AT&T online, never used the website.  When I signed up for the service a long time ago, they gave me a phone number I could dial to pay.  It is *729, maybe it works for you if you are still using AT&T.  It was an automated payment system, and there was no charge to pay by phone.  A voice prompted me through the payment process.  I had not changed my AT&T plan in years because I was under the impression the newer plans were worse than the one I had, but when I had problems with slow data, I found out they changed my service without telling me, and I was paying for a data plan they were not honoring.  So I switched.  I think T-mobile has a better data plan.  I feel like reporting AT&T to whatever governmental agency is appropriate, because it doesn't seem right to me that they could change my terms on me, but I am afraid it may be a hassle with an uncertain outcome.  I have been paying for my phones in cash (credit card, I mean in full) for a long time, to avoid signing up for a new lousy plan.  T-mobile is no commitment.  Did not change the phone.  Happy with my iPhone 12 Pro Max.  My electric company works as you describe, if I call and make payment to a person, they charge a fee, which I don't do, unless I have a customer service issue and then they waive the fee.  But the electric company also has an automated payment system with no charge that I use most of the time, pay with a credit card over the phone, no fee. 

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@NYCLatinaMe I was talking about a Landline, and the only reason I was trying to pay by phone was becasue their website wasn't working properly.  I don't remember if I even had a cell phone at that time. 

[Pink123]

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@NYCLatinaMe wrote:

@Pink123 The Publix payment, was that a credit card or a debit card?  With debit cards and the convenience cash withdrawal machines, the typical scam is that the scammers attach some type of electronic device to the place where one inserts the card that can coolect the card number and the password that one enters.  The scammers collect the device later and make duplicates of people's debit cards.  I never use debit cards except at my bank or reputable banks, and make sure the card reader doesn't look odd.

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Hi @NYCLatinaMe  It was a regular credit card.  Yep.

[Pecky]

I had my dryer repaired and he only took cash or check.  

[Love to Run]

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@Nonametoday wrote:

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@Love to Run wrote:

There are more businesses in my area that don't take checks than those who charge more for electronic payments. There is one fish market we use that takes cash only, but if I had to pay more to use an electronic payment I would shop elsewhere. Particularly for large ticket items because I choose to use the consumer protections offered with a credit card. We would never pay cash or check for a major purchase, if something goes wrong we would have little recourse.

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@Love to Run 

We would never pay cash or check for a major purchase, if something goes wrong we would have little recourse.  

And that's the problem with big corporations, i.e., Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Safeway, mercantile department stores, etc., running the little guy (Mom & Pop stoes) out of business.  We had a recourse when it was Mom & Pop. They lived across town.  Their kids went to school with ours.  They knew us.  They knew when we bought something if we returned it, it was because it was an invalid purchase.  We don't have that any longer and the reason we have to be guaranteed to use a credit card for that validity.  Just like on-line business whereby one has to jump through hoops or go through mazes to return something and we don't get our postage back or part of our puchase price is deducted or we are charged an upcharge for everything...now with cell phones and shopping internationally, we don't know our neighbors.  Our children don't know our neighbors' children, we don't know our pastor.  He is part of a big mega church.  We have funerals where the dead bury the dead.

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@Nonametoday I've never lived in a small town, so this wouldn't apply to me. I would never want to be at someone's whim when it comes to business, I go by policy. 

[Trailrun23]

None of the hair stylists I have been to in years have not taken anything but cash. Nice little way to avoid taxes as well as the fee the salon owners are now charging in addition to rent.

[beckyb1012]

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@Trailrun23 wrote:

None of the hair stylists I have been to in years have not taken anything but cash. Nice little way to avoid taxes as well as the fee the salon owners are now charging in addition to rent.

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I have been seeing my hairdresser since 1996 and have always given her cash.  Her last name is Iranian with like 15 letters so I told her I would not be writing her a check.  She appreciates almost 30 years of cash.

[LavernLuvsShoes]

For some reason, I read this thread title as: Keep Those Cheekbones Handy 

< Carry on > 

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Nonametoday wrote:

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@Love to Run wrote:

There are more businesses in my area that don't take checks than those who charge more for electronic payments. There is one fish market we use that takes cash only, but if I had to pay more to use an electronic payment I would shop elsewhere. Particularly for large ticket items because I choose to use the consumer protections offered with a credit card. We would never pay cash or check for a major purchase, if something goes wrong we would have little recourse.

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@Love to Run 

We would never pay cash or check for a major purchase, if something goes wrong we would have little recourse.  

And that's the problem with big corporations, i.e., Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Safeway, mercantile department stores, etc., running the little guy (Mom & Pop stoes) out of business.  We had a recourse when it was Mom & Pop. They lived across town.  Their kids went to school with ours.  They knew us.  They knew when we bought something if we returned it, it was because it was an invalid purchase.  We don't have that any longer and the reason we have to be guaranteed to use a credit card for that validity.  Just like on-line business whereby one has to jump through hoops or go through mazes to return something and we don't get our postage back or part of our puchase price is deducted or we are charged an upcharge for everything...now with cell phones and shopping internationally, we don't know our neighbors.  Our children don't know our neighbors' children, we don't know our pastor.  He is part of a big mega church.  We have funerals where the dead bury the dead.

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@Nonametoday 

You must have lived in a VERY small town.