Copper coins on City Direct

Mrs OBumble

I see City Direct have a sign saying the won't take copper coins, 1 2 or 5 cent, from 1 September. Is that legal???

barryd09

AFAIK its legal tender & they have to take it?
I would go out of my way to pay in coppers,IF i still used their buses.

Cant imagine people are going to take too kindly to this,wouldnt surprise me if they at some stage in the future 'only accept €2 coins'....

This is the same bus company that dont give change,right?

Chancers.

Unrealistic

Surely it would be the same situation as a shop being entitled to refuse to take a €500 note. The shop can legally refuse any sort of payment it chooses because placing goods on display and advertising a price does not create a contract but is defined as an 'invitation to treat'. A bus pulling up at a bus stop would logically fall into the same definition as a contract would only exist once payment is accepted by the driver. It would be different if we still had buses with conductors collecting fares as, by allowing you to board the bus and start the journey, a contract would be created before payment is made and this would mean any form of legal tender would need to be accepted as payment for the debt.

scholar007

From reading the Tribune a couple of days ago, apparently some local scangers used to lash a load of coppers into the bus driver and inevitably when it was incorrect (not enough tendered) and the driver brought this to their attention then a barrage of abuse would follow and I quote "What do you know, you're only a f**kin bus driver" or some other eloquent phrase to that effect.

How is not accepting coppers going to stop drivers from being abused? Nobody and I mean nobody, going about their daily work should have to put up with abuse from anyone, be it customers, fellow employees or employers!

dilallio

There have been a few threads on the Consumer Issues forum over similar things during last year.

It appears that legal tender applies to DEBTS ONLY. So if you filled your car with petrol, the shop would have to accept any legal tender, as a debt exists. They can refuse to accept any more than 50 coins though.

If you go into the same shop without getting petrol and want to by a loaf of bread, the shop can refuse your transaction even if you offer the exact price of the goods you wish to buy. The concept of legal tender doesn't come into it at all in this case.

In the case of buses, no debt exists if the driver refuses to let you on, so they can refuse certain coins, by making it a rule that they won't accept them.

biko

JustMary wrote: »

Is that legal???

Moved to Legal Discussion.

shaneybaby

Presumably like the poster above it's all about offer and acceptance for a service. It's not a debt (EC regs limit that to 50 coins anyway) so the bus company si saying we'll give you a ride for €2 provided your payment does not include 1c &2c coins. You either accept or reject the offer.

scholar007

shaneybaby wrote: »

so the bus company si saying we'll give you a ride for €2 provided your payment does not include 1c &2c coins. You either accept or reject the offer.

€2 for a ride - Where do i sign?

jblack

scholar007 wrote: »

€2 for a ride - Where do i sign?

My ex must have finally got a job..