nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

B&Q Refusing Cash Tranactions

Nozebleed

I was at my local B&Q this morning..where i queued for 20 mins to get in and then a further 20 mins to pay for my stuff only to be told the no longer take cash transaction in accordance with government guidelines. I was shocked..told the woman i have only cash..i was then asked by the staff member do i know someone with a back card who could pay for the items in question..but she new by the face on me..not to ask anymore questions.

is this legal practice on the part of B&Q?

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

L1011

Pulse dialling will be disabled at some stage when openeir can be bothered doing it - you'd better get a convertor

SPDUB

L1011 wrote: »

Costs me 0c to use my credit card and its unlikely it ever will

Only because the Government gets €30 every year

swarlb

L1011 wrote: »

People still used analogue mobile phones until the day the network was switched off. Didn't stop it being dead technology.

Most retailers that are not accepting cash now will never do so again. Once you've stopped dealing with cash handling costs etc you don't want to start it again.

I've been in business since the 70's, several of my transactions over the past weeks have been in cash, some via PayPal, some by card etc. I will continue to use all options till as such point as I cannot.
Funny you should mention 'analogue mobile phone' as I actually sold an old 'mars bar' Sony, complete with car kit, recently .... for cash !!
And I have an old Bakelite dial telephone hooked up in my home, and it works fine utilizing some 'modern tech' as the young people like to call it.

Cash is still very much alive, maybe you just move in different circles...

thenightman

Queued for an hour to get into Halfords in Tallaght over the weekend and the security guy for the B&Q beside it told everyone who joined their queue that it was card only. You could see the type of person not listening to him (or the signs every 2m!) would be the same type to kick up a fuss about their entitlements when they eventually try to pay cash.

My mother recently received her pension and gets it paid into her credit union account, credit union has a debit card which she uses. Far safer than carrying or leaving cash in the house. I also got her a revolut card so she can pay on her phone for small amounts.

L1011

swarlb wrote: »

Till the point arises that cash/paper/coins completely vanish from use, and are no longer 'manufactured' for use, means that people will, and do use it, both here... and in Sweden.

People still used analogue mobile phones until the day the network was switched off. Didn't stop it being dead technology.

Most retailers that are not accepting cash now will never do so again. Once you've stopped dealing with cash handling costs etc you don't want to start it again.

swarlb

L1011 wrote: »

And "OUR way" now appears to be near total use of cards with multiple shops completely refusing to accept cash.

Sweden has physical currency, but nobody uses it. Most shops don't take it, most banks don't have any, ATM networks are getting switched off. Some single banks here have more ATMs than are left on the main interbank network in Sweden. They were down to 13% of transactions (by number, 6% by value, further down the report) in 2018 and the decline since then has basically been terminal.

That some people appear to have an emotional connection to physical cash won't make it come back.

Till the point arises that cash/paper/coins completely vanish from use, and are no longer 'manufactured' for use, means that people will, and do use it, both here... and in Sweden.
Regardless of any 'emotional' attachment. The only time I get 'emotional' as regards money, is when I don't have any.

Getting back to the OP's point, I called over to B&Q near where I live on the day it re-opened, and I noticed the 'airport style' way they had of lining up queues, I also noticed the staff outside organising the queue, and the many signs they had indication 'payment by card only, no cash'.
As fond of cash as I am, I had my card ready the next time I called.

Nozebleed

thats all gona change...aib postponed their charges just before the pandemic.

L1011

Nozebleed wrote: »

well..thanks for the replie folks, hope you all prepare yourselves for the fees and maintenace charges that are coming down the line.

Costs me 0c to use my credit card and its unlikely it ever will

Costs me something like 30c to take cash out...

Nozebleed

well..thanks for the replie folks, hope you all prepare yourselves for the fees and maintenace charges that are coming down the line.

28064212

Nozebleed wrote: »

technically!!! no bare with me...i had handed the items over to the cashier. they were scanned and processed...so!!! would it be fair to say im debt at that stage of the process!!?

No. The items are not yours until you have paid for them (unlike an eaten meal for example, where the food has already been consumed).

L1011

Nozebleed wrote: »

technically!!! no bare with me...i had handed the items over to the cashier. they were scanned and processed...so!!! would it be fair to say im debt at that stage of the process!!?

Nope. Absolutely not. Store still owns the items til they are paid or otherwise handed over via means of a credit agreement.

Nozebleed

micosoft wrote: »

Common misconception. They cannot refuse legal tender for a Debt.

They can of course refuse to sell you something before the debt is incurred.

Unless OP was buying on credit he can't force them to accept any means of payment. They can they only accept sea shells if they feel like it. Well within their rights.

technically!!! no bare with me...i had handed the items over to the cashier. they were scanned and processed...so!!! would it be fair to say im debt at that stage of the process!!?

parttime

My drug dealer hates when I pay by card!

Nozebleed

Sonics2k wrote: »

B&Q is prioritizing the health and safety of it's staff. And I believe all the stores have quite a few signs up saying "Card payments/Contactless only", or at least the two stores I visited do.

I imagine the OP didn't bother to read the signs.

jaysis lads..sorry for breathing.

phormium

I prefer to use cash, I budget by taking out one cash lump sum per week from ATM however I have been using contactless with credit card as needed. Woodies where I am take cash and I have only come across one garage/convenience store that takes no cash at all. Local diys etc take cash no problem.

Shop can decide policy, once it's well communicated then that's their choice.

Rodney Bathgate

Juwwi wrote: »

This situation in general must be a nightmare for Bertie Ahern who doesn't have a bank account.

He might have Revolut now. Assuming he has a passport.

L1011

swarlb wrote: »

I wish people would stop doing this... we are NOT Sweden, or any other country for that matter, we are who we are, Irish. And we have OUR ways of doing things, OUR way, not Sweden's.....
Some, if not plenty of people here use cash, and cards, and even cheques.

As an aside, I've never been to Sweden. Do they have no form of currency whatsoever apart from plastics cards ? Because if they do have a currency, then cash is not DEAD in Sweden, just like in Ireland, someone must use it.

And "OUR way" now appears to be near total use of cards with multiple shops completely refusing to accept cash.

Sweden has physical currency, but nobody uses it. Most shops don't take it, most banks don't have any, ATM networks are getting switched off. Some single banks here have more ATMs than are left on the main interbank network in Sweden. They were down to 13% of transactions (by number, 6% by value, further down the report) in 2018 and the decline since then has basically been terminal.

That some people appear to have an emotional connection to physical cash won't make it come back.

swarlb

L1011 wrote: »

I go find a shop with working kit.

I haven't used cash since early March and not sure I ever will again.

There are entire countries where cash was basically dead a long time before this started - Sweden for instance.

I wish people would stop doing this... we are NOT Sweden, or any other country for that matter, we are who we are, Irish. And we have OUR ways of doing things, OUR way, not Sweden's.....
Some, if not plenty of people here use cash, and cards, and even cheques.

As an aside, I've never been to Sweden. Do they have no form of currency whatsoever apart from plastics cards ? Because if they do have a currency, then cash is not DEAD in Sweden, just like in Ireland, someone must use it.

SPDUB

StackSteevens wrote: »

I'm not going to second guess what the OP did or didn't do, but I am astonished that it took him until day 84 of the Covid 19 crisis, to realise that some retailers weren't accepting cash.

I have used a card but all the shops I have been in during these 84 days have accepted Cash so not astonished that the OP might not have realised some places aren't .

Juwwi

This situation in general must be a nightmare for Bertie Ahern who doesn't have a bank account.

Vic_08

I told ya wrote: »

Cash cannot be refused. If you refuse to accept legal tender in certain cases the debt is deemed paid. That's why it's called legal tender. If people could refuse to accept cash then it would undermine the currency. It could also expose people to uncertainty and abuse.

There are limitations eg where you try to use a box of 1c coins to pay a €100 debt.

It's a very long time since I've studied this area but the above is the general position. The relevant legislation also sets out the limits for the use of coins, use of large notes, etc.

As countless other posters have already explained the only situation where "legal tender" has any relevance is in the settlement of a debt.

All other retail transactions are "Invitations to treat" where no debt has been taken, no contract has been formed and no obligation to trade is in force UNTIL goods and payment OF WHATEVER TYPE BOTH PARTIES AGREE ON have been exchanged.

The only exceptions are refusal to trade based on prescribed discriminatory basis, only posessing cash is not one of these.

L1011

I told ya wrote: »

Cash cannot be refused. If you refuse to accept legal tender in certain cases the debt is deemed paid. That's why it's called legal tender. If people could refuse to accept cash then it would undermine the currency. It could also expose people to uncertainty and abuse.

There are limitations eg where you try to use a box of 1c coins to pay a €100 debt.

It's a very long time since I've studied this area but the above is the general position. The relevant legislation also sets out the limits for the use of coins, use of large notes, etc.

The major issue here is that no debt exists in this scenario; no matter how you try to argue it.

The state and ECB absolutely do not give a toss about acceptance of cash; those days are over - people feeling that the numbers in their bank account actually mean something and work is what is important. Both would be delighted to get away from issuing cash.

BeardySi

I told ya wrote: »

Cash cannot be refused. If you refuse to accept legal tender in certain cases the debt is deemed paid. That's why it's called legal tender. If people could refuse to accept cash then it would undermine the currency. It could also expose people to uncertainty and abuse.

There are limitations eg where you try to use a box of 1c coins to pay a €100 debt.

It's a very long time since I've studied this area but the above is the general position. The relevant legislation also sets out the limits for the use of coins, use of large notes, etc.

*facepalm*

There is no debt at the till.

Read the thread, it's been pointed out MANY times...

I told ya

Vic_08 wrote: »

Yes.

They can require any form of payment they like.

Cash cannot be refused. If you refuse to accept legal tender in certain cases the debt is deemed paid. That's why it's called legal tender. If people could refuse to accept cash then it would undermine the currency. It could also expose people to uncertainty and abuse.

There are limitations eg where you try to use a box of 1c coins to pay a €100 debt.

It's a very long time since I've studied this area but the above is the general position. The relevant legislation also sets out the limits for the use of coins, use of large notes, etc.

micosoft

Nozebleed wrote: »

im sure they can request a preferred method of payment but the cant refuse legal tender.

Common misconception. They cannot refuse legal tender for a Debt.

They can of course refuse to sell you something before the debt is incurred.

Unless OP was buying on credit he can't force them to accept any means of payment. They can they only accept sea shells if they feel like it. Well within their rights.

dartboardio

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Its their shop. If they want to price everything in and only accept , bags of feathers, they can.

Yeah I know they can do what they like, just I think it's ridiculous.

Guy:Incognito

dartboardio wrote: »

That is bloody ridiculous. They should not be allowed refuse cash..
'

Its their shop. If they want to price everything in and only accept , bags of feathers, they can.

StackSteevens

Sonics2k wrote: »

B&Q is prioritizing the health and safety of it's staff. And I believe all the stores have quite a few signs up saying "Card payments/Contactless only", or at least the two stores I visited do.

I imagine the OP didn't bother to read the signs.

I'm not going to second guess what the OP did or didn't do, but I am astonished that it took him until day 84 of the Covid 19 crisis, to realise that some retailers weren't accepting cash.

StackSteevens

lisasimpson wrote: »

For those who say cash is dead what will ye do when ye get to when yeget to a shop and card machine isnt working. Happened me in a chemist last sat. They asked me for cash. Also i was at a wedding a few years back and there was a nationwide system failure in the visa network. A lot of people got caught with no cash on them

Much the same problem tends to arise when one loses one's wallet/purse/handbag.

But you already knew that! :rolleyes:

Sonics2k

dartboardio wrote: »

That is bloody ridiculous. They should not be allowed refuse cash..

Prefer it yes, refuse it, no...

Alot of people probably don't even use bank cards. I know that sounds like a silly statement but it's true.

they should at the very least, have a very noticeable sign up saying 'no cash transactions'

B&Q is prioritizing the health and safety of it's staff. And I believe all the stores have quite a few signs up saying "Card payments/Contactless only", or at least the two stores I visited do.

I imagine the OP didn't bother to read the signs.