Peope who pay by cheque

Matt_Trakker · 16-01-2014 03:49PM #1

What's the point in it anymore, why not just pay by card, debit or credit?

OK, I know some will say something akin to....the money mightn't be in the account yet, so paying by cheque means you've a few days grace. But that's just stupid, why not then just pay for it when you have the money in your account.

Also, with things like Skrill/Paypal/bank transfers wtf do dinosaurs still insist on paying by cheque.

Do other countries still use cheques?

Philope · 16-01-2014 03:53PM

You don't need them that often, but Cheques can often be a great tactical way to pay tradesmen / delivery men / certain types of people etc. as they are also a form of receipt, and many of them avoid receipts / give excuses and pretend to avoid / genuinely avoid technology. It can sometimes cut all that guff out. Cheques can also be canceled before they are cashed, which is also handy when someone might be acting the maggot. I only use them once or twice a year when needed, but I wouldn't like to see them being done away with, but no doubt they will be soon.

mickydoomsux · 16-01-2014 03:56PM

Always found cheques to be an insane concept.

They are literally an "IOU".

Sky King · 16-01-2014 04:01PM

Matt_Trakker wrote: »

Also, with things like Skrill/Paypal/bank transfers wtf do dinosaurs still insist on paying by cheque.

Do other countries still use cheques?

Not sure what Skrill is but not everyone likes Dubstep. Paypal charges 4%

Bank transfers are great but it doesn't suit every transaction. Cheques fill the gap nicely - you can hand something over instantly (not possible with a transfer) and you don't have to carry wads of cash moneys around.

krudler · 16-01-2014 04:05PM

mickydoomsux wrote: »

Always found cheques to be an insane concept.

They are literally an "IOU".

Basically, I've had people ring to pay with a visa or laser card, the payment fails then they go "oh I'll write you a cheque from that account so" that account that you basically told me you have no money in? great.

Philope · 16-01-2014 04:08PM

krudler wrote: »

Basically, I've had people ring to pay with a visa or laser card, the payment fails then they go "oh I'll write you a cheque from that account so" that account that you basically told me you have no money in? great.

I've often had plenty of money in my account and visa/laser has not gone though. It doesn't always. Especially with one bank I was with, but have now changed from. Their shoddy servers seemed to time out quite often, at least that was what I was told when I asked them.

Ruu · 16-01-2014 04:10PM

Still widely used in the US, there are plenty that don't use the credit/debit option.

jimgoose · 16-01-2014 04:19PM

I use cheques a bit, not often but they're very handy for paying various tradesmen, as well as popping in the post for things like motor insurance, annual refuse charges, etc.

ROCKMAN · 16-01-2014 04:33PM

Use them the whole time for youth group , Great because of the double signature needed ,,,,Ok maybe you can get double signatures etc on debit cards and all that now ,, but this old dinosaur is happy living in the past.....

LizT · 16-01-2014 04:40PM

I remember reading somewhere that we use cheques more than most other European countries. They're definitely a lot more common here than in other countries.

blackwhite · 16-01-2014 04:42PM

From 19th September this year cheques will no longer be accepted by any State agencies or bodies.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/cheques-consigned-to-history-books-as-state-looks-to-future-29616887.html

The Government have also written out to most large businesses in Ireland asking them to support this phase-out.

The National Payments Plan includes moving the country away from cheques, so I would expect the Government to increase the stamp duty on cheques (currently 50c per cheque) in the near future, to try and make them less and less attractive for people to use.

I'd expect cheque use to die off dramatically in the next year or two.

The J Stands for Jay · 16-01-2014 04:43PM

I like to use cheques to pay for bills associated with my telex machine and mimeograph or when I'm buying 8track tapes.

Philope · 16-01-2014 04:44PM

blackwhite wrote: »

From 19th September this year cheques will no longer be accepted by any State agencies or bodies.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/cheques-consigned-to-history-books-as-state-looks-to-future-29616887.html

The Government have also written out to most large businesses in Ireland asking them to support this phase-out.

The National Payments Plan includes moving the country away from cheques, so I would expect the Government to increase the stamp duty on cheques (currently 50c per cheque) in the near future, to try and make them less and less attractive for people to use.

I'd expect cheque use to die off dramatically in the next year or two.

Typical for some clown with no experience of the real world to do that right enough.

They'll soon be a barcode/chip on our forearm.

Miaireland · 16-01-2014 04:44PM

I don't use cheques but I know my father still does for his business as he feels it is an easy way to keep track of his expenses. He just sends his accountants the cheques stubs.

jimgoose · 16-01-2014 04:46PM

blackwhite wrote: »

From 19th September this year cheques will no longer be accepted by any State agencies or bodies.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/cheques-consigned-to-history-books-as-state-looks-to-future-29616887.html

The Government have also written out to most large businesses in Ireland asking them to support this phase-out.

The National Payments Plan includes moving the country away from cheques, so I would expect the Government to increase the stamp duty on cheques (currently 50c per cheque) in the near future, to try and make them less and less attractive for people to use.

I'd expect cheque use to die off dramatically in the next year or two.

Well, that settles it then. I'm off to set fire to my cheque-book. It's not like the Government ever jumps into anything with two club-feet and makes a ringing horlicks of it.

pwurple · 16-01-2014 04:48PM

Suspects OP is someone who doesn't submit tax returns yet.

I use cheques for anything I need to submit to my accountant, or anything I need to be able to trace for the taxman in several years time. Shows up in the account when it was lodged, and stub shows what it was for. Receipts fade.

Also, anything in the post or trades people. I'm not going to pay a carpenter 3k in cash, and he won't have credit card facilities either.

Philope · 16-01-2014 04:50PM

pwurple wrote: »

Suspects OP is someone who doesn't submit tax returns yet.

I use cheques for anything I need to submit to my accountant, or anything I need to be able to trace for the taxman in several years time. Shows up in the account when it was lodged, and stub shows what it was for. Receipts fade.

Also, anything in the post or trades people. I'm not going to pay a carpenter 3k in cash, and he won't have credit card facilities either.

I agree, and now apparently some Gov bureaucrat with no real experience of the real world, is trying to make sure they are done away with, what are you going to do then ?

krudler · 16-01-2014 04:50PM

blackwhite wrote: »

From 19th September this year cheques will no longer be accepted by any State agencies or bodies.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/cheques-consigned-to-history-books-as-state-looks-to-future-29616887.html

The Government have also written out to most large businesses in Ireland asking them to support this phase-out.

The National Payments Plan includes moving the country away from cheques, so I would expect the Government to increase the stamp duty on cheques (currently 50c per cheque) in the near future, to try and make them less and less attractive for people to use.

I'd expect cheque use to die off dramatically in the next year or two.

Thank fook for that. When I applied for my visa to travel I had to get a bank giro and fax it, what in the actual ****, ever hear of paypal? visa debit? I can give you money instantly stop making things difficult.

Baron Kurtz · 16-01-2014 04:54PM

Too much trouble, what with Carl Hanratty on your case all the time..

blackwhite · 16-01-2014 04:56PM

Philope wrote: »

Typical for some clown with no experience of the real world to do that right enough.

They'll soon be a barcode/chip on our forearm.

jimgoose wrote: »

Well, that settles it then. I'm off to set fire to my cheque-book. It's not like the Government ever jumps into anything with two club-feet and makes a ringing horlicks of it.

Supposedly it could save the economy "up to" €1bn per year. :rolleyes:
Any time I see the words "up to" referring to Government savings I know that the reality will be, at best, around a quarter of that.

That said, as a former treasury manager in a large plc I can see the benefits of trying to do away with cheques as much as possible. They are a ridiculously inefficient way of moving money, and result in additional costs for both the person/company making the payment and for the person/company receiving the payment. I can certainly see why the Government wants to stop making payments by cheque and to stop receiving cheques (makes for much more efficient cash management).

That said, for small businesses, and for tradesmen and farmers in particular, cheques are extremely useful, and should be supported in so far as possible.
The 50c per cheque stamp duty on cheques is already too high, especially when you consider that the banks are charging between 20 and 50c per cheque handling fees.
The bank handling fees I can understand, cheques are costly to process for a bank. The stamp duty is a joke, cheques between two members of the public don't cost the state a thing!

Matt_Trakker · 16-01-2014 04:57PM

Philope wrote: »

You don't need them that often, but Cheques can often be a great tactical way to pay tradesmen / delivery men / certain types of people etc. as they are also a form of receipt, and many of them avoid receipts / give excuses and pretend to avoid / genuinely avoid technology. It can sometimes cut all that guff out. Cheques can also be canceled before they are cashed, which is also handy when someone might be acting the maggot. I only use them once or twice a year when needed, but I wouldn't like to see them being done away with, but no doubt they will be soon.

that makes sense I suppose, but why deal with a dodgy tradesman in the first place, most will surely sign a contract now won't they?

Philope wrote: »

They'll soon be a barcode/chip on our forearm.

That'd be handy...sorry....but yea, nobody could exactly steal it without looking pretty suspicious. I can use my phone where I'm living like a visa/debit card, it just scans over a machine and the purchases are paid for.

Philope wrote: »

pwurple wrote: »

Suspects OP is someone who doesn't submit tax returns yet.

Course I do, over the Internet
Just not in Ireland coz I left many moons ago.

blackwhite · 16-01-2014 04:58PM

Philope wrote: »

I agree, and now apparently some Gov bureaucrat with no real experience of the real world, is trying to make sure they are done away with, what are you going to do then ?

Get his BIC/IBAN and pay through electronic banking?

Seriously, it's much cheaper for you to do it that way - and cheaper for him too.

Philope · 16-01-2014 04:59PM

jimgoose wrote: »

Well, that settles it then. I'm off to set fire to my cheque-book. It's not like the Government ever jumps into anything with two club-feet and makes a ringing horlicks of it.

lol, now that's real world experience talking

jimgoose · 16-01-2014 05:02PM

Philope wrote: »

lol, now that's real world experience talking

Hell yeah. In furtherance, I predict that the Gummint will award the contract for giving everyone an IBAN thingy to Denis O'Brien. He'll put in the first few thousand backwards, and have to rip them out again at enormous expense. If people don't use them enough they'll simply up the per-payment duty until the target revenue (pulled out of Michael Noonan's arse) is reached. Quod erat demonstrandum! :cool:

Philope · 16-01-2014 05:02PM

blackwhite wrote: »

Get his BIC/IBAN and pay through electronic banking?

Seriously, it's much cheaper for you to do it that way - and cheaper for him too.

I use electronic banking all the time.

Ever tried paying a builder, tradesman, farmer, etc. with electronic banking, or ever tried getting a receipt off them ? Good luck with that. A cheque does have it's uses in certain situations. I don't need them very often, but doing away with them is short sighted to say the least.

Philope · 16-01-2014 05:04PM

jimgoose wrote: »

Hell yeah. In furtherance, I predict that the Gummint will award the contract for giving everyone an IBAN thingy to Denis O'Brien. He'll put in the first few thousand backwards, and have to rip them out again at enormous expense. If people don't use them enough they'll simply up the per-payment duty until the target revenue (pulled out of Michael Noonan's arse) is reached. Quod erat demonstrandum! :cool:

It's ok the consultants will only charge €50 million, which works out about €25 per household apparently.

Glinda · 16-01-2014 05:08PM

Allows you to pay remotely for things - good luck sending your kids off to school with cash or worse still your credit or debit card to pay for their swimming lessons or whatever. Also, cheque number acts as instant receipt (school 'voluntary' contributions come to mind, I'm always being told I didn't pay these and having to produce cheque stubs as a receipt, you'd grow old and grey waiting for a receipt from them!)

blackwhite · 16-01-2014 05:26PM

Philope wrote: »

I use electronic banking all the time.

Ever tried paying a builder, tradesman, farmer, etc. with electronic banking, or ever tried getting a receipt off them ? Good luck with that. A cheque does have it's uses in certain situations. I don't need them very often, but doing away with them is short sighted to say the least.

My father is a tradesman. He deals nearly exclusively through electronic banking these days. Record of everything is there on your bank statement, so if you misplace a receipt you still have the record. Some of the others that he deals with were surprised at first, but he simply explained the annual saving (we worked it out to be approx. €1,500) and most were happy to move to electronic.
I do his accounts for him every year (and still haven't been paid once, electonically or by cheque

), and he's down to writing less that 10 cheques per year, and receiving a similar amount.

I'm not arguing that a cheque doesn't have uses in certain situations - but it remains an archaic, and expensive, way of moving money. Not at least trying to move to better methods doesn't make any sense.

blackwhite · 16-01-2014 05:27PM

Glinda wrote: »

Allows you to pay remotely for things - good luck sending your kids off to school with cash or worse still your credit or debit card to pay for their swimming lessons or whatever. Also, cheque number acts as instant receipt (school 'voluntary' contributions come to mind, I'm always being told I didn't pay these and having to produce cheque stubs as a receipt, you'd grow old and grey waiting for a receipt from them!)

A cheque stub is evidence of nothing.

I can tear up the cheque and write whatever the hell I want on the stub.

michellie · 16-01-2014 05:35PM

A man argued with me in work yesterday for 15 minutes when I told him we haven't accepted cheques in about 3 years. he swore blind that he paid by cheque under 12 months ago. (not possible, the man was delusional) eventually he paid by card. Kept telling me he was going to prove me wrong and that ill be apologising to him.

Grant. me. patience. Please

JohnMearsheimer · 16-01-2014 06:09PM

I had to pay my rent to my landlord in Canada by cheque. She wouldn't even entertain the idea of an EFT. I was 27 when I first used one. Because I'd never used cheques before I had to have a brief word with my mother about what to do with it

I guess older people in Ireland would still like to use cheques because that's what they're used to. My uncle is in his 70s and still uses them. He has a visa debit card but he's a bit suspicious of it for some reason. Leave him off if he's happy using them I suppose.

Peope who pay by cheque

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