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Legal to charge a fee if paying cash?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Charlie Brown, Dec 8, 2009.

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  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    OK. Just a guess. ... It's a utility company. ... My best guess would be that 95 + percent of people who want to walk in cash to pay their bill are either on the brink of having their service canceled for not having paid or are overdue on their bill and need to get the payment processed quickly to avoid service interruption. So my guess is. ... they are taking advantage of the situation to squeeze those people for more money. That is just a guess. Usually you don't enact policies that seem that counterintuitive unless you have some kind of leverage that makes you think a lot of customers won't walk as a result. The only other explanation I can think of is that so few people pay in cash that their operations aren't set up well for accepting it. I am curious, though.
     
    The Big Ragu, Dec 9, 2009
    #13
  2. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    The more people who pay cash, the more physical locations they need to accommodate those payers. That costs money, and they want to discourage that behavior.
     
    RickStain, Dec 9, 2009
    #14
  3. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Winner!

    Exactly why so many companies are going paperless. And most places give you a little discount for doing paperless business with them. I know a bunch of insurance companies do that.
     
    JackReacher, Dec 9, 2009
    #15
  4. HC

    HC Well-Known Member

    If you accept cash, you also have to deal with the security issues involved. Thieves are not going to rob you of your paperwork at gun point.
     
    HC, Dec 9, 2009
    #16
  5. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Don't forget, cash has to be saved because it cured Magic Johnson of HIV.

    In all seriousness, last week, I went to an out-of-town restaurant that, until I went up to pay, only accepted cash and checks. I didn't have enough money on me. Luckily, my wife did.
     
    Baron Scicluna, Dec 9, 2009
    #17
  6. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    So they accepted cash and checks until you went up to pay? So what's the problem? :D

    Waffle House only started accepting plastic a few years ago. Seems somehow wrong.

    And the 'discount' for things like paperless is just a friendlier way of charging you to get a paper bill.
     
    deskslave, Dec 9, 2009
    #18
  7. KG

    KG Active Member

    I think at least one of my utilities charges for using cash. I'm not sure if they still do, but my electric company used to charge something like $10 to pay online. They're all out to suck as much out of you as they can.
     
    KG, Dec 9, 2009
    #19
  8. ripple

    ripple Member

    The credit card at a gas station thing really makes sense. At one time when gas was at record highs, the card fees really began eating into profits.
    Al's Morning Meeting had a piece on it way back when:

    http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=145562

    "The percentage (charged by the cc company) is fixed — usually at just under 2 percent — but the dollar amount of the fee rises with the price of the goods or services.
    As gas tops $4 a gallon, that pushes fees toward 10 cents a gallon. Now stations, which typically mark up gasoline by 11 to 12 cents a gallon, are seeing profits shrink or even reverse."
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
    ripple, Dec 9, 2009
    #20
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