Warning - no cheques at all Asda stores from 1st Jan

regularsaver1

apparently only 6% of retail transactions are done by cheque now compared to before in: ....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/4233002.stm - this was from last year though. Asda then said they had no plans ... mmmm

and this from 12th sept 06:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9558-2354730,00.html

as Boots have banned cheques to be used in my local store

I know lidl don't accept cheque either

and WH Smith has stopped accepting cheques in Scotland as a trial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/6038242.stm

edda

Quote from 12th Sept article mentioned above:

The Boots announcement has been met with some caution. Advisors at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) say elderly people will suffer most from the changes as the over 65s tend to use cheques most.

Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at ACCA says: "Banning cheques will have serious repercussions on certain groups within society, particularly the elderly who are used to this method of payment. Changes of this nature will inevitably make them feel more vulnerable."

He added: "With more people living by credit card, many are finding it far easier to drift into debt – the consequences are, of course, far from healthy".

Who benefits from people being in debt? - the banks and other financial institutions with their high interest rates
Who issues most cheques? - the banks (I think)

So much for consumer power - we're miles behind the experts.

i_love_it

I never ever carry a cheque book. And I'm not rich. They re so cumbersum, time consuming and difficult to track.

for anyone that lives hand to mouth and actively avoids debt, cheques are not the answer.

there are bank accounts with free small overdrafts.

as for the elderly, they have to move with the times, as do the middle age and the young

You may as well argue that the over 70's should be able to put it on the slate....

Scully's_Girl

My chequebook is only good for paying our gardener, and for giving money as a gift. Hence, we have two but it takes us years to get through one. Regardless, the bank keeps sending us books every 6 months so we build up this enormous heap of them. I have mixed feelings. I never use cheques at the till but understand some older people still do. However, I also have been stuck behind the woman who watches the items get scanned, waits as all groceries are bagged and the final amount given; and only then decides to forage through her bag for the chequebook and pen. When in that time she could have had it in her hand and filled out almost completely. Why do people wait till the very end to get the book out when they know theyre paying by cheque anyway?

Astaroth

grex9101 wrote:

as for cash, what about all the poor people without bank accounts? You know, the ones you always hear of about in the news...?!

Ultimately not having a bank account is a choice that someone has made. If however cash was stopped in many large stores (great for their liability insurance & operational costs) then there would need to be a standardised debit card that was available to all - obviously retailers would still have the decision on if to accept the card or not.

oldnick

Astaroth wrote:

Ultimately not having a bank account is a choice that someone has made. If however cash was stopped in many large stores (great for their liability insurance & operational costs) then there would need to be a standardised debit card that was available to all - obviously retailers would still have the decision on if to accept the card or not.

Choice? Try getting a bank account if you've been bankrupt!

The first place I came across a business that wouldn't accept cheques was a Shell garage over 3 years ago. Unfortunately they had nothing on the pumps to say so, and I had no other way of paying.

I ended up calling the police because they wouldn't take a cheque (backed by a CGC) and were stopping me driving away. The police told them to either accept the cheque or take my name and address or they would arrest them for unlawful imprisonment. They took the cheque!

TheFlyingGerbil

ckerrd wrote:

There was an item on Radio 4 a good while back about Chip and Pin and the fact that some visually impared people can't use it but can use cheques. Wonder what Asda will do about this?

If you have problems using chip and pin (or know an older/impaired, friend/neighbour/relative) then you should ask your bank for a 'chip and signature' card. This goes in the card reader as normal but instead of asking for a pin number prints out a slip of paper for the customer to sign. Everyone's happy! (except the people behind them in the queues:rotfl: )

Joe

immoral_angeluk

We don't own a chequebook... and saying that I haven't seen anyone use a cheque when I've been out shopping in years.

blue_haddock

It always infuriates me when the person in front writes out a cheque then brings out a debit card to use as the cheque guarantee - how annoying!

C_Ronaldo

Sammz wrote:

Cheques only require a signature, same as debit cards used to.

And the reason people use cheques when they have a debit card could be that they need shopping two days before payday! I know I've done it a couple of times.

couldnt they do the shopping on or after payday