Companies causing distress by removing traditional payment means

outtatune

RefluentBeans said:

With out wanting to sound rude - this seems like the whole post is bait. As others have said, names and shame the company if they are legitimately trying to cut off pensioners from paying for their water bill. Otherwise, it seems like every company I’ve just looked at (the first 20 on Google that came up) accept cheques or have a method for accepting cash. 

If direct debit isn’t an option, and the person doesn’t feel comfortable to make phone calls or using online payment portals; then contact the company and ask for an exception. It seems you already think the answer will be no. But if you don’t try, how do you know?? 

Yes, I'm beginning to suspect that the OP didn't bother reading the bill correctly, posted their rant, then read the bill correctly and realised that what they posted was completely false, and now doesn't want to look stupid by naming the company.

If I'm wrong, then once the OP names the company we'll be able to confirm their correctness, my rudeness, and the company's villainy.

MacPingu1986

dumpster_fire2025 said:

When internet connections go down, servers go down etc, companies can still trade with cash. If they only accept cards they're dead in the water.

https://moneysavingexpert.com/news/2018/06/visa-outage-across-europe-/

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2015/06/natwest-and-rbs-payments-missing/

Cash is a reasonable backup to prevent this. We tell people to make sure they have a backup of their data. Why not have a backup payment method that isn't digital?

Worth mentioning that even when there are (rarely) major outages of this nature they usually don't affect normal day to day transactions where cash might be used as a backup. eg: in the first link payments did go through, some just needed multiple attempts, and in the second it was an outage that didn't stop day-to-day transactions going through, it was causing delays in payments being received through the banking system like salaries/benefits etc...

sheramber

A few years ago we went to a local shop to find their payment system was not working.

The girl phoned another shop in the group in a neighbouring town. She gave them the barcode of the item we wanted to buy and they told her how much it cost.

She then got a paper and pencil and did a subtraction sum to find out how much change she had to give us. 

molerat

Marvel1 said:

molerat said:

A couple of the local small shops I use regularly - remember cash is supposed to be king in small business - went card only during the plague and have no intention going back to cash.  The time saving in not having to count and bank it and making sure there is enough change in the till far outweighs the minimal cost increase and loss of custom by those who have not moved in to the 21st century.

My local takeaway won't take card, cash only.  Luckily an ATM around the corner.

There is a whole different reason for that though

GingerTim

Because I have nothing better to do here is a list of the water companies and how you can pay your bills. 

The short story - no water company has removed the ability to pay bills by cheque, cash, or bank transfer.

Now I'm going to spend a very exciting afternoon counting the number of grains in this packet of rice.

Affinity Water: DD, online, over the phone, bank transfer, cheque by post or at the bank (https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/billing/ways-to-pay#block6)

Anglian Water payment methods: DD, internet banking, Paypoint or Payzone, online or over the phone, by mail, at Barclays bank, at the Post Office (https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/help-and-advice/bills-and-payments/pay-my-bill/)

Bournemouth Water: DD, inline, at the post office, cheque by post, at the bank, bank transfer (https://www.bournemouthwater.co.uk/household/your-account/pay-your-water-bill)

Bristol Water: DD, online, over the phone, cheque by post, in person at the bank, post office or Payzone (https://www.bristolwater.co.uk/home/account-and-services/bills-and-payments/my-bill)

Cambridge Water: DD, online, Paypoint, cheque by post, over the phone, Giro (https://www.cambridge-water.co.uk/household/my-bills-and-payments/paying-my-bill/)

Essex and Sussex Water: DD, online, app, Paypoint, over the phone, cheque by post, in person at the bank or post office, standing order, bank transfer (https://www.eswater.co.uk/help/paying-your-bill/)

Northumbrian Water: DD, online, by app, over the phone, by post, at the bank or post office, standing order or bank transfer, Paypoint (https://www.nwl.co.uk/help/paying-your-bill/)

SES Water: DD, online, over the phone, Paypoint, cheque or postal order (!), in person at the bank or post office (https://seswater.co.uk/your-account/paying-your-bill)

Severn Trent: DD, cheque, bank transfer, online payment, by phone, in person at the bank or post office, Paypoint, by post (https://www.stwater.co.uk/content/dam/stw/tier2_helpandcontacts/customer-policies/guide-to-making-and-receiving-payments-ST.pdf)

Southern Water: DD, online, bank transfer, by phone, Paypoint, cash or cheque at the bank or post office (https://www.southernwater.co.uk/help-and-support/how-would-you-like-to-pay/)

South East Water: DD, online, telephone, bank transfer, at the post office, at the bank, Paypoint, cheque by post (https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/my-account/make-a-payment/)

South West Water: DD, online, by post, in person at the bank or post office, bank transfer (https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/household/your-account/pay-your-bill)

Thames Water: DD, online, cash at the post office, cheque by post, GIRO(!), bank transfer (https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/paying-your-bill)

United Utilities: DD, online, app, bank transfer, cash by Paypoint, Payzone or at the Post office, cash or cheque at your bank, cheque by post (https://www.unitedutilities.com/my-account/your-bill/pay-your-bill/)

Welsh Water: DD, over the phone, bank transfer, Paypoint, cash or cheque at the bank or post office (https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/my-account/paying-your-bill)

Wessex Water: DD, online, bank transfer, over the phone, cheque by post, Payzone, in person at the bank or post office (https://www.wessexwater.co.uk/bills-and-accounts/ways-to-pay-your-bill)

Yorkshire Water: DD, online, standing order, bank transfer, over the phone, cheque by post, cash or card at the post office (https://www.yorkshirewater.com/bill-account/pay-your-bill/)

I hope the OP can now reassure their relative from any further unnecessary distress. 

MattMattMattUK

born_again said:

IvanOpinion said:

Cheques and cash should have been abolished a decade ago.
If that had have happened we would have had a couple of years of whinging and whining but by now everyone would be well settled into the new world and not needing antiquated or unhygenic methods of payment.

Cheques I agree with, cash.. No way.

The payment systems for cards are prone to dropping. Not just at banking end, more rare, but retailer if things like WiFi or phone lines go down & they get no connection. 
Recent experience in coffee shop, where card payments were down. Cash only. Many people had to walk out without their brew.

Are they really? I would say that they are very occasional, which is why they make the news when they do happen, I would suggest that they are infrequent to the point of irrelevance.

I have not used cash for six years now, I barely used cash in the three five years before that and not once have I encountered card networks being down in the real world. 

MattMattMattUK

dw89 said:

It’s funny how you find that nothing’s ever a problem in life, until it is and affects ‘you’. We’ll all be old one day and then it will be you, the link to AgeUK says it all. 

The AgeUK link is pushing their campaign, nothing more. If older people in other countries are perfectly capable of transitioning away from using outdated payment methods then so can older people in the UK.

Older does not mean vulnerable or incompetent, some older people can refuse to adapt, just as some younger people can. Some older people can lack capacity, just as some younger people can, we should assist those people, educate and care, but that does not mean we stick with archaic systems and processes because someone uninformed deems them easier. We did not refuse to decimalise because some people said counting to ten was too difficult, we did not retain groats, or barter, or refuse to allow cars to supercede horses.

Progress happens, most people adapt, some people need help to transition, the key is that help is accepted. 

eskbanker

MattMattMattUK said:
If older people in other countries are perfectly capable of transitionationing...

I suspect I know which country that would be, the same one responsible for other linguistic atrocities such as 'burglarizing'

QrizB

I was caught in a supermarket with a basket full of shopping on the newsworthy occasion when the Visa network went down. Thankfully I had cash. But that was once in the past 20 years.

Much more commonly (a few times a year) I'm at a cafe or ice cream van or similar out in the sticks (often on or near a beach) and their mobile connection is flaky enough that cash is simpler and quicker than trying card paymenta repeatedly.

MattMattMattUK

eskbanker said:

MattMattMattUK said:
If older people in other countries are perfectly capable of transitionationing...

I suspect I know which country that would be, the same one responsible for other linguistic atrocities such as 'burglarizing'

Just me using a tablet and not proof reading properly before posting. The countries that have got rid of cheques entirely and have almost no cash usage are mostly Scandinavian. Our American cousins are both changing at a rapid pace or making almost no progress at all depending on the state.