People Trying To Pass Bad Checks: STOP IT!

[Broomjockey]

Those check readers are not always right. They do flag checks for no reason, that does not mean the people were trying to pass bad checks

The only relevance to the story I could find here would be if you were trying to say the customers weren't actually sucky.

But you wouldn't be doing that, would you?

[BrenDAnn]

Wow, I leave for a day or so and you guys make a two page thread out of this, lol! As for the daughter with her mom's (bad) check, that's common. That's how mommy & daddy pay for their teenage kids now, y'know. We're used to it. Myself, I haven't written a check in ages. I think the last one was to my dad. Most places just hand the damn things back to you anyway, so it's really a waste of paper. Oh, and another thing I hate--starter/counter checks. Y'know, the checks without the name, address, etc, that the banks hand out when a person is just starting an account, or has run out of checks. We aren't supposed to accept those, either (too easy to forge), but when the person has fuel, we have no choice! I agree with Irv, these things called checks need to DIAF!

[blas]

I write checks for rent because I refuse to draw out $600 and have it on me as I go to pay rent.

I also use them to pay my parents for insurance, but that's to get out of going to an ATM and paying the stupid fees.

But other than that, that's all. Debit cards are nice, save for those stupid activity charges. I need to find a bank that doesn't charge you for using your card.

[CarcinogenCrunchies]

Debit cards are nice, save for those stupid activity charges. I need to find a bank that doesn't charge you for using your card.

I don't know if this is universal, but most of the places I shop can run my card as debit or credit. Unless I need cash back, I run it as credit. The money still comes out right away, but you don't have to pay transaction fees for it. The drawback, I guess, is that you also don't need to enter a PIN, so anybody could use it as long as the cashier doesn't check ID.

[Andara Bledin]

But other than that, that's all. Debit cards are nice, save for those stupid activity charges. I need to find a bank that doesn't charge you for using your card.

I have an ATM account with BofA. I've never paid any type of ATM or teller-related fees. I just have to have my paychecks direct deposited, and not go inside more than 3 times in a month. I don't think I've been inside more than once in the last 3 years.

^-.-^

[Broomjockey]

I have an ATM account with BofA. I've never paid any type of ATM or teller-related fees.

I'm pretty certain she's talking about POS transaction fees. Not banking fees.

[blas]

On my online statement (well, and the paper one they mail me) it says "Card activity fees".....every month it ranges from $3 to $6 (but in December it was $10 because of all the times I used it Christmas shopping and the other random errands I was running at the time).

It really, really irritates me. I don't think running my card as credit will fool them and get me out of it, as a lot of places I go run it that way anyway.

[Broomjockey]

On my online statement (well, and the paper one they mail me) it says "Card activity fees".....every month it ranges from $3 to $6 (but in December it was $10 because of all the times I used it Christmas shopping and the other random errands I was running at the time).

Yep, that sounds like POS transaction fees. Maybe talk to your bank, see if they've got a different account that'll minimize those? I was getting nailed on those types of fees for a while, then I switched to an account where it's $13/month, and that's *it*, no other charges of any kind, unless I use an out-of-network ATM.

[Andara Bledin]

Is that like the $0.45 charge you get hit with if you buy gas at Arco and use your debit card?

That's the only place I've shopped at that has a fee. Most of the places around here just eat the POS fees for accepting debit.

^-.-^

[blas]

I'm not exactly sure how they acrue POS fees.

I was always under the understanding that since I have a piddly bank with very few branches or ATMS, I would always be nailed for using ATMS (because I'd rather just pay the $2 instead of drive 15 miles to use one of theirs), but I had no idea that they'd nail me for using my debit card too often. I hate having cash, I'd rather use that.

My little brother banks with RCU, and they have it where you can write 15 checks per month and unlimited debit card use (or vice versa, unlimited checks and 15 debit card uses before being charged for it). Sounds pretty nice, I don't even write 3 checks a month.