Who still writes checks?

[tvguy]

I rarely write checks; most places around here won't even take them anymore. However, if the proposed debit card changes go into effect I will most likely end up using checks again, at least at the places that allow them.

I don't like carrying cash around with me since I have a tendency to spend it faster and lose it easily.

I had my daughter's car in for warranty work at the local Ford dealer. They had big signs all over that they don't take checks anymore, just cash, debit or credit. Some older gentleman had his new pickup in for an oil change and was told that he could not write a check...he very politely looked at the 20 something girl behind the counter and said "okay, 4 months ago you had no trouble taking a check for $53,000 when I bought this truck, now you are saying you can't take a $32 check for an oil change?". She called the business manager, and funny, they took his check!

 

[DeaverTex]

It does take longer when you present a paper check at the grocery. The cashier then needs to see your ID, they generally make notations on the check in pen. I don't understand why you can't switch to a debit card. Just put the DC inside your paper check register if you are so anal and need to write down every transaction as soon as it occurs. Another option is to go to a monthly envelope system. Put the beginning balance at the top then just subtract the DC transaction from the number and place the receipt inside the envelope. I guess I am more advanced and keep a receipt envelope in my purse then on the weekend I enter all the amounts in budget spreadsheet.

I'm glad you're so advanced! I suppose us anal folks would rather deal with things as they come up than bundle them on the weekends when we'd rather be doing other things. And I'm sorry if I've delayed you in line for a few seconds while I put the amount onto the check, to hand that with the ID I already have out to the cashier.

Anyhow, when the lines are long, Mrs. Tex and I both prefer to use a CC because it IS faster.

BTW, I'm not certain how I've offended or upset you, but it sure looks like I have.

 

[laurie31]

The only time I write a check is to the church and to things like the kids' dance and music teachers.

However, they (the teachers) will give a discount if I pay for a semester or whole year at once, so I find that much easier. One check instead of 10. I hate having to find the checkbook every month. I still haven't given my tithe for August because I can't seem to remember to take the stupid thing to church. I know I should do it the night before and put the envelope in my Bible, but lately I've been forgetting.

I do not have a debit card and want no part of one. We love our rewards credit cards. We pay the balance off every month. It's easy to make one payment for everything instead of tons of small ones.

I don't remember the last time I used a check to pay a bill; everything's direct debit, and before that I paid online. I would never write a check to the doctor; I either use my HSA card or my own card and then reimburse myself.

 

[Gonz Of Lancashire]

I rarely write cheques nowadays just for things that cannot be paid any other way. However, they are threatening to do away with them completely here in the UK and that would be a nightmare. I shop once a week for a 92 year old and get her cash at the same time (I use my debit card and withdraw it from my account). I then take the shopping and cash to her and stay for a cup of tea and a chat and she gives me a cheque for the total of the shopping and the cash - I really cannot see any way round this if there are no cheques. BTW she cannot really go out now so cannot withdraw cash for herself.

In my business I get sent cheques on a regular basis by people who weren't at home when I called, they send them in the post and everyone's happy. Certain quarters, namely the banks, try to run cheques down saying they are obsolete, but this is more likely due to the fact that it eats into their gargantuan profits. There were some rude remarks by members of the public on phone-in radio shows last week when discussing this subject saying that old people should get with the times and move on, but the cheques that get sent to me come from all ages groups and are a lifeline for those who can't get around easily.

I pay mostly cash for my goods and, for those who hate standing behind people paying by cheque because it eats up their precious time, I get irritated by those buying a loaf of bread and a couple of pints of milk and having to pay for it by credit/debit card.

 

[disneyismyname]

Don't write any checks. I actually get a little peeved with the little old ladies in front of me at the clothing store check out that bring out their check and start writing very sllllloooooowwwly.....

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Most of our bills are auto bank draft. We do have a few things dance, soccer, misc for kids school, and a couple monthly bills that cannot be auto drafted or no CC can be used.

 

[Kelsie]

I often wonder how some people can take such a simple question and turn it into such a huge debate. In the grand scheme of things, is it really that important to you if someone uses a check or debit?

Actually, you are 'wasting our time' having to read the reported post emails and post to this thread.

Stop the arguing and name calling please!

Thanks!

 

[Abbie]

If you want to be inefficient do it on your own time, not mine.

Ahh, but there's the difference. When *I* am at the check out it is MY time, and my turn, not yours. Your time comes when it is your turn, not while I am still there. If someone wants to be "inefficient" when it's their turn they get that privilege. If you stand there painting your fingernails while the line backs up behind you then I'd agree you might be a tad thoughtless. But not someone making a choice as to how they choose to pay. Personally I don't care how someone in front of me pays, in fact, I can't even remember EVER noticing! So glad I don't let little things like how someone in front of me is paying for their purchases get under my skin.

As for the original question I write one or two checks a month. Only use a debit card at the ATM and that's only maybe a couple of times a year. Everything else is via credit card which gets paid online.

 

[momto2girls]

I often wonder how some people can take such a simple question and turn it into such a huge debate. In the grand scheme of things, is it really that important to you if someone uses a check or debit?

Actually, you are 'wasting our time' having to read the reported post emails and post to this thread.

Stop the arguing and name calling please!

Thanks!

I haven't been involved in this debate at all, but I have read this whole thread. People actually hit the "report post button" for this and bothered you? Really? I am just shocked and amazed that grown people feel the need to tattle on others when they feel that someone is being the slightest bit rude. Really? I just can't get over that.

C'mon, people, save the reporting posts for threads that are truly worthy of it.

 

[goofinoff]

WOW......didn't think that this subject would turn so nasty!! I had read the thread about the 10 items or less in the grocery store and someone had mentioned checks so it just made me wonder!

Sorry if this is a touchy subject. Thanks to all of you who gave your input without getting nasty! Guess others got up on the wrong side of the bed! Hope tomorrow is a better day!

 

[rigs32]

I'm impressed by the speed of your banks on-line account tracking though. On the occasions we've tracked one of the electronic check transactions, we've had up to a 48 hour lag between a transaction and it showing up on our account. I could set up a spread sheet at home (Lotus 1.2.3 monkey here!) and get results faster than our bank.

When you say "electronic check transaction" are you talking about a check where the store prints info on it at the register or using the debit card? Cause it does take longer for a check to appear on your account rather than a debit card.

If you dislike writing checks, I guess I'm not sure why you still do it. As others suggested, carrying a check register and writing each debit card usage into it gives you the benefit of not having to write checks and keeping track of what you're spending.

As for the safety of a debit card versus checks, I am a prosecutor. I handle a lot of white collar crime and I see a lot more stolen check cases than stolen debit/credit cards. Maybe it's because credit card companies will issue refunds so people don't call police. But selling checkbooks is big business.

The most prolific scheme around here is to break into cars during a church service. Many people leave purses, wallets, checkbooks, etc in their cars during church assuming it's a safe lot. But who's watching the lot when the service is going on? Now the thief has your checkbook and your ID and can sell both to someone who looks enough like you that they're going to start writing checks on your account.

 

[tvguy]

I often wonder how some people can take such a simple question and turn it into such a huge debate. In the grand scheme of things, is it really that important to you if someone uses a check or debit?

Actually, you are 'wasting our time' having to read the reported post emails and post to this thread.

Stop the arguing and name calling please!

Thanks!

With all due respect, huh?

 

[cornflake]

As for the safety of a debit card versus checks, I am a prosecutor. I handle a lot of white collar crime and I see a lot more stolen check cases than stolen debit/credit cards. Maybe it's because credit card companies will issue refunds so people don't call police. But selling checkbooks is big business.

May be that, or that the banks prosecute (maybe? If it's their system that was defrauded I'd think they could), but I think it may also be that much of the crime related to stolen debit card numbers isn't in your purview.

Given what the bank manager said to me - that he gets the list of compromised numbers (and note the numbers are sometimes recovered before they can be used by a criminal in an obvious way, my cards weren't used, but they caught the numbers in nefarious clutches, heh) from the feds every morning, presumably because they're grabbing from large databases and the info or b&m locations the companies captured the info at legitimately or the customers holding the cards or whatever pieces cross state lines.

 

[rigs32]

May be that, or that the banks prosecute (maybe? If it's their system that was defrauded I'd think they could), but I think it may also be that much of the crime related to stolen debit card numbers isn't in your purview.

How would a bank prosecute someone? It has to be law enforcement. And the victim is always the account holder. The bank may choose to refund the money, but that does not make them the victim, just the entity to which restitution is paid.

My bureau handles all non-violent felonies so I also handle grand larceny cases, so I do know what's going on in my county of 750,000 regarding this sort of thing.

 

[Grog]

I often wonder how some people can take such a simple question and turn it into such a huge debate. In the grand scheme of things, is it really that important to you if someone uses a check or debit?

Actually, you are 'wasting our time' having to read the reported post emails and post to this thread.

Stop the arguing and name calling please!

Thanks!

You forgot this is the DIS. Home of the Thin Skinned and Easily Offended.

 

[cornflake]

How would a bank prosecute someone? It has to be law enforcement. And the victim is always the account holder. The bank may choose to refund the money, but that does not make them the victim, just the entity to which restitution is paid.

My bureau handles all non-violent felonies so I also handle grand larceny cases, so I do know what's going on in my county of 750,000 regarding this sort of thing.

I meant they may be the aggrieved party who would go to law enforcement not that they themselves would bring a criminal case.

As to whether they could, I dunno, hence the ? - it's their system being defrauded and I know it's the account holder whose account was used illegally but I dunno if there's an opening wrt the bank 'owning' the systems that are being misused/defrauded. Not a prosecutor, dunno, was asking.

I do assume it's likely federal (I'm talking about the hacking cases involving databases of info stolen from large corps., or from online sources, not the like, waiter who does whatever to capture or replicate the info when he goes in the back holding the customer's physical card) as that's the level at least that my bank is alerted to those crimes by.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Just curious. I work retail and am amazed at how many people still write checks for purchases. Why not a debit card?

Because it is a valid method of payment.

I don't hardly ever write checks--but if I need to, I will. Like one time, I left my phone at home and my debit account did not have enough money. We keep funds separate and I transfer in as needed. No phone and forgot to do that--checkbook worked just fine.


I kind of don't get why folks get upset with how folks pay for stuff by legal means.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I use a credit card or cash when buying things and then checks to pay for the bills at the end of the month.

Our bank sent us debit cards, but they're sitting in the drawer because we do not use them.

I was a cashier in high school so I know how annoying it can be for someone to pull out a checkbook and start writing a check after all of the groceries are bagged and in the cart and I know how annoying it can be when someone goes searching through their pocketbook or pants pockets for exact change. But I deal with it because life is too short to let crap like that get to me, and besides, that might be me one day.

 

[PeterPan09]

When I first started using a debit card I just used the checkbook register and entered it as DC or debit?? When I put the information into my Quicken to track my checking account, same thing.

Now, I don't even bother with that. I just check with my online banking account and verify there. There is really nothing to "track" if you use online banking, it all shows up almost instantly.

That's what I do too. I know instantly what my balance is and I never have to worry. I use checks so seldom that when I went to buy my car the dealership couldn't verify my check with Telecheck! I ended up having this circular dialogue with the Telecheck representative about why they wouldn't approve it. She kept saying "You have to write checks at businesses that use Telecheck". I kept saying "I don't use checks. I use my debit card because it is more convenient" After this was repeated 3 times, the dealer takes the phone and says, "So, you have no negative information on this customer, you won't approve it because she doesn't use checks-is that right?" Lady says "Yes, she needs to build up a check history in order for us to approve." Dealer says-"We're going to sell her this car TODAY. What can you do for us?" Silence. Dealer rolls his eyes at me and says to Telecheck "Thank you for your time" and hangs up. He puts the check in the drawer and says: "This is happening more and more often and we just take the checks anyway."

Sure it is-people don't use checks anymore!

 

[Baileymouse]

I use electronic banking for almost everything. My checks are used for:

DD's school lunch and after care
Co-pay at a doctor who doesn't take credit/debit cards
The occasional school-related function
Gifts