[bushwacker]

You may as well just use a check-card instead of taking the time to write the check out come October 28.

It really sucks for people like me who owe rent on the 1st, but get paid on wierd days like the 6th and 21st.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5880440/

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>It really sucks for people like me who owe rent on the 1st, but get paid on wierd days like the 6th and 21st.

Why? You know when the rent's due. You know when you get paid. Even if it isn't on the same day, what's hard about actually *planning*?

Maybe I'm missing something obvious.........

-S.S.-

 

[stosh]

Interesting!!!

But I can't figure out why it took so long.

 

[jacksonpt]

what's hard about actually *planning*?

Maybe I'm missing something obvious.........

Yea, no kidding - welcome to adulthood... it's called budgeting. Planning ahead 2 days isn't exactly rocket science, especially when you know when you get paid and when rent is due.

 

[JRB]

Yea, no kidding - welcome to adulthood... it's called budgeting. Planning ahead 2 days isn't exactly rocket science, especially when you know when you get paid and when rent is due.

I better not read a thread from you asking how to do this then.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

They kinda got a point here.

 

[Westy]

I hate checks, I have not written one in close to 3 years.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Besides - the float on checks clearing is chickenfeed compared to the float of:

CREDIT CARDS!

Who else will give you money for up to 30 *DAYS* for free....??

I :heart: credit card companies. With all these "no interest until '04/05/06" deals I'll have free money for *years*!

-S.S.-

 

[binary visions]

Maybe this will help reduce the number of people who start rooting around for their checkbook AFTER all of their groceries are scanned and bagged... then they need a pen... then they wrote the name wrong so they have to rip out the check and start over... but no, they don't want the little machine to write their check... and what date is it... and OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH MY SHOPPING CART.

If they can't float checks anymore, people might be more inclined to make use of their bank's check cards.

This is a good thing. Floating checks is a bad practice - I watched my mother slowly destroy her credit and cost herself thousands of dollars in bounced checks because she constantly "floated" her checks and was bad at estimating when they'd actually clear.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Maybe this will help reduce the number of people who start rooting around for their checkbook AFTER all of their groceries are scanned and bagged<snip>
OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH MY SHOPPING CART.

This is one of my MAJOR pet peeves. And people invariably do it for $2.76 worth of groceries. You're writing a check for a F*#KING bottle of Pepto?!?!? OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH MY SHOPPING CART!!! :mumble:

Floating checks is a bad practice - I watched my mother slowly destroy her credit and cost herself thousands of dollars in bounced checks because she constantly "floated" her checks and was bad at estimating when they'd actually clear.

Trying to float checks is downright retarded.

-S.S.-

 

[Brian HCM#1]

We just signed up for that online banking last night, looks pretty cool.

 

[Echo]

Looks like the banks are gonna save about $2 billion a year. I wonder how much of that they will pass on to their customers.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Looks like the banks are gonna save about $2 billion a year. I wonder how much of that they will pass on to their customers.

About as much as you have in your hand right now...............Nadda

 

[I Are Baboon]

The hospital I work at just bought one of those check-mate systems and we're in the testing phase. GOOD, I say. It will cut down on the number of bounced checks we get and our revenues will increase. It's rediculous that people friggin bounce $10 CO-PAY CHECKS. Trust me, we lose A LOT of money because of this.

:nuts:

 

[I Are Baboon]

Looks like the banks are gonna save about $2 billion a year. I wonder how much of that they will pass on to their customers.

Regardless, there is nothing wrong with a company trying to maximize its revenue.

 

[Echo]

Regardless, there is nothing wrong with a company trying to maximize its revenue.

I'm just wondering when some bank is gonna get smart and realize that if they took advantage of this sort of savings and gave a better deal, they would blow the competition out of the water.

Apparently so far it's better business to keep raising and adding fees, because everyone else is doing it and customers don't have other options.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>Apparently so far it's better business to keep raising and adding fees, because everyone else is doing it and customers don't have other options.

When my bank charges me for my Visa debit card (1/year) I simply call them up, tell them I don't want to pay it, and they reverse the charges.

My bank makes *no* fee income off me.........

-S.S.-

 

[Echo]

My bank makes *no* fee income off me.......

Really. So if you use more than a certain number of foreign ATM's in a month, they don't charge you? If you need a paper copy of a check they don't charge you? You should look at the fee structure for your bank, just because you don't personally do things often that incur fees, doesn't mean they aren't raping customers every chance they get.

 

[pixelninja]

And I thought this would be a biking related thread about one of these:

 

[JRB]

And I thought this would be a biking related thread about one of these:

I think I like my Swinger better.

 

[binary visions]

Really. So if you use more than a certain number of foreign ATM's in a month, they don't charge you? If you need a paper copy of a check they don't charge you? You should look at the fee structure for your bank, just because you don't personally do things often that incur fees, doesn't mean they aren't raping customers every chance they get.

While it's true that the bank might be making profit off others, the fact is that a lot of the services they charge for are non-critical and can be avoided.

My bank doesn't charge me when I use foreign ATMs. Ever. I'm not sure if they have a limit on ATM transactions in general, but I use the ATM a lot and have never incurred a fee. My free online banking gives me scanned images of my checks, so paper copies are unnecessary. My free checking account has no minimum balance or anything weird that causes fees. I have no fee for my debit card. The only thing that you get screwed on, which all banks screw you on, is bounced checks but with a little careful planning, it shouldn't be a problem.

If you get charged past a certain number of ATM transactions, start walking into the bank and withdrawing, or take out a little more money each time and budget better. Many banks scan checks now, so see if you can get away without the paper copy.

I think people get too lazy and start incurring fees when they don't need to incur them.

 

[Ian F]

Doesn't affect me much. I pay pll of my monthly bills via online banking. Most other purchases are done with Discover for the cash-bank bonus, then paid off each month. I write maybe a 1/2 dozen checks per year for odd stuff like magazine subscriptions or my Norba (soon to be SCCA) dues. When I get paid I pay my bills due between that paycheck and the next one, regardless of the bill's due date. That way I know how much money I really have.

 

[SkaredShtles]

While it's true that the bank might be making profit off others, the fact is that a lot of the services they charge for are non-critical and can be avoided.

And probably 90% of those non-critical fees they'd be willing to reverse if you asked them.
<snip>
I think people get too lazy and start incurring fees when they don't need to incur them.[/QUOTE]
This is the bottom line. Most people don't care if the bank whacks 'em $10/mo. They probably even view it as a pretty good deal for the convenience........

I, for one, figure as a bank, the only money they're entitled to make off me is by lending out the money they're borrowing from me.

-S.S.-

 

[Ian F]

This is the bottom line. Most people don't care if the bank whacks 'em $10/mo. They probably even view it as a pretty good deal for the convenience........-S.S.-

In my case, it's $5/mo, but since going totally online, having it much easier to keep my checkbook balanced and my bills paid on time makes it worth it. I'm addicted to it. I balance my checkbook every morning when i get to work.

 

[SkaredShtles]

In my case, it's $5/mo, but since going totally online, having it much easier to keep my checkbook balanced and my bills paid on time makes it worth it. I'm addicted to it. I balance my checkbook every morning when i get to work.

The funny thing is, when you go to online banking it costs the bank TONS less in all sorts of ways - paperwork, employees, time, etc. It seems kinda like a gyp that they even make you pay for it....... they should be paying *you* to use it.

-S.S.-

 

[Toshi]

my bank (bank o' america, washington) doesn't charge me squat for online banking. of course they also pay out about that for interest and their foreign atm fees are horrible

 

[Echo]

Binary and ScaredShtls, you both totally missed my point. Never mind.

 

[binary visions]

Binary and ScaredShtls, you both totally missed my point. Never mind.

Don't "nevermind" - explain it. If I really am missing your point, I'd like you to explain it so I can understand it. If I'm really not missing your point, I'd like to understand where the communications fell through so I can explain what I mean...

 

[SkaredShtles]

Binary and ScaredShtls, you both totally missed my point. Never mind.

I don't think I did..... but I could be wrong.

-S.S.-

 

[HedgeHog]

my bank (bank o' america, washington) doesn't charge me squat for online banking. of course they also pay out about that for interest and their foreign atm fees are horrible

I hear ya on that. At least BofA doesn't charge you $1 for a deposit form if you forgot to bring one with you to your local branch.

They did that for a while. You actually had to PAY to deposit money. I complained a lot about that. Apparently lots of people did.

 

[Echo]

Don't "nevermind" - explain it. If I really am missing your point, I'd like you to explain it so I can understand it. If I'm really not missing your point, I'd like to understand where the communications fell through so I can explain what I mean...

My point IS NOT that I'm getting screwed over with fees. I know how to avoid them just like any other smart person. Plus, I use an employee credit union, you can't get much better than that.

Perhaps you're too young to remember when ATM's became the norm for transactions. Banks actually saved money because people weren't using tellers as much, so they didn't need as many tellers for as many hours. But even though they were saving money because of ATM use, many banks began charging a fee for ATM use.

Then a few banks realized they could attract more customers by allowing free use of their ATM's. So they did, and the customers liked it. Now it's the norm, when was the last time you heard of a bank charging customers for use of their own ATM? Like I said, maybe you're too young to remember it. Instead, they instituted the "foreign ATM" fees, which is something they knew they could get away with because you can't blame it on your bank, you're just pissed off at some bank you don't even have an account at.

Now, if you actually read the article that this thread is about, it states "The Consumers Union also warned that banks may use the opportunity to increase fees for accounts that return canceled checks or their substitutes."

Ah, so, the point emerges.

Someday a smart bank will realize that they could attract customers by NOT STICKING THEM WITH A NEW FEE EVERY TIME THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
Ah, so, the point emerges.

Someday a smart bank will realize that they could attract customers by NOT STICKING THEM WITH A NEW FEE EVERY TIME THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES.

I can see their marketing campaign:

Come to BankWon - the friendly bank without all the retarded fees!

-S.S.-

 

[binary visions]

Ah, so, the point emerges.

Someday a smart bank will realize that they could attract customers by NOT STICKING THEM WITH A NEW FEE EVERY TIME THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES.

Bingo. I agree 100%. I also agreed 100% when you stated, earlier in the thread:

I'm just wondering when some bank is gonna get smart and realize that if they took advantage of this sort of savings and gave a better deal, they would blow the competition out of the water.

We agree on this. I just didn't take from your subsequent posts that you were trying to support your above point - I just heard a lot of whining about (avoidable) fees

 

[SkaredShtles]

Bingo. I agree 100%. I also agreed 100% when you stated, earlier in the thread:

We agree on this. I just didn't take from your subsequent posts that you were trying to support your above point - I just heard a lot of whining about (avoidable) fees

I'll bet this kind of bank already exists....... I haven't looked for banks lately, though. If there really is a market for it, there's bound to be someone offering the service.

-S.S.-

 

[binary visions]

I'll bet this kind of bank already exists....... I haven't looked for banks lately, though. If there really is a market for it, there's bound to be someone offering the service.

-S.S.-

My bank comes pretty close. Free checking account, free savings account (no minimums), free online banking, free debit card, no charge for foreign ATMs.. Their monthly statement comes complete with printed copies of all the scans of the checks you wrote that month.. Even their online bill payment (& check writing) service is only $2/month for all the checks you can write - it's almost worth it in postage alone.

As a matter of fact, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head that I can do to incur a charge there..

 

[golgiaparatus]

Why? You know when the rent's due. You know when you get paid. Even if it isn't on the same day, what's hard about actually *planning*?

Maybe I'm missing something obvious.........

-S.S.-

WORD! Just make sure you have enough hard cash to be able to pay your rent like a big boy.

 

[SkaredShtles]

My bank comes pretty close. Free checking account, free savings account (no minimums), free online banking, free debit card, no charge for foreign ATMs.. Their monthly statement comes complete with printed copies of all the scans of the checks you wrote that month.. Even their online bill payment (& check writing) service is only $2/month for all the checks you can write - it's almost worth it in postage alone.

As a matter of fact, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head that I can do to incur a charge there..

Come on. All this bragging about your bank - which one is it?

-S.S.-

 

[binary visions]

Come on. All this bragging about your bank - which one is it?

-S.S.-

http://www.savingsbankofwalpole.com

 

[Echo]

http://www.savingsbankofwalpole.com

Cool, a lot of times those small local banks are a great place to do bidniss.

 

[Ian F]

The funny thing is, when you go to online banking it costs the bank TONS less in all sorts of ways - paperwork, employees, time, etc. It seems kinda like a gyp that they even make you pay for it....... they should be paying *you* to use it.

-S.S.-

True... maybe when the Bank of America take-over is complete I'll be on the "toshi" plan...