What are you doing / did you do today / CHAT THREAD

[R3dline]

iv paid cash for hotel rooms and rentals, -shrug-

 

[connies96hatchie]

It doesn't have to be auto withdrawal. My bills are ALL paid online and the only auto withdrawal is my car/house insurance because there is a big discount by doing this from the company I go through.

I have them all set up for the same pay date as I pay them all off one paycheck (the other one is for what ever) and a couple give me a discount for going paperless. They don't want to have to deal with the statements and the hassle of check payments anymore so a lot are going to paperless incentives.

How is it cheaper to pay by check that you have to pay for (unless you get them free somehow) and pay the checking fee that they charge because even the banks don't want to deal with it (unless you get that free as well) AND the cost of stamps compared to free by using your debit card/bank account number to pay bills online?

There is so much safety now with credit cards, banks, and online transactions it's not even funny. Credit card and identity theft sucks ass but they work with you really well if it happens. Plus from experience it is easier to get them to retract and pay you back for money stolen out of your account vs. getting your money back from an overdraft from not having money in the account.

Checks are an expensive process to deal with both on the consumer end and the bank's end. More and more of them aren't even dealing with checking anymore and have went to debit only or are charging a nice fee per month for checking plus the hiked fee of the checks themselves. Like I said, places are giving incentives now to go paperless.

We just recently here at work stopped taking payment by check. The machine to process it now for theft prevention is expensive and the processing company charges a fee, higher ups decided they didn't want the expense anymore. Cash or card only.

My bank is in the dark ages apparently. Free checks and checking! I get free stamps from a side job I have been doing for 7 years. My bank and company don't offer any discounts that I personally use. The only thing is I can get into most attractions, zoo's, aquariums, etc for free using my employee discount. Big f**king deal right? Oh and my cell phone bill I get 20% off a month.

I have looked into going paperless through most of the companies I deal with, but not a single one offers discounts for it. Six have processing fees over the phone even if it is done by check, debit or credit. My electric and gas bills are the only two that it is easier and cheaper to just send a check by mail. Water/sewage and Sanitary/garbage only accept checks that I am aware of. I'm sure I can call the village and verify on Monday.

Online banking is a personal choice. I chose not to use it beyond checking.

Some mom and pop shops only use cash or debt. Credit fees are too expensive.

 

[R3dline]

connie is from the same place as her bank, i dont know anyone under the age of 70 that uses checks to pay for things, hell my dad even finally jumped ship and does it online.

 

[connies96hatchie]

So how do you pay your rent and loans? By credit card?

 

[R3dline]

i have a mortgage, and they all take online payments

 

[lethal6]

So how do you pay your rent and loans? By credit card?

With either my visa debit or my bank account number and the deduct it out when I tell them to. And yes, all my bills are paid online.

 

[connies96hatchie]

Oh s**t. Did I miss the FB post that you guys got a house?

With either my visa debit or my bank account number and the deduct it out when I tell them to. And yes, all my bills are paid online.

It's ok. I'm not that stupid. My sarcasm doesn't translate via text to interwebz very well.

 

[lethal6]

Well if you have a debt or bill to pay.. it says its acceptable to pay it with the US note.

If businesses dont have trustworthy employees, its not the customers fault.

All im saying is weve been doing this way for decades. Then all of a sudden no one wants cash anymore.

Yes, but it isn't mandatory that places except it. Just like it is up to the vendor weather they want to accept your business or not.

Yes it isn't the customer's fault for shady employees, but they are the ones that pay in the end. Is it my customer's fault that I won't take credit card over the phone anymore because we have been scammed out of over $20k in the last year from fake credit card numbers? No, but it's now policy. Credit card gets ran, is legit on our end at first, money gets debited, real owner of the card finds out, banks refund them the money, they fine us and we have to pay back the amount and are now out the money and the parts. Shady people f**k it up for everyone unfortunately.

 

[R3dline]

iv got my old house back

 

[Esotericimage]

Six have processing fees over the phone even if it is done by check, debit or credit.

Sheeetttt... aint that some s**t. They send you a bill and then charge you to pay it.

Id be knocking off my own processing fee for paying it.

Bill:127.54
Fee: 6.00
Total: 133.54

Subtract 25.00 consumer processing fee
Total: 108.54

 

[connies96hatchie]

Sheeetttt... aint that some s**t. They send you a bill and then charge you to pay it.

Id be knocking off my own processing fee for paying it.

Bill:127.54
Fee: 6.00
Total: 133.54

Subtract 25.00 consumer processing fee
Total: 108.54

Now you know why I send in my little check since it's free!

 

[lethal6]

Some mom and pop shops only use cash or debt. Credit fees are too expensive.

This is true for now but they will soon be forced into the new machines with the upped security which don't allow pin numbers. They can be stolen by the person behind you looking over your shoulder or by using an ifrared app on their phone (if it has access). Watched a video on it during the short training course for retail transactions.

We used to run them all as debit too until the new machines came out after the first of the year that don't have debit (they all run the card as credit now). Machines were changed with upped security that most credit and debit cards are going to (my bank card and 2 of my 4 credit cards changed to it already). The ones with the chip in them that are more secure and a lot more reliable than that little black strip on the back that always wears out. They are pretty much forcing vendors to take ID now as the security on the machine is forcing us to enter the zip code attached to the billing as well as the address (not the full thing, just the numbers). It's making it so it is harder for thieves to use stolen cards now unless they have id that matches all the information attached to the card. Makes it a little hard for those that don't have the correct address on their ID which is very common. Good thing is they have their name (and some have their signature) that prints out on the receipt; if they don't match we cancel the transaction and have them give us a card that does match their information. If they can't provide that (had it happen today actually) then we turn them away and they can come back with cash if they want or get someone else to pay that has a legit card.

 

[connies96hatchie]

This is true for now but they will soon be forced into the new machines with the upped security which don't allow pin numbers. They can be stolen by the person behind you looking over your shoulder or by using an ifrared app on their phone (if it has access). Watched a video on it during the short training course for retail transactions.

We used to run them all as debit too until the new machines came out after the first of the year that don't have debit (they all run the card as credit now). Machines were changed with upped security that most credit and debit cards are going to (my bank card and 2 of my 4 credit cards changed to it already). The ones with the chip in them that are more secure and a lot more reliable than that little black strip on the back that always wears out. They are pretty much forcing vendors to take ID now as the security on the machine is forcing us to enter the zip code attached to the billing as well as the address (not the full thing, just the numbers). It's making it so it is harder for thieves to use stolen cards now unless they have id that matches all the information attached to the card. Makes it a little hard for those that don't have the correct address on their ID which is very common. Good thing is they have their name (and some have their signature) that prints out on the receipt; if they don't match we cancel the transaction and have them give us a card that does match their information. If they can't provide that (had it happen today actually) then we turn them away and they can come back with cash if they want or get someone else to pay that has a legit card.

Yes. I've noticed at gas stations here and in North Carolina (mostly Marathon) they require you to punch in your zip code. I'm waiting for my credit and Target cards to be reissued and chipped. Surprisingly I wasn't affected during that whole breech fiasco in 2013. At all of the Target stores within the Chicagoland area had all the card readers replaced with the one's that can accept the chipped cards. I think I heard company wide that was going into affect by December of this year. They even put in counterfeit readers.

 

[lethal6]

Yes. I've noticed at gas stations here and in North Carolina (mostly Marathon) they require you to punch in your zip code. I'm waiting for my credit and Target cards to be reissued and chipped. Surprisingly I wasn't affected during that whole breech fiasco in 2013. At all of the Target stores within the Chicagoland area had all the card readers replaced with the one's that can accept the chipped cards. I think I heard company wide that was going into affect by December of this year. They even put in counterfeit readers.

Yeah, we just got counterfeit readers for the cash, they are pretty cool.

Before we stopped taking checks we had one for that to. It would basically run it through as a mock credit transaction and hit the bank to see if all the routing and account stuff matched but they started charging high fees for it so we dumped 'em.

What sucks about all this technology though is if we lose power, we are dead in the water at work. Guys can't use the air, the lifts won't work, and they can't even get them down as the locks automatically activate for safety when the power goes. In parts, I can't look anything up as there isn't a physical catalog anymore (hasn't been for more than 10 years now apparently), we can't run invoices, can't print the bill, can run the credit card, can't order anything. It's a zoo when it goes, luckily it doesn't happen often.

 

[connies96hatchie]

Yeah, we just got counterfeit readers for the cash, they are pretty cool.

Before we stopped taking checks we had one for that to. It would basically run it through as a mock credit transaction and hit the bank to see if all the routing and account stuff matched but they started charging high fees for it so we dumped 'em.

What sucks about all this technology though is if we lose power, we are dead in the water at work. Guys can't use the air, the lifts won't work, and they can't even get them down as the locks automatically activate for safety when the power goes. In parts, I can't look anything up as there isn't a physical catalog anymore (hasn't been for more than 10 years now apparently), we can't run invoices, can't print the bill, can run the credit card, can't order anything. It's a zoo when it goes, luckily it doesn't happen often.

Not even with backup generators? Surely that has to be a feature with any company i would think?

 

[pantyraid]

Yes. I've noticed at gas stations here and in North Carolina (mostly Marathon) they require you to punch in your zip code. I'm waiting for my credit and Target cards to be reissued and chipped. Surprisingly I wasn't affected during that whole breech fiasco in 2013. At all of the Target stores within the Chicagoland area had all the card readers replaced with the one's that can accept the chipped cards. I think I heard company wide that was going into affect by December of this year. They even put in counterfeit readers.

Where I work we have to put in the billing zip code to run any sort of credit/debit/bank card, except that it clearly doesn't matter because you can literally just make up a zip code and it'll go through, I've frequently put in the zip code for the store before because the person was taking too long to remember their zip code (or couldn't figure out what a zip code is - yes, you'd be surprised by the sheer number of people, ADULT AMERICAN people, who have no clue what a zip code is. Or tax for that matter, they'll repeat it as if it's a strange word that I made up to trick them out of their money) only for them to figure it out and it's way off from what I typed in, and yet it always goes through.

I always wonder why they even make us put it in if it doesn't matter anyway

 

[connies96hatchie]

Where I work we have to put in the billing zip code to run any sort of credit/debit/bank card, except that it clearly doesn't matter because you can literally just make up a zip code and it'll go through, I've frequently put in the zip code for the store before because the person was taking too long to remember their zip code (or couldn't figure out what a zip code is - yes, you'd be surprised by the sheer number of people, ADULT AMERICAN people, who have no clue what a zip code is. Or tax for that matter, they'll repeat it as if it's a strange word that I made up to trick them out of their money) only for them to figure it out and it's way off from what I typed in, and yet it always goes through.

I always wonder why they even make us put it in if it doesn't matter anyway

Here it's the self-entitlest that are baffled by it all. It's the things that make you go hmmm...

 

[lethal6]

Not even with backup generators? Surely that has to be a feature with any company i would think?

We have the safety back up one that keeps a little light on so people can vacate, but there are no actual full power generators. We don't loose power enough out here for the owner to fork up large commercial generators for all 12 of the dealerships. Our Mercedes store has something like 28 tech bays, a cafe, and everything else that goes with a high caliber high traffic vehicle franchise. That is a lot of juice to keep the building going in an outage. Our shop is a little smaller with only 9 stalls but still a fairly large building none the less.

 

[connies96hatchie]

We have the safety back up one that keeps a little light on so people can vacate, but there are no actual full power generators. We don't loose power enough out here for the owner to fork up large commercial generators for all 12 of the dealerships. Our Mercedes store has something like 28 tech bays, a cafe, and everything else that goes with a high caliber high traffic vehicle franchise. That is a lot of juice to keep the building going in an outage. Our shop is a little smaller with only 9 stalls but still a fairly large building none the less.

Natural disasters happen all the time unexpectedly. But I'm sure there is a thoughtout logical plan in place if and when that does happen. Got to keep the company running at all times.

 

[lethal6]

Where I work we have to put in the billing zip code to run any sort of credit/debit/bank card, except that it clearly doesn't matter because you can literally just make up a zip code and it'll go through, I've frequently put in the zip code for the store before because the person was taking too long to remember their zip code (or couldn't figure out what a zip code is - yes, you'd be surprised by the sheer number of people, ADULT AMERICAN people, who have no clue what a zip code is. Or tax for that matter, they'll repeat it as if it's a strange word that I made up to trick them out of their money) only for them to figure it out and it's way off from what I typed in, and yet it always goes through.

I always wonder why they even make us put it in if it doesn't matter anyway

It does matter. There should be a 3 or so digit security code on the receipt. If it doesn't pass, the transaction still goes through, but the code secretly tells you if it passes or not. Your company should be training you to deny the sale if the code doesn't "pass". IF that credit card is stolen and gets rejected in the end by the bank when the owner finds out about it, your company will have to pay the money back, a possible fine, and be out what ever merchandise was sold. When they go to fight it with the card machine company that little code on the receipt that didn't pass with be their f**k you to your company and saves their ass in a law suit.

Every single time you are entering in what ever zip code you feel like, it is failing that credit check. That machine won't deny the card unless it's been reported stolen, it's up to you to verify if the card is legit to that particular person. It is crazy to me how lax a lot of companies are with people's information and credit transactions. Our accounting/legal department would s**t a brick if they found us faking the zip codes or any other information just to get the card to go through.

We have been entering in zip codes in the machine the whole 5 years I have been with this company and not one person has never known their zip code. Maybe it's our customers being upper class?

Natural disasters happen all the time unexpectedly. But I'm sure there is a thoughtout logical plan in place if and when that does happen. Got to keep the company running at all times.

If there is a natural disaster, I think the last thing on people's minds would be to come in and buy parts for their sports cars that barely get driven or to come purchase that new 911 that just came out. If the power is out for more than a couple hours, we lock it up and head home. f**k the company if there is a real natural disaster, I am going to be home with family just like the owner would be.