cheques not accepted

I can't remember the last time I wrote a cheque.

The only cheque I ever write now is to the Ringtons man I know he comes every two weeks but I never seem to have cash when he comes.

Yes, Merlot same here. Having said that I belong to my local U3A. They will ONLY accept cheques. Its just that I don't keep a large amount in the Bank. My CARD would not cover £1500.

That was funny glassortwo. I didn't know of the Ringtons man.
I didn't want to show my ignorance, so googled, and now I know.

anneey My supply of a good cup of tea

Only cheque I write is to the milkman. I roll it up and stick it in the neck of the milk bottle(s) I'm returning.

I send cheques to my dgc at Christmas and birthdays when I'm not going to see them.

I usually have to pay the window cleaner by cheque because I often miss him and when I do see him, the bill has mounted up to far more than I keep in my purse.

The problem with only using a card is that if you make a payment that's unusually large and doesn't follow your normal spending pattern the bank puts an instant stop on it. That's great for security but frustrating when you need to get something paid on time.

I once rang our bank when I was going to have to stump up a larger than usual amount and asked if they could guarantee it would go through on the card but they said they couldn't because the 'stop' happens at random. That's no help when the firm you are about to pay doesn't take cheques.

Must say I miss cheques- but where I live they just do not exist!

When I go shopping in nearby France though- I do find it irritating when there is a big queue at the check out, and several people take ages paying by cheque for a few items. Hate them, love them...

Why not write or phone customer service at Head Office to make your comment and ask for advice?

ANNEEY , that is crazy , the fact that you can have the building society issue a cheque means you have funds .

Sorry, I can"t understand that !!

Aren't banks trying to phase out cheques completely and make sure that most people use debit/credit cards and the "instant swipe" type cards for small purchases? They [the banks] reckon that handling cheques is expensive for them and they have made it expensive for businesses too. I think the original plan was to discontinue the use of cheques some time in the very near future but there was something of an outcry and the plan was dropped - probably temporarily.

Yes, that's correct absent. Still doesn't explain why John Lewis won't accept a cheque - unless, of course, it's about the cost involved in processing it.

Cheque guarantee cards no longer work, and even when they did they didn't guarantee a sum that large, not for years. Quite a few people come a cropper in hotels, as most large chains will no longer accept a cheque either. There are a few that won't accept cash, in case it is a way of money-laundering. Money laundering is usually the problem, I gather. Keeping an electronic trail of how large sums of money are spent is far easier than working your way through lots of bits of paper. I think I worked out that I use 2 or 3 cheques a month - but the thought of all of our money being tied up in banks accounts and not being able to go shopping when the banks computer systems go down - which they have, twice lately - is enough to make me want to keep cheques as a back-up.

My husband gets paid by cheques all the time as he windows cleans when people are out,so they post it to him, he does do online payments but a lot of his older customers dont do that
Some of his customers bank at Coutts - do they do online ?

They do - rather surprisingly!

Can't you arrange online payment? I would have expected JL to be more accommodating. Mind you would they ever have taken a cheque for £1500 withput security even when cheques were common?

If I can't give a cheque as a birthday gift how am I to send money through the post ? I have lost count of the cards that have gone astray after posting.

You could always transfer the money from your account I know its not as nice as sending in the post though

There was a petition a while ago against the proposed abolition of cheques; we signed it at TG and I think other organisations were also signing petitions. I don't know what the current position is re this, whether or not the banks are having a re-think.

For a gift of money I lodge into the person's account (family - ask for details) and send a copy of the lodgement slip in their card.

Only difficulty is if it's abroad the bank charges a fee. Around £26 if done in the bank and £13 if you do it yourself at home. This can add up.

I send gifts of money to children of friends, I am not going to ask for bank details that would be really cheeky. I don't even do that for family.

Why not pay for in on your credit card and then write a cheque to your credit card company? That's what I do when I dont want the hassle of paying a large and unusual amount out of my current account. You also have the added benefit of the goods being covered by guarantee as they are in excess of £100. Sorted. I do write some cheques, and do receive quite a few from clients so I am still pro-cheque but you just have to work a way around things that suits you.

The simplest answer is to transfer money from the Building Society, to my bank. It just seems such an unnecessary procedure.
Going back to Merlotgran, (Bank putting a stop on a large amount)
I went through the embarrassment of holding up the queue in Ikea, my bank phoned Ikea, which was passed on to me. They asked me a few Security questions, then all was o.k. Although I had a few dodgy glares from the Queue.