Why do some people still pay their bills at the bank?

[Pawnless Endgame]

This is inspired by Darg's thread about putting his council tax onto direct debit

My colleague has a medical secretary background, so is used to writing in shorthand and just generally loves paper i.e. everything MUST be printed out. She's ok with computers though, can use email, data entry, type up minutes etc. However, she refuses to use direct debit, and she still writes cheques and still visits the bank. We made it her New Year's resolution to stop this in 2012 and again in 2013 and 2014. Didn't happen. We discussed password strength and keeping anti-virus up to date, but she can't be reasoned with.

A friend of mine, aged 39 is the same too, although he is much more computer literate e.g. he would know that Memtest is one of his options if his PC was blue-screening. Yet he still banks brick and mortar, although he does have an online account too.

I guess one could argue that the high street is dying, but I personally haven't banked brick and mortar since the mid-90s when I had a Post Office account. Remember those blue and grey books you had? Blue was your current account and grey was your savings, which required a month's notice for a withdrawal The high street for me is a social thing - bars, cafés, hanging around shops with mates etc, day trips to other town centres etc.

 

[Hades]

Sometimes it's just nicer and easier to actually talk to someone standing a few feet away from you so you know they have done what you asked of them.

 

[Mynight]

I must admit I don't use DD anymore. Had a couple of companies take money from my account twice too many times and take ages to return it.

 

[Sliver]

I've been volunteering at Age UK for a number of years now as an IT advisor/teacher. I've seen a lot people come to us who refuse point blank to do online banking or shopping and prefer instead to do everything in person either at the bank or at the store.

I've tried many times to reassure them that it's perfectly safe, more convenient and easier to conduct such transactions online but my words almost always fall on deaf ears. They are used to doing things a certain way and they have their blinkers on and cannot imagine changing.

Your post is interesting in that you mention younger people who are also insistent on doing things in person at the bank. I guess some people are just stubborn.

 

[KIA]

Get the person a Chromebook/box.

Giving a technophobe a full Windows machine is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Burnsy2023]

I must admit I don't use DD anymore. Had a couple of companies take money from my account twice too many times and take ages to return it.

If they've taken it twice, just go to your bank and say that one of the payments were made in error and they should refund you instantly under the DD guarantee.

 

[platypus]

A lot of things are paid for with cheques here, so a lot is still done in bank.

The difference being I guess that cheques clear in a day, sometimes less, and it's a criminal offence to bounce a cheque.

 

[Mynight]

If they've taken it twice, just go to your bank and say that one of the payments were made in error and they should refund you instantly under the DD guarantee.

I didn't know that was possible.

I might start using it again then

 

[Burnsy2023]

The difference being I guess that cheques clear in a day, sometimes less, and it's a criminal offence to bounce a cheque.

It could be a criminal offence to issue a cheque you know will bounce but I highly doubt the CPS would ever run with that. It's a pointless bit of law really.

 

[estebanrey]

You could flip the question around and ask why people are so prepared to let a private organisation access and remove money from their bank accounts without any notification from themselves.

Not a single business that takes money from customers via DD would allow a penny to leave their company account without various authorisations and sign offs. They certainly wouldn't sign up to a system based on trust and sign an agreement that lets someone else take their money at any point that person requested it.

Let's be honest, DD is just an invention to allow us to be more lazy and I have no issue with that, but I don't think we should think people are weird for being happy to pay their bills manually.

It can also be a financially astute thing to do. DD's are often taken a lot sooner than the contracted payment times and many companies make a lot of money from the interest accrued from getting it sooner rather than later. My mobile phone bill is a good example (I pay this manually), if I paid this by DD it would come out on the 18th of each month, however I have up until the 1st of the next month to pay it before I face a late charge. I don't get paid until the 28th and whilst I usually pay it on the 18th from my current wages it is nice to know if I'm a bit short I can put it off until pay day.

 

[killsta]

You could flip the question around and ask why people are so prepared to let a private organisation access and remove money from their bank accounts without any notification from themselves.

That's why there is the DD Guarantee. If any organisation takes funds without authority then it will be refunded. Simple.

 

[estebanrey]

It could be a criminal offence to issue a cheque you know will bounce but I highly doubt the CPS would ever run with that. It's a pointless bit of law really.

It's a bit like how technically you could be arrested and put on the sex offenders register for french kissing in a public place.

 

[Glaucus]

You could flip the question around and ask why people are so prepared to let a private organisation access and remove money from their bank accounts without any notification from themselves.

It makes life so much easier and the guarantee means younger fully protected and you basically have the final say.
So you really want to authorise every transaction. Ie pay the bill manually every month for every thing you have. No thanks. DD is great due to the gaurentee, which is 100% on your side. With immediate refund, not waiting for someone to side with you. It's because of the guarantee you don't heed authorisation.

 

[estebanrey]

That's why there is the DD Guarantee. If any organisation takes funds without authority then it will be refunded. Simple.

The point is you don't authorise each transaction, so proving they didn't have the 'authority' is the difficult part. An easy example would be a dispute over something on the bill.

By using DD you've given them the money and then have to prove and gather evidence to get your refund. Without it, you withhold the funds from them until matter is resolved.

It makes life so much easier and the guarantee means younger fully protected and you basically have the final say.
So you really want to authorise every transaction. Ie pay the bill manually every month for every thing you have. No thanks. DD is great due to the gaurentee, which is 100% on your side. With immediate refund, not waiting for someone to side with you. It's because of the guarantee you don't heed authorisation.

I see you have also deleted the rest of my post so I'll ask again.

Name me a single business that takes money via DD who itself allows another person or company to do the same to them. They don't, they check, double check and sign off everything they pay. That seems odd is it saves so much time and makes life so much easier, they could probably even get rid of a few people in finance.

 

[Glaucus]

I deleted it because it makes no difference, wasn't replying to that bit etc. I expect most business pay their utilities by DD.

You need no evidence for refund, the guarantee is 100% on your side, you say and it's an immediate refund, they can then chase you for not paying, fraudulent claims etc.

 

[Burnsy2023]

It's a bit like how technically you could be arrested and put on the sex offenders register for french kissing in a public place.

I'm pretty sure that's an urban myth.

 

[Burnsy2023]

By using DD you've given them the money and then have to prove and gather evidence to get your refund. Without it, you withhold the funds from them until matter is resolved.

You don't need any proof to return a payment via the DD guarantee.

 

[estebanrey]

I deleted it because it makes no difference, I expect most business pay their utilities by DD.

Maybe some small companies do, I would be surprised if a medium to large company would. As I said, there is a lot of money to be made by not using DD and when given a time period to pay they will nearly ways wait until the last moment before they do. DD takes the money early (in most cases) which is something the businesses I've worked for would never do.

 

[Glaucus]

Surprised? I don't know you don't know. and either way makes sod all difference. You don't understand DD and that's the issue.

You need no proof, there isn't an investigation, it's 100% guarantee on your side.
There is not a lot of money to be made by DD, what nonsense.

 

[estebanrey]

You don't need any proof to return a payment via the DD guarantee.

The DD guarantee says...

"If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society"

Source

So surely you have to prove in some way an error has been made, or are you saying that anyone at anytime can demand a full repayment of a DD payment just by request whether they were liable to pay or not? Could I walk into my bank tomorrow and get the £40 internet/phone bill I just paid back even though I used the services?