Surcharge for cheque payment?

[Guest]

[GRL]

No.

This is France

Oh gosh

Seriously though, what would the bank actually do if you posted the cheque to them? Would they return it?

The local branch of RBS insist that any volume of cash be counted into bags. I'd normally do this, but one time I was just in a rush, so walked in, gave them my details, gave them the bags, listened for 2 seconds as the teller bitched, and walked out. The money was in my account when I logged in that evening.

... or would the French just not "get on with it"

I have posted French cheques in before. Whilst I am not ken on cheques they can sometimes be quicker than a bank transfer with a RIB. Hubby was owed a big chunk of money so the client did a bank transfer with a RIB only to find it took a week to clear as "the person who deals with transfers to accounts not previously transferred to" was on holiday

[Sam V]

I have been charging a £5 admin charge on each payment by cheque for the past couple of years to try and reduce receiving them and I accept 5 working days in which to receive them, whereas I expect to receive bank turf. and PayPal within 24hrs . I state if guests prefer me to refund the security deposit by cheque, I will charge £5. As said by others, cheques are now a PIA and I can't really understand why someone with internet access does not understand the security of online payments.

[barbersdrove]

I bank with Barclays and can pay in my cheques at the Post office. As far as I can see they do provide this service for most banks, though not all.

[e-richard]

Barclays are actually trialling a system whereby you can photograph a cheque on your iPhone (4s or above only) and submit for deposit using the mobile banking app.

You can get a glimpse of the future here.

I suspect other banks are working on similar technologies and also, we hope, for Androids and Windows.

[barbersdrove]

Well would you believe it! I'm amazed!!

[Nemo]

I had heard about this but hadn't seen anything. Thanks Richard. Others may not like it as it will keep the cheque alive a little longer!

[e-richard]

Funny you should say that Nemo. These developments were actually initiated in response to the cancellation of the plans to get rid of cheques by 2018.

I hope to get this app as soon as possible, and I will publicise to all my guests that if they send me cheques, I will scan them on my mobile phone and publish to my bank via the Internet. That should scare them off sending me cheques

[edinburgh]

Bank of America have been doing this for a little while.

The Americans love checks (sic) because their online transfer system is so bad! For my Bank of America account I have no fewer than THREE routing numbers depending on how a transaction is arriving at my account.

The only up-side is that Bank of America scan both sides of the cheque, which shows up as an image in your online banking. I would say "I wish they'd do this here", but I cannot think of the last time I received a cheque. I'm not sure my most recent bank account has ever issued or received a cheque.

[Moliere]

I can see it could be a pain for people living in remote locations to pay cheques into a bank (although there is the Royal Mail) so with the growth of other options it should be perfectly possible to determine those means of payment which are acceptable to you and to decline the others (personally I can't abide PayPal, for instance).

You simply have to be prepared for some people to walk away because your choices are unacceptable to them, but that's inevitable in a fair market and doubtless others will step in to fill their place. Really I can't see there's any problem with that and everybody's happy.

Mols

[greenbarn]

Barclays are actually trialling a system whereby you can photograph a cheque on your iPhone (4s or above only) and submit for deposit using the mobile banking app.

Hang on - does that mean that if a guest wants to pay by cheque, instead of entrusting it to the Royal Snail they could scan it themselves, email that, and not have to bother sending the cheque at all? So a bit like making a bank transfer, but with the added bonus of still being able to perform the ritual of lovingly inscribing paper with quill? What's not to like? I shall switch my banking to Barclays today!
It sounds like those bankers are worth £27 million a day after all!

[Bunny]

GB, I took it to mean that only the recipient could scan the cheque in order to pay it in. No?

[greenbarn]

GB, I took it to mean that only the recipient could scan the cheque in order to pay it in. No?

Yes, but you don't live in the same world that I do........ and I bet you're allowed sharp things and don't have to wear your jacket back to front.

[elena]

oasiscouple wrote:
French Cricket wrote:
No.

This is France Laughing


In 30 years I have always sent cheques by post together with a paying in slip unless I happen to be going into town and can easily go to the bank. I have never had a problem and sign the cheque on the back before sending as required.

We have mainly UK guests now - French guests always try to book after we're full but for the few we have they invariably prefer to pay by cheque.

I have always sent them to the bank by post and never sign them on the back.(I do photocopy them though in case the get lost en route!) I once ripped up a final balance cheque by mistake & when I phoned my bank they told me to sellotape it back together & send it in anyway I did & they banked it!

France - the country of paradoxes!!

Elena
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[Mouse]

Don't accept them at all.

In this day and age, is any guest, having decided they want to book a particular property, then going to change their minds just because one doesn't accept cheques?

+1

Like anything in life...if you give lots of options people will take the easiest (for them). I doubt anyone would walk away...they would just default to the next easiest option.

For those that ask you could also say that you don't accept cheques because due to demand you can't hold availability longer than xyz and the cheque system is just too slow.


Mouse
x
p.s. do cheques take longer to clear than a bank transfer? I can't remember the UK system these days.